Old men sat in the streets: This was a sign of peaceful times. Compare Zech 8.4. The Greek word translated Old men can include women, so Goldstein says “The old people.” Since there is a contrast here between these people and the young men of the last line, Old men is permissible and perhaps preferable. New Revised Standard Version keeps “Old men.” Sat in the streets refers to sitting beside the streets, not in the streets blocking traffic. Some translators may wish to add the idea of “towns” by rendering this line as “In the towns the old men sat beside the streets.” Good News Bible provides a helpful model here, saying “the old men sat around the city squares.”

They all talked together of good things: Good things does not necessarily refer only to “the great things that had happened” (Good News Bible), but simply to pleasant topics of conversation. The old men were not worried. For this line New Jerusalem Bible says “all their talk was of their prosperity,” and Goldstein has “all chatting about their blessings.” We may also say “they all talked about the good things they were receiving.”

And the youths donned the glories and garments of war: For the glories and garments of war, Good News Bible has “their splendid military uniforms,” and Contemporary English Version says “their fancy uniforms.” These are good renderings, except that “uniforms” sounds anachronistic. A better model for this line is “while young men [or, young soldiers] wore their fine army clothes [or, military clothing].”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• Old men sat beside the streets [of the towns], talking about pleasant things [or, the good things that had happened to them], while young men dressed as fine-looking soldiers [or, wore their fine army clothes].

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.