Verses 70-73 contain the message of Apollonius to Jonathan. Translators will want to deal with this text the way they have dealt with other such passages, for example, verses 25-45 and 1Macc 8.23-32.

You are the only one to rise up against us: When Alexander withdrew from Ptolemais to Antioch (verse 68), Coelesyria was left under the control of his rival Demetrius, who appointed Apollonius as commander. Apparently Jonathan was the only leader in the area who remained loyal to Alexander; this is what is meant by You are the only one to rise up against us. The pronoun us refers to Apollonius and the others who supported Demetrius. Contemporary English Version has “Jonathan, you are the only one who is still fighting against us.”

And I have become a laughingstock and reproach because of you can be understood two ways: (1)~Apollonius is truly embarrassed, claiming that people are making fun of him because Jonathan dares to oppose him. Contemporary English Version follows this sense by saying “and you are making others laugh and sneer at me.” (2)~Doran suggests that Apollonius is taunting Jonathan, saying that people make fun of him for bothering with such a puny and insignificant opponent (compare 1~Sam 17.42-44). To us this second understanding sounds reasonable and appropriate to the context. There is no reason why Apollonius should actually feel embarrassed. A model that follows this sense is “and you are making others laugh and sneer at me for bothering with you at all.” A laughingstock is someone others laugh at. A reproach is someone other people disgrace. Good News Bible combines these two ideas by rendering I have become a laughingstock and reproach as “I am being ridiculed.” Our model below combines them into “fool.”

Why do you assume authority against us in the hill country?: Assume authority against us may be expressed as “continue rebelling [or, fighting] against us.” City dwellers often think of people who live in the mountains as inferior to themselves, and Apollonius probably intends this reference to the hill country as an insult, part of his taunt (compare 1~Kgs 20.23-30). Good News Bible probably intends to convey this with “there in your mountains,” which in English can be understood as sarcastic. Contemporary English Version is equally sarcastic with “there in the hill country.” Apollonius is trying to get Jonathan so angry that he will come down from the hills into the plains where Apollonius’ more disciplined army will have the advantage.

More important here than a translation with exact equivalents to every phrase is one that vividly expresses the taunt of Apollonius involved here. A model for the verse that does this is:

• “Do you think you can make a fool out of me? You, up there in those hills of yours? Why are you doing this? No one else is fighting us.

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.