In that day they put to death more than three hundred men: In that day refers to the day on which the Jews asked the king for permission to kill the renegades, did so, and left the city. Three hundred men refers specifically to men. Nothing is said about women or children.

And they kept the day as a joyful festival: The Greek does not really say that this day was made into a formal holiday for future times, only that it was a happy time. So we may say “They all celebrated joyfully on that day” or “They had a joyful celebration on that day.”

Since they had destroyed the profaners may be rendered “because they had destroyed [or, killed] those who had given up their religion.” We suggest placing this clause before the previous one (see the model below).

An alternative model for this verse is:

• On that day they killed more than three hundred men. And because they destroyed those who had given up their religion, they all celebrated joyfully on that day.

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.