We recommend beginning a new paragraph here because the subject matter changes (so Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version).

But the next year he mustered sixty thousand picked infantrymen and five thousand cavalry to subdue them: The connector But is not necessary here if translators begin a new paragraph. Mustered may be rendered “gathered” (Good News Bible) or “got together” (Contemporary English Version). In today’s military usage, picked infantrymen would be called “elite infantrymen.” Goldstein says “first-class troops.” For sixty thousand picked infantrymen, Good News Bible has “60,000 well-trained infantry,” which is good, but we would prefer “60,000 first-class foot soldiers” or “60,000 [or, sixty thousand] of his best foot soldiers.” Subdue may be rendered “conquer” (Good News Bible), “crush” (Contemporary English Version), or even “wipe out.”

We suggest the following alternative model for this verse:

• The next year Lysias gathered together 60,000 [or, sixty thousand] of his best foot soldiers and 5,000 [or, five thousand] cavalry [or, soldiers on horseback] to conquer the Jews.

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.