And Mattathias and his sons rent their clothes, put on sackcloth, and mourned greatly: Tearing (rending) the garments and putting on sackcloth were traditional signs of mourning. Sackcloth was a coarse fabric made of goat’s hair; so in cultures where sackcloth is unknown, it may be necessary to say “clothes made from coarse cloth [or, goat’s hair].” See Jonah 3.8. Contemporary English Version has a good model for this verse:

• Mattathias and his five sons cried bitterly; they tore their clothes and put on sackcloth to show their sorrow.

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.