They wrote to him on bronze tablets to renew with him the friendship and alliance which they had established with Judas and Jonathan his brothers: For wrote Good News Bible has “engraved” since the bronze tablets were metal and the letter had to be etched on them with some sort of a sharp metal pen (see the comments on 1Macc 8.22). However, in cultures where such etching techniques are unknown, they wrote to him on bronze tablets may be rendered “they wrote to him on sheets made of bronze” or even “… on pieces of the metal bronze.” The words of the alliance are in 1Macc 8.23-32. Good News Bible adds “and sent the tablets to him,” which states something left unsaid in the text; for many readers it will be obvious, but for others it may be helpful. Another way of expressing this implied information is given in the model for the next verse.

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.