Maccabeus left Simon and Joseph, and also Zacchaeus and his men, a force sufficient to besiege them; and he himself set off for places where he was more urgently needed: According to 2Macc 8.22, Simon and Joseph are Judas’ brothers. Zacchaeus is named only here. Judas left enough of his soldiers behind to besiege the Idumean soldiers in the towers while he and the main force of his army went elsewhere, perhaps into Ammon and Gilead (see 1Macc 5.6-13). Good News Bible rearranges the material in this verse in a logical way. Some translators will find this reordering helpful. However, here is an alternative model that follows the original order of the verse in the same way that Contemporary English Version does:

• Judas ordered his brothers Simon and Joseph, along with a man named Zacchaeus and his men, to surround these towers. And since these were enough soldiers to capture the towers, Judas and the other soldiers went into other parts of the country that needed his help more.

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.