1 I have already told you that Simon caused a lot of trouble for our country by telling Apollonius about the money in the temple. Then later, Simon lied and blamed Onias for the attack on Heliodorus and for all the terrible things that happened.
2 Simon even dared to claim that Onias was plotting against the government, although everyone knew that Onias had been generous to Jerusalem and that he had protected our nation and had been in favor of its laws.
3 Simon hated Onias so much that he had even hired some men to commit murders.
4 Apollonius, the governor of Southwest Syria Province, started encouraging Simon with his evil plans. Finally, Onias understood that his life was in danger,
5 and he asked King Seleucus for help. Onias did not want to bring charges against other Jews. He only hoped to find ways of privately and publicly doing good for the entire nation.
6 But he knew that he needed the king's help to bring peace to the country and to bring Simon to his senses.