If integrated into the book of Daniel: 13.5-6.

In that year two elders from the people were appointed as judges: Elders were respected elderly male leaders of the community. So Good News Translation “two leaders of the Jewish community” and Contemporary English Version “two of the older Jewish leaders” are possible alternative translations for two elders from the people. Good News Translation skillfully restructures these two verses in such a way as to shift the reader’s attention less abruptly from Joakim to the two judges and back again. The only point missing in Good News Translation is that these judges were appointed In that year. But this phrase is a problem, for it seems to assume that the two judges were appointed in the same year that Susanna and Joakim were married. Yet in verse 30, it turns out that Susanna has children. So we have to understand In that year as referring to the same year as the following events—the story itself. Good News Translation expresses this well by saying that these two leaders “had recently been appointed to office.” It is probably important to the writer to have these characters appointed recently, so as not to ruin the reputation of the Jewish leadership by having lecherous men as established leaders. Some translators will wish to keep Revised Standard Version‘s ordering of the clauses in these verses and leave this initial sentence in its present place; for example, “The Jews in Babylon had recently appointed two of their older leaders as judges” or “Recently, two of the older Jewish leaders were appointed to be judges for their community in Babylon.”

Concerning them the Lord had said may be translated “They were the ones about whom the Lord said” (Good News Translation), or even “The Lord had spoken about these two elders saying.”

Iniquity came forth from Babylon: Good News Translation is clearer with “There is wickedness in Babylon.”

From elders who were judges, who were supposed to govern the people: The implication is that these elders were not giving guidance to the people, which Good News Translation expresses with “judges are failing to give guidance.” Good News Translation lacks the point made in the quotation that the persons spoken of here are elders who were judges. The quotation is brought in to show that the action of the elders in this story is a kind of fulfilment of prophecy, but since the source of the quotation is unknown, Good News Translation‘s rendering lacks nothing essential. However, we could also say “These judges are supposed to give guidance to the people, but they don’t.”

These men were frequently at Joakim’s house may be expressed as “These two judges spent a lot of time at Joakim’s house.”

All who had suits at law came to them is literally “all those being judged came to them,” but that does not imply that these people were accused of anything or defending themselves; they simply had questions to be settled under Jewish law. So Good News Translation has “Everyone who had a legal case to present would also go to Joakim’s house,” and Contemporary English Version says “people went there [Joakim’s house] to have their cases judged.”

An alternative translation model for these two verses is:

• Recently the Jewish community in Babylon appointed two of their older leaders as judges. The Lord had spoken about these two men saying, “There is wickedness in Babylon. These judges are supposed to give guidance to the people, but they don’t.” These two men spent a lot of time at Joakim’s house, and people went there to have them judge their cases.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.