May he hear your prayers: In English we speak of God “answering” prayer (so Good News Bible). Translators should use whatever word or idiom is available in their language to speak of God responding favorably to prayer.

And be reconciled to you: God does not need to be reconciled to someone unless that person has sinned, so Good News Bible says “forgive your sins,” which is a good rendering. Languages translate “forgive” in a variety of ways, for example, “throw away,” “cover over,” and “forget.”

And may he not forsake you in time of evil: For time of evil, Good News Bible has “times of trouble,” which is too general. The Egyptian Jewish community was evidently undergoing some difficult times when this letter was written. So that seems to be the reason why the writers were trying to encourage the Jews in Egypt. We prefer the following model for this clause: “and may he not abandon you in this difficult/dangerous time.”

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.