Even the land shook for its inhabitants: The literal force of this line would suggest that an earthquake occurred. However, the writer is simply saying that the Jews were so miserable that they felt even the earth was shaking and sobbing. Good News Bible misses the point in this line. A better model is “The people of the land were so miserable that they felt even the earth was shaking and sobbing.”

And all the house of Jacob was clothed with shame: All the house of Jacob refers to all the Jewish people, which Good News Bible renders as “All our people” since the author is Jewish. Clothed with shame means that they felt shame and disgrace.

As noted above, Good News Bible‘s rendering of the first line of this verse is not helpful, but its reversal of the two lines is a good one, and may be followed by saying:

• Our whole nation [or, All our people] felt disgraced,
and the earth itself agonized [or, shook with sobs] in sympathy.

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.