He took also the table for the bread of the Presence …: Revised Standard Version adds He took to resume the thought from the previous verse. In Greek this verse begins literally with “and the table….” The table for the bread of the Presence is described in detail in Exo 25.23-30 and 37.10-16. Good News Bible renders this Temple item as “the table for the bread offered to the Lord,” but Contemporary English Version is better with “the table for the sacred loaves of bread,” since it avoids a direct reference to the Lord.

The cups for drink offerings, the bowls is simply “and the cups and the bowls” in the Greek text. For drink offerings is only implied, but should be included in some languages; for example, Contemporary English Version has “as well as the special bowls, the cups for wine offerings.” The cups and the bowls were used for pouring out wine offerings (see Exo 25.29). Good News Bible says simply “the cups and bowls,” but the Revised English Bible (Revised English Bible) is more specific with “the libation cups and bowls” (similarly New English Bible).

The golden censers were small shovel-shaped implements used for carrying live coals and for burning incense. This phrase may be rendered “the gold pans for carrying live coals and for burning incense.”

The curtain separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place in the Temple (see Exo 26.31-33 and 36.35-36).

The crowns were probably gold decorations in the form of crowns that were placed on the front wall of the Temple (see 1Macc 4.57).

And the gold decoration on the front of the temple refers to the other gold ornamentation on the front wall of the Temple.

He stripped it all off: This final clause simply stresses that Antiochus stripped the Temple of everything of value, not just the gold from the front of the Temple as Good News Bible and Contemporary English Version suggest. So it may be rendered “He stripped the Temple of everything.”

The material in this verse could be arranged in the following way:

• … the table for the sacred bread [or, the bread offered to Heaven], the cups and bowls [for drink offerings], the gold firepans [or, gold pans for carrying live coals and burning incense], and the curtain. He also took the crowns and the other gold ornaments from the front of the Temple. He stripped the Temple of everything.

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.