So he betook himself to the king: Onias went to see King Seleucus~IV. It will be good to expand Good News Bible‘s model to “so he went to King Seleucus.”

Not accusing his fellow citizens but having in view the welfare, both public and private, of all the people: The author pictures Onias as totally unlike Simon, who made serious accusations against the High Priest. Onias wanted to promote the safety and prosperity of the Jews without having to stand before the Gentile king and accuse a fellow Jew of crime.

Alternative models for this verse are:

• He did this not to accuse any of his fellow Jews with crimes, but only to see that his people were well treated, and that their rights, both public and individual, were honored.

• Onias did not want to accuse any of his fellow Jews of committing crimes, but he wanted to make sure that the government [or, the king] treated his people well and honored both their public and individual rights.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Maccabees. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.