So Jason, who after supplanting his own brother was supplanted by another man: The Greek verb rendered supplanting means to replace by unfair or illegal means. Good News Bible renders it as “cheated,” adding for clarity “out of the office of High Priest.” Contemporary English Version renders his own brother as “his brother Onias,” which may be helpful in other languages. Good News Bible omits the idea in was supplanted by another man. This does sound repetitious, but it should probably be included. The first half of this verse may be rendered “And so Jason, who became High Priest by cheating his own brother, was now replaced by a man who cheated him” or “Jason had earlier become High Priest by cheating his brother Onias. Now someone was cheating him out of the position of High Priest.”

Was driven as a fugitive into the land of Ammon: When Menelaus became High Priest, Jason feared for his life, and fled to Ammon, a country on the east side of the Jordan River (see 1Macc 5.6). This clause can be translated as a short sentence by saying “Now he was forced to flee into the land of Ammon” or “Now he had to flee into the land of Ammon.”

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.