Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible insert a paragraph break here, which we recommend.

As Esdris and his men had been fighting for a long time and were weary: Instead of Esdris, at least one Greek manuscript has “Esdrias” (Good News Bible), while others have “Ezri” (Goldstein; see 1~Chr 27.26). There are other variants. (Several manuscripts have “Gorgias,” which makes better sense, but that’s the problem. There would be no reason for scribes to wonder about it and change it, but every reason to think they doubted “Esdris” and changed it to “Gorgias.”) Esdris is introduced here as if the reader is already familiar with him. If he has been referred to earlier, the only person he could be is the Eleazar of 2Macc 8.23. New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, and Starcky make this identification. They render the name “Esdrias” at 8.23 and here also (with Latin and Armenian manuscripts). They further assume that this man is also the Azariah of 1Macc 5.18, 56. Translators may choose any of these three forms they like: Esdris, Esdrias, or Ezri. We would not advise making the name conform to the one chosen in 8.23, at least not without a thorough study of the problem. It does seem that in condensing the history, our writer has omitted some information that might be helpful. Good News Bible‘s wording of the first half of this verse is a brave attempt to cover up a gap in the story, and it works fairly well. It shifts the readers’ attention away from Gorgias and Dositheus, and lets them know that while that was happening, other fighting was going on. Translators would do well to use it as a model.

Judas called upon the Lord to show himself their ally and leader in the battle: For Judas called upon the Lord, Good News Bible has “Judas prayed,” which can be misleading. It may suggest that Judas stopped what he was doing and quietly began to pray. There is nothing here to suggest a pause in the fighting; it seems more likely that Judas called out, shouted to the Lord. For the Greek word rendered ally, see the comments on 11.10. Leader in the battle may be rendered “battle-leader.” Translators may use direct speech in the last half of this verse by saying “Judas cried out, ‘Come fight on our side [or, alongside us], Lord! Lead us!’”

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.