When those who were around him observed this: Those who were around him refers to the elders (see verse 25), and it may be helpful to refer to them that way here. Observed this means the elders saw what the king intended to do. We can begin this verse with “When these community leaders saw what the king planned to do….”

They turned, together with our people: They turned can be interpreted literally: the elders saw what the king intended to do, so they turned around to face the people and join them in prayer. On the other hand, this expression can be an idiomatic way of saying that they gave up on their attempt to persuade the king and tried something else; they turned to prayer. Translators may go either way; we prefer the latter interpretation. Revised Standard Version is misleading with they turned, together with our people. The meaning here in Greek is that the elders, together with the other Jews in Jerusalem, turned to pray. Our people refers to the Jews in Jerusalem; the writer assumes that he is writing for a Jewish audience.

To call upon him who has all power: Him who has all power is, of course, God, and translators may make this explicit by rendering this clause as “to call upon [or, pray to] God who is all-powerful.”

To defend them in the present trouble may be expressed as “pleading with him to defend them in this dangerous time [or, from the danger/disaster that was about to come on them].”

And not to overlook this unlawful and haughty deed may be rendered “and not to ignore this unlawful and arrogant thing that the king was about to do.”

Here is an alternative model for this verse:

• When the community leaders saw what the king intended to do, they, together with all the other people in Jerusalem, turned all their attention to God, who has all power. They pleaded with him to defend them at this dangerous time [or, from the disaster that might come on them], and not to ignore this unlawful and arrogant thing that the king was about to do.

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.