He led his forces against King Arphaxad: “Nebuchadnezzar” is inserted as subject by Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version. It is understood in the Greek, but it is a helpful repetition for the reader, especially if a new paragraph is begun with verse 13. Some translators will need to repeat information from verse 1; for example, “In the seventeenth year that King Nebuchadnezzar ruled over Assyria he….” Led his forces against … may be rendered “led his soldiers to fight against the soldiers of King Arphaxad.”

Defeated him in battle … overthrew the whole army: These two clauses may be combined; for example, “completely defeated Arphaxad’s soldiers, including….”

All his cavalry and all his chariots: All his cavalry means “all his soldiers riding horses.” Good News Translation reads “charioteers” instead of the literal chariots, since it is the men riding them who are defeated and not the equipment. However, chariots will need a descriptive phrase in some languages; for example, “war wagons/carts pulled by horses.” It may be necessary to express the final part of this sentence as follows:

• He completely defeated Arphaxad’s soldiers, including his soldiers on horses and his soldiers in war carts pulled by horses.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Judith. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.