When the people heard these things they said: Good News Bible identifies the people as “the people of Israel,” which is helpful. We may also say “the people in Judea.” Since we recommend that a new section begin here, a good model to begin this verse is “When the people of Judea [or, Israel] heard about the honors Sparta was giving Simon, they asked themselves….”

How shall we thank Simon and his sons?: The people look for some way to express their gratitude for the leadership given them by Simon and his family. Thank may be expressed as “repay.” This is the first mention of Simon’s sons other than John in 1Macc 13.53.

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.