2 Make the temple in Jerusalem unfit as a place to worship their God by turning it into a temple for Zeus of Olympus. Then name the temple on Mount Gerizim, “The Temple for Zeus Who Welcomes Strangers,” since that is what it was earlier called by the people who live there.
3 After this, those foreigners abused our people so cruelly that we almost lost hope.
4 They held wild parties and did other disgusting things in the temple, such as having sex with prostitutes and setting up vulgar idols.
5 Even our altar was piled high with unclean sacrifices that were forbidden by our Law.
6 It became a crime to worship on the Sabbath, or to celebrate our ancient festivals, or even to admit that you were a Jew.
7 Each month, the foreigners celebrated the king's birthday. And during the ceremony they cruelly forced our people to eat the insides of sacrificed animals. Besides this, they made us wear sprigs of ivy in our hair and walk in parades whenever they celebrated a festival to honor the god Dionysus.
8 About this time, the citizens of Ptolemais suggested that the same law be made for some nearby Greek towns, and it was done. The law required these towns to force Jews to eat the meat of sacrifices.