With the subject changing to the Idumeans, translators may begin a new paragraph here (so Good News Bible).

But Judas made war on the sons of Esau in Idumea, at Akrabattene: The Greek conjunction rendered But (literally “And”) introduces the next event. It may be omitted as in Good News Bible. The sons of Esau are the Idumeans. For Idumea see the comments on 1Macc 3.41. The location of Akrabattene is not at all certain. Some place it in the area southwest of the Dead Sea, near the Akrabbim Pass (Num 34.4), but this is an unlikely place to find a Jewish community, and it is really outside the area of Idumea. Most scholars associate it with a locality mentioned by the historian Josephus, approximately 15 kilometers (about 9 miles) southeast of Shechem. This is on the opposite side of Jerusalem from Idumea, but the supposition is that a large community of Idumeans lived there. Placing the site there fits in best with movements in verse 6, so we favor it, although it is not at all certain. Akrabattene was more likely an area than a town (the town was called Akrabatta). Fortunately, translators do not really have to decide the issue.

Because they kept lying in wait for Israel: Good News Bible places this clause first with “The Idumeans were blockading the Israelites,” and some translators will find this helpful. Another possible model is “The Idumeans had surrounded a Jewish settlement in the area of Akrabattene.”

He dealt them a heavy blow and humbled them and despoiled them: Good News Bible combines the first two clauses of this sentence into “crushed them,” which is weak. New English Bible is better with “he inflicted on them a severe and humiliating defeat.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• The Idumeans had surrounded a Jewish settlement in the area of Akrabattene. So Judas attacked them in force, wiped out most of them in a humiliating defeat, and looted them [or, took their possessions by force].

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.