He fought many battles: Of course, Alexander didn’t fight alone, and in some languages this will need to be made clear by saying “Alexander and his army [or, soldiers] fought many battles [or, fought their enemies many times].”

Conquered strongholds: Strongholds refers to “fortified cities” (Good News Bible) as well as to forts. They are military places designed to keep an enemy out of one’s territory. Good News Bible is a bit more specific than the Greek, but is still legitimate. Translators could say “fortified places,” “fortifications,” or even “places with high strong walls.”

And put to death the kings of the earth: The Greek phrase rendered the kings of the earth is an awkward translation from Hebrew, which clearly would have meant “the kings of the region” (Good News Bible) or “the local kings” (New Jerusalem Bible [New Jerusalem Bible]). An alternative model for the whole clause is “and he killed the kings ruling over various regions.”

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.