He extended the glory of his people: Because of Judas’ deeds the Jewish people took even greater pride in themselves. A national hero will not only be honored by his people, but will also cause the people to be proud, not only of their hero, but of themselves. The glory involved may be recognized by no one but themselves, but their pride is nonetheless real. Good News Bible makes it explicit that the pronouns He and his refer to Judas, which other languages may find helpful at the beginning of this poem. An alternative model for this line is “Judas gave his people cause [or, a reason] to be proud [or, cause for great pride].”

Like a giant he put on his breastplate: The breastplate was a piece of armor that covered a soldier’s chest. It was only one piece of the armor a soldier might put on, but precision is not necessary here. The general term “armor” (Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version) will do, since no other specific piece of armor is mentioned, and the word does not have to be used in the next line (see below). Presumably, giants do not put on breastplates any differently from other people, and translators should take care that their translation does not say this. Good News Bible‘s approach for this line is good: “In his armor, he was like a giant.” Other options are “He looked like a giant in armor,” “In his armor, he looked like a giant,” and even “When he put on his armor, he was as fearsome [or, awesome/impressive] as a giant.”

He girded on his armor of war and waged battles: The Greek word translated armor is literally “instruments” and could refer to defensive armor or offensive weapons or both. If translators must decide, “weapons” is better. For this line Good News Bible is good with “He took up his weapons and went to war.” A model that places this line before the previous one is “He dressed for war and went [or, marched] into battle [or, to fight his enemies], fearsome as a giant in his armor.”

Protecting the host by his sword: The Greek word for host actually means “camp” (Good News Bible, New Revised Standard Version). Here it is a figure of speech for the whole Israelite fighting force, so Revised Standard Version is a possible translation. However, translators may also follow Good News Bible and say “camp” if readers will understand it as a military encampment, but the host may also be rendered “his [fighting] men” or “his followers.” Possible models for the whole line are “He defended his men with his sword” and “He used his sword to defend his followers.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• Judas gave his people cause for great pride.
He dressed for war and marched into battle [or, to fight his enemies],
fearsome as a giant in his armor.
He defended his men with his sword.

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.