And in addition to all this he also would become a Jew and would visit every inhabited place to proclaim the power of God: Antiochus also promised to become a Jew himself, and to be a missionary who would visit every place where humans lived and tell them about the power of God. This is the end of his vows.

Alternative models for verses 14-17 are:

• 14~“I will set Jerusalem free [or, I will give the Jews their independence]!” (Earlier he was in a hurry to tear it completely down and make a graveyard out of it.) 15~“I will give the people of Jerusalem—all of them—the same rights as the citizens of Athens!” (Earlier he had thought dead Jews not worth burying; he was going to take their bodies, including the bodies of their children, and throw them outside the city for the animals and birds to eat.) 16~“I will give magnificent gifts to the Temple! I will give back all the holy objects I took—all of them! And give many more! I will personally pay for the sacrifices!” (He was talking about the holy Temple, which he had once robbed.) 17~“And that’s not all! I will become a Jew! I will go anywhere there are people and tell them about God’s power!”

• 14~“Earlier I was in a hurry to tear Jerusalem completely down [or, level Jerusalem to the ground] and make it a graveyard; but now I will set Jerusalem free [or, give the Jews their independence]. 15~Earlier I had thought that dead Jews were not worth burying. I was going to take their dead bodies, including the bodies of their children, and throw them outside the city for the wild animals and birds to eat. But now I will give the people of Jerusalem—all of them—the same rights as the citizens of Athens! 16~Earlier I looted [or, plundered] their holy temple. Now I will give magnificent gifts to their temple! I will give back all the holy [or, taboo] utensils I took from the temple—all of them! And I will give many more! I will also pay for the sacrifices with my own money. 17~And that’s not all! I will become a Jew! I will go anywhere there are people and tell them about God’s power.”

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.

But the men with Simon, who were money-hungry, were bribed by some of those who were in the towers: Some of Simon’s men made contact with the enemy in the two towers, who offer them money if they can escape. In languages that do not have the passive voice, translators may say “But some of the Idumeans in the towers bribed some of Simon’s soldiers who were money-hungry [or, greedy for money].”

And on receiving seventy thousand drachmas let some of them slip away: For the “drachma,” see the comments on 2Macc 4.19. Seventy thousand drachmas is equivalent to about 400 kilograms (875 pounds) of silver. Translators may say “70,000 silver coins.” Slip away means leaving without being detected by the other Jewish soldiers.

Here is an alternative model for this verse:

• But some of the men in the towers offered some of Simon’s men 70,000 silver coins if they would let them go free. Simon’s men wanted the money [or, were money-hungry], so they let the enemy escape [or, sneak away].

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.

And persuaded them to settle everything on just terms: This clause makes the next verse, where Maccabeus agreed to the proposed terms, sound a bit odd. It also sounds odd that he had to persuade Judas to accept just terms. Judas would certainly not be inclined to accept unjust terms. What the writer seems to be saying is that Lysias offered Judas a fair deal, and urged him to accept it. Verse 15 makes it clear that the terms were in fact fair. Settle everything means to arrange for peace. We suggest the following model for the first half of this verse and the previous clause: “So he sent a message, 14 saying that he was ready to end the war [or, stop fighting], and urging Judas [Maccabeus] to accept the terms he was offering, which were fair.”

Promising that he would persuade the king, constraining him to be their friend: As the footnotes in Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible indicate, the Greek text here is not clear. However, most scholars agree that the sense given by Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible is at least close to what the writer intended. Part of the problem—and this may have been the problem for the scribes as well—is that it sounds odd to have this government official, even a high-ranking officer, promising to force the king to change his policy toward the Jews. (The Greek word for constraining means to force or compel.) However, it helps to remember that at this time King Antiochus~V was still a boy, and Lysias was probably in a position to get him to agree to anything. This passage does not mention Antiochus’ age, but see the comments on verse 1. We think it legitimate to help the reader by pointing out this information in the models below, but translators who feel otherwise may certainly omit the references to the king’s youth. The last half of this verse may be rendered “He promised that he would put pressure on [young] King Antiochus to become a friend of the Jews” or “He assured them that he could convince the [young] king [or, young King Antiochus] to become a friend of the Jews.”

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.

Then under the tunic of every one of the dead they found sacred tokens of the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids Jews to wear: When Judas and his men were taking the corpses for burial, they unexpectedly discovered idols under the clothes of these corpses. So the connector Then is better rendered “But” (Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version). A tunic was a long, close-fitting garment worn next to the skin under an outer cloak or coat. In many languages under the tunic may be rendered “under the clothes” (similarly Good News Bible); but translators in cultures that still wear garments similar to those of the Jews of Judas’ time may be able to identify this garment. Sacred tokens of the idols of Jamnia were amulets or charms, worn for good luck. The text does not tell us just what these things looked like. Goldstein translates “objects which had been consecrated to the idols of Jamnia,” which is correct but wordy. Good News Bible says “small images of the gods worshiped in Jamnia,” which is adequate. Judas’ men would certainly have recognized what they were. It was against Jewish law even to possess such things (see Deut 7.25-26). For the town of Jamnia, see the comments on 1Macc 4.12-15.

And it became clear to all that this was why these men had fallen: The writer blames the death of these soldiers on their idolatry (see the comments on verse 34).

Here are alternative models for this verse:

• But they discovered that every one of the dead men was wearing next to his body [or, under his clothing] small images of the gods of Jamnia. The Law forbids Jews to wear such things, and everyone realized that this is why these men had died.

• … the gods of Jamnia. Everyone then knew why these men had died, because the Law forbids Jews to wear such things.

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.

Three years later, word came to Judas and his men that Demetrius, the son of Seleucus, had sailed into the harbor of Tripolis with a strong army and a fleet: Compare 1Macc 7.1. Three years later was 161 b.c. Word came to Judas and his men may be rendered “Judas and his soldiers heard [or, found out].” Demetrius is King Demetrius~I of Syria. He was the son of Seleucus~IV, and cousin of Antiochus~V (see the introductory comments on 1Macc 7.14). Tripolis was a city on the coast of Syria, well south of Antioch. For fleet see the comments on 1Macc 1.17.

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.