13 Heliodorus answered, “King Seleucus has ordered me to collect the money for the royal treasury, and I'm going to do just that.”
14 After Heliodorus had set a day to collect the money, he went into the temple to take charge of the workers who were counting the silver and gold.Meanwhile, everyone in Jerusalem was in terrible agony.
15 The priests in their sacred robes were lying face down on the ground in front of the altar and praying, “Our God, please protect this silver and gold! You yourself made the law that keeps our money safe while it is stored in the temple.”
16 It was heartbreaking just to look at Onias the high priest. His face was pale because of his suffering,
17 and his trembling body showed that he was terrified and tormented.
18 Heliodorus was about to disgrace the temple, and so families ran out of their houses and huddled together in the streets to pray.
19 Grown women put on sackcloth skirts. Young women who had never been allowed outdoors ran to the city gates or to the city wall, or just stared out of their windows.