All … prostrated themselves before the temple: At this point (compare 4.9) all the Israelites in Jerusalem—men, women, and children—become involved in the supplication. Good News Translation‘s “lay face down on the ground in front of the Temple” precisely describes prostrated themselves before the temple.

Put ashes on their heads: Putting ashes on one’s head was, like the wearing of sackcloth, a symbolic act demonstrating sorrow or distress.

Spread out their sackcloth before the Lord: The reference to spreading out the sackcloth is unusual. There is a reference in 2 Sam 21.10 to spreading out sackcloth, but the passage is not really parallel. Our text does not say that the sackcloth spread out was that being worn, but some translations assume this; for example, New American Bible has “displaying their sackcloth covering before the Lord,” but this makes the situation sound like a fashion showing. Good News Translation‘s “all in sackcloth” is ambiguous. Presumably “all in sackcloth” refers to everyone being in sackcloth, which is correct, but it sounds like they may have been covered from head to toe in sackcloth, which is not necessarily the case; compare the note on 4.10. In all probability the sackcloth they spread out is that which they are wearing. Perhaps they lift it, or wave it, or do something else with it to call God’s attention to their prayer, since they do it before the Lord, that is, “in the Lord’s presence” (Good News Translation). Good News Translation‘s interpretation is reasonable, and certainly understandable. See the first model below. For Lord see Tob 3.2.

They even surrounded the altar with sackcloth: Covering the altar with the sackcloth is the author’s way of expressing the desperation of the people. Nowhere else in Scripture is such an act mentioned. Good News Translation has combined verses 11-12 in order to move this sentence to the beginning of these verses, where it fits in a logical order. First the people put the sackcloth on themselves and their livestock, then they put it on the altar, and then they begin the ceremony of prayer. Yet a truer impression might be conveyed by using the author’s order. It is somewhat chaotic and that is part of the point. Revised Standard Version has a nice touch with They even surrounded …. New Revised Standard Version is better with “They even draped….” The even conveys that the act was radical, unprecedented.

Cried out in unison: “Joined together” (Good News Translation) is better. The wailing on this scene would probably not be in unison.

The God of Israel could be translated “their God,” since obviously they as Israelites are praying to their own God. However, some force would be lost. The writer says it this way because he wants to emphasize the connection between God and Israel as his people.

Not to give up their infants as prey and their wives as booty: Not to give up means “not to let their enemies capture their children….” There is probably no essential difference between the nouns prey and booty used to describe the fate they wish their children and their women to escape. Good News Translation‘s “captured” and “carried off” mean much the same, but the very use of different, almost synonymous verbs for the two groups emphasizes the frustration involved.

The cities they had inherited to be destroyed: Good News Translation has “their home towns destroyed,” but this misses the point of inheritance. These are the “towns/cities of their inheritance.” This does not just mean home towns or even ancestral towns, but towns given them by God as their own share in the Promised Land. So we may say “towns that God had given them” (compare Jdg 2.6; Neh 11.20; 1 Macc 15.33).

And the sanctuary to be profaned and desecrated to the malicious joy of the Gentiles: The prayer on behalf of the temple is that it not be profaned and desecrated. The two verbs are roughly synonymous. They pray that it not be dishonored in such a way that it is no longer a sacred site. Dishonoring Israel’s holy place would be a source of malicious joy (“satisfaction” in Good News Translation) to the invading Gentiles. The malicious joy of the Gentiles pictures the Gentiles as taking joy in the evil act of desecrating the sanctuary. Gentiles may also be rendered as “foreigners” or “people who do not worship God.” Contemporary English Version has a helpful rendering for this final sentence: “They begged him not to give foreigners the joy of taking over the temple and polluting the place of worship.”

In languages that do not have the passive voice for the verbs destroyed, profaned, and desecrated, one may render verses 11-12 as follows:

• They even took sackcloth and covered the altar with it [or, draped it over the altar]. Then every man, woman, and child in Jerusalem lay face down on the ground in front of the temple, in the Lord’s presence. They were wearing sackcloth, and had covered their heads with ashes. Then they all prayed earnestly to the God of Israel not to let their enemies capture and take away their wives and children or let them destroy the towns that God had given them. They begged him not to let foreigners have the joy of taking over the temple and making it an unacceptable place of worship.

In languages that require direct speech for the prayer, one may translate:

• They even took sackcloth … Then they all prayed earnestly to the God of Israel, saying, “Please do not let our enemies capture and take away our wives and children. Don’t let them destroy the towns that you have given us. Please don’t let foreigners have the joy of taking over the temple and….”

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.