Who is it that has so lawlessly encompassed with outrageous treatment…?: Once again, this question is really an accusation. As the author writes this, the king sounds more like he is giving a formal speech than threatening anyone, but this is simply the writer’s style. In the model below lawlessly is rendered as “with no regard to their rights” and encompassed as “rounded them up.” Outrageous treatment may be translated separately by beginning this verse with “What you have done is outrageous! You have rounded them up with no regard for their rights.” However, the clause “You have rounded them up…” may be placed more naturally in at the end of this verse, beginning with the word “But” (see the model below).

Those who from the beginning differed from all nations in their goodwill toward us: The Greek phrase for differed from all nations is rendered in the Revised Standard Version footnote as “excelled above all nations,” and we prefer this interpretation; it is not a textual matter. The pronoun us refers to the king. We may render this clause as “The Jews have always shown more goodwill to me than any other nation.”

And often have accepted willingly the worst of human dangers may be expressed as “They have faced the worst dangers that humans can face.”

Here is an alternative model for this verse:

• What you have done is outrageous! The Jews have always shown more goodwill to me than any other nation. They have faced the worst dangers that human beings can face. But you have rounded them up with no regard for their rights.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 3-4 Maccabees. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2018. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.