In Greek this verse is part of the same sentence as verse 14, but we suggest beginning a new sentence here.

Disdaining the honors prized by their fathers: For disdaining Good News Bible has “did not care about,” which is a little weak. Contemporary English Version is better with “sneered at,” which clearly shows the disdain of the priests. The honors prized by their fathers is literally “the ancestral honors.” Good News Bible says “anything their ancestors had valued,” which is not quite right. We believe this phrase refers to the highest honor in ancient Israel, the honor of serving as a priest, which was an inherited office, and thus an “ancestral honor.” A better model for this whole clause is “They cared nothing about the honor of being a priest, even though their fathers before them [or, their ancestors] had been priests.”

And putting the highest value upon Greek forms of prestige: The priests began to value the same things that the Greeks thought important and worthwhile. Prizewinning athletes were highly honored by the Greeks, so the priests began to celebrate athletic skill. An American Translation says “and thinking Greek standards the finest.” This clause may also be rendered “and they thought it more important to be admired for doing what Greeks considered worthwhile” or “and they wanted so much to have people admire them for doing what Greeks considered important.”

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.