Then he and his army lined up against them means John’s army arranged themselves in battle formation, ready for the attack. Good News Bible has “John and his army took up battle positions facing the enemy,” and Contemporary English Version says “John lined up his troops for battle.”

And he saw that the soldiers were afraid to cross the stream, so he crossed over first: John’s soldiers were afraid of being swept downstream by the swift water, and realized that they would be exposed to attack as they attempted to climb out of the gully on the other side. John took the lead by crossing over himself, showing them that it could be done, and the men followed him across. It is possible to reorder the clauses in this sentence as follows: “John crossed the stream first, because he knew [or, saw] that his soldiers were afraid of the rushing water.”

And when his men saw him, they crossed over after him may be rendered “When his men saw him crossing the stream, they followed him.”

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.