When this agreement had been reached: This verse begins a new section, so translators should specify which agreement is in view. Good News Bible does this by saying “When the peace agreement between the Jews and the Syrians was completed, Lysias.” Another possible model is “After the Jews and the Syrians had signed the peace agreement.”

Lysias returned to the king: Translators may say that Lysias went back to King Antiochus or to Antioch, the capital. The point is that he left Judea.

And the Jews went about their farming may be translated “and our people started farming again” (Contemporary English Version).

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.