And rising from their prayer they took up their arms may be rendered “When Judas and his soldiers had finished praying, they picked up their weapons.”

And advanced a considerable distance from the city: They marched a long distance from Jerusalem in order to meet Timothy’s men in open battle and not allow them to lay siege to the city.

And when they came near to the enemy they halted: Good News Bible renders halted as “stopped for the night,” which is good, since readers do not have to wait for the next verse to learn this.

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.