And when the Jews who were compelled to follow him said: The Jews in view here were Jews whom Nicanor forced to go with him from Jerusalem to Samaria. We may render this clause as “The Jews who were forced to go with Nicanor pleaded with him” or “Nicanor had forced a number of Jews to go with him. Now they said.”

Do not destroy so savagely and barbarously: They beg Nicanor not to turn a battle into a massacre of people who will not fight back. This clause may be rendered “Please don’t do such a cruel and savage [or, vicious] thing.”

But show respect for the day which he who sees all things has honored and hallowed above other days: He who sees all things may be translated “God who sees everything.” Hallowed means God set the Sabbath apart for himself, so it is “holy” or “taboo.”

What the people say to Nicanor can be translated as direct speech, as in Revised Standard Version, or as indirect speech, as in Good News Bible. Good News Bible provides a good model for the latter. We believe most translators will find it effective to translate the entire conversation as direct speech, not only here in verse 2, but in verses 3-5 as well. The following models use direct speech for this verse:

• The Jews who were forced to go with Nicanor told him, “That would be a savage and cruel thing to do! You can’t [or, must not] kill people like that! God sees everything, and he has honored the Sabbath by making it the holiest [or, most taboo] of all days. Please show some respect for that.”

• Nicanor had forced a number of Jews to go with him. When they knew of his plan, they pleaded with him, “Please don’t do such a cruel and savage thing. You must not kill these people like that! God who sees everything has honored the Sabbath by making it the most sacred [or, taboo] of all days. Please show some respect for that.”

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.