12 He added that it was absolutely impossible that anyone should be permitted to take the money of those people who had put their trust in the sanctity and safety of this world-famous Temple.
13 But Heliodorus insisted that the money should be taken for the royal treasury, as the king had ordered.
14 So he fixed a day and went into the Temple to supervise the counting of the money. This caused an uproar throughout the entire city.
15 Priests, wearing the priestly robes, threw themselves face downwards before the altar and begged God to keep the money safe, since he had given the laws designed to protect the money that people deposited in the Temple.
16 It was heartbreaking to see the High Priest. His face turned pale, revealing the agony of his soul,
17 and his body was trembling with fear, reflecting the pain in his heart.
18 People ran from their houses to join together in prayer that the Temple might not be defiled.