Revised Standard Version doesn’t begin a new paragraph till verse 42. However, Good News Bible and Contemporary English Version evidently feel that Judas’ plan to cleanse the Temple begins here, so they insert a paragraph break at this point. As noted in our comments on the previous verse, we suggest placing the break in the middle of that verse.

Then Judas detailed men to fight against those in the citadel: For citadel see the comments on 1Macc 1.33. This clause may be expressed as “Then Judas sent some men to attack the enemy soldiers who were still in the fort.”

Until he had cleansed the sanctuary: See verse 36. This clause may be rendered “while he turned his attention to [or, concentrated on] making the Temple fit for worship.”

In this verse the author only says that Judas appointed some men to go and fight the enemy in the fort. He does not say that they actually did so, but of course they did. He does not describe the actual attack because for him it is an offstage activity. The central action is the purification of the Temple. For verses 40b-41 we might suggest the following model:

• Then they sounded [or, blew] the trumpets as a signal to begin fighting, and the people shouted out to Heaven [or, the One in Heaven]. 41~Judas then sent some men to attack the soldiers who were still in the fort, while he turned his attention to [or, concentrated on] making the Temple fit for worship.

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.