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

Harsh and utterly grievous was the onslaught of evil: This is a summary statement, saying that the troubled times that came on the Jews when the king decided to stamp out their religion were a bitter, hard experience for them. Saying this in a short, effective manner is the translator’s goal here; this matters more than finding precise terms for each word. The following models will show how differently translators in English have rendered this verse: “This evil hit them hard and was a severe trial” (New English Bible), “This intensified the evil in an intolerable and utterly disgusting way” (New American Bible), and “After this, those foreigners abused our people so cruelly that we almost lost hope” (Contemporary English Version).

There is a small textual problem in this verse. The Greek phrase translated utterly appears in many manuscripts as “to the crowds.” The difference in Greek is only one letter. Goldstein probably follows the alternative reading by saying “to all,” but obviously the oppression was grievous for the Jewish people, so translators may mention them without becoming involved in the textual problem, as in 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.