Judas sent in to the garrison whatever was necessary: The Greek manuscripts differ concerning the tense of the verb rendered sent in. Some indicate that “Judas kept sending in to the defenders the necessary supplies” (Goldstein). The tense of this verse cannot be decided with confidence, but the translation can be worded in such a way that the problem is not really raised (see the model below). The garrison refers the Jewish troops defending the fort in Bethzur. Good News Bible connects this verse with the following verse, but we advise against this. We see a clearer connection with the previous verse. Antiochus could not take the city because Judas kept it well-supplied. An alternative model for this verse is:

• Judas saw to it [or, made sure] that the defenders of the city had the supplies they needed.

• Judas kept the defenders of the city well-supplied.

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.