Her sanctuary became desolate as a desert: Her sanctuary refers to the Temple in Jerusalem (see verse 21). The Greek word for desert refers to a mostly dry, barren area. For desolate as a desert, Good News Bible has “empty as a wilderness,” and Contemporary English Version says “barren just like a desert.” These renderings are good ways to speak of a desolate building. For languages where deserts are unknown, translators may say “empty like a land where there is no life or water.” This line contrasts nicely with the following two, which deal with occasions when one would expect the Temple to be full of people.
Her feasts were turned into mourning: The festivals in Jerusalem became times of mourning (compare Amos 8.10). Her feasts refers to the Jewish religious holidays, which would include the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, and the Festival of Booths/Shelters. The focus here is on the expected happiness at these feasts, not on their food. They should have been joyful occasions, but they were turned into mourning, which may be rendered “became days when everyone mourned.” An alternative model for the whole line is “Jerusalem’s feasts [or, festivals/fiestas] became days when everyone mourned.”
Her sabbaths into a reproach: The verb turned in the previous line is implied here and in the next line. The sabbath was the Jewish day of rest, the seventh day of the week. Good News Bible adds “joy” to give “Sabbath” the proper connotation. There was no need to say “joyous festivals” in the preceding line since a festival is always considered a happy occasion. Reproach may be rendered “shame” (Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version) or perhaps better, “mockery” (New Jerusalem Bible, Goldstein). An alternative model for this line is “her joyous days of rest became days of shame.” The Sabbath and its ceremonies were at the heart of the Jewish religion, but the invaders interpreted the Sabbath customs as contemptible, if not ridiculous. They treated the Jews’ most holy day as something disgraceful.
Her honor into contempt: The meaning here is not that Jerusalem’s “honor became an object of ridicule” (Good News Bible), but rather, that whereas once she was honored, now she was held in contempt. The contempt is in place of honor. So we may say “The city, once honored, was now scorned [or, held in contempt],” “The city that people once honored was now scorned,” or even “Once people honored Jerusalem, but now they scorned the city.”
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.