They deliberated what to do about the altar of burnt offering: They deliberated means there was a serious discussion among Judas, his brothers, and some experts on the Law of Moses. Contemporary English Version says “they wondered,” which is too vague and general. The altar of burnt offering was the altar in the Temple courtyard, on which sacrificed animals were burned whole.

Which had been profaned: Whatever had been constructed on top of the altar by the Gentiles had profaned it, that is, rendered it unfit [bad taboo] for its intended use. Judas and his brothers wanted to know if they could simply start using the altar again after removing the thing that had defiled it. This question had never come up before, and the Law gave them no guidance.

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.