17 To be ungodly in the face of the divine laws isn’t a light matter, as the following events would reveal.
18 Once when the king was present at the athletic games they held every five years in Tyre,
19 the evil Jason sent residents of Jerusalem who were now citizens of Antioch as his envoys, carrying three hundred silver drachmen for the sacrifice to Hercules. Because it was inappropriate, the envoys didn’t think it was right to use these funds for sacrifice. Instead, they applied the expense to something else.
20 So although Jason designated this sum for a sacrifice to Hercules, the envoys spent it on equipping warships.
21 After Menestheus’ son Apollonius was sent to Egypt for the coronation of Ptolemy Philometor as king, Antiochus thought about his own security because he had received a report that the Egyptian king was hostile toward his government. So after sailing to Joppa, he came to Jerusalem.
22 Jason received him magnificently, and the people of the city welcomed him with torches and shouts. Then Antiochus took his army to Phoenicia.
23 Three years later, Jason sent Menelaus (brother of the previously mentioned Simon) to bring funds to the king and settle the accounts of some urgent business matters.