We were happy to serve your father: These words imply that the new king was not as worthy of obedience as his father had been. They do not necessarily mean that Antiochus~IV was their ruler of choice, simply that they had no strong reason to oppose him. Good News Bible gives the meaning clearly with “We were willing to serve your father.”

To live by what he said and to follow his commands: Live by what he said (literally “go by what he said”) and follow his commands are synonymous, and can be combined into one expression; for example, Contemporary English Version has “obeyed your father’s laws.”

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.