Then Lysias heard that Philip, whom King Antiochus while still living had appointed to bring up Antiochus his son to be king, had returned from Persia and Media with the forces that had gone with the king, and that he was trying to seize control of the government: See verses 14-16 for information concerning Philip. These two verses contain such a complicated sentence, that it will be good for translators to reorder the clauses as follows:

• (1) Philip … had returned from Persia and Media with the forces that had gone with the king.

• (2) He was trying to seize control of the government.

• (3) Philip, whom King Antiochus while still living appointed to bring up Antiochus his son to be king.

• (4) Then Lysias heard.

This rearrangement of verses 55-56 results in the following possible model:

• Meanwhile, Philip had returned to Antioch with the army that King Antiochus~IV had taken to Persia and Media. He was now trying to take control of the government. Philip was the man whom Antiochus, just before he died, had appointed to educate his son to be king. When Lysias heard this news….

Contemporary English Version‘s model is also helpful:

• Before Antiochus the Fourth died, he had made his friend Philip promise that the younger Antiochus would take his place as king. Philip wanted control of the kingdom, and so he brought back the part of the army that had been in Persia and Media.
When Lysias found out what Philip was doing….

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Maccabees. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.