He arrogantly entered the sanctuary: The sanctuary refers to the whole Temple complex in Jerusalem, not just the Temple building or the Most Holy Place within it. Good News Bible renders this whole clause as “In his arrogance, he entered the Temple,” and Contemporary English Version has “He walked arrogantly right into the Jerusalem temple.” Another possible model is “He showed great arrogance [or, pride] as he entered the Temple complex.”

And took the golden altar, the lampstand for the light, and all its utensils: The Temple implements named here and in the next verse are mentioned in Exo 39.32-43 and 1~Kgs 7.48-50, so translators should look there for how these terms were rendered. The golden altar was the altar for offering incense (see Exo 30.1-6), and may be translated in some languages as “the golden table for offering incense.” The lampstand for the light is described in detail in Exo 25.31-39 and 37.17-24. It had seven branches with an oil lamp on the tip of each. The words for the light are unnecessary in English, and Good News Bible eliminates them, but in some languages it will be necessary to keep these words; for example, “the lampstand for giving light in the Temple.” All its utensils refers to the equipment used for lighting the lamps and tending the flames. Good News Bible has “all its equipment,” and Contemporary English Version says “everything that went with it.”

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.