So the men of the forces encamped may be rendered “So Judas’ men took their battle positions” or “… got ready to fight.”

And he fought against the city all that day and all the night may be expressed as “and they fought the enemy all day and all night.”

And the city was delivered into his hands may be translated “until they [or, Judas] had captured the town.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• So Judas’ men took their battle positions [or, got ready to fight], and they fought all day long and all through the night, until they [or, Judas] had captured the town.

Translators should be aware of a translational tactic being followed in the Handbook at this point. We are freely saying “they,” that is, Judas’ soldiers, when the Greek says simply “he,” that is, Judas. When the Greek says that Judas takes a city, it obviously means that his soldiers did so. And it generally sounds more natural to phrase it that way, thus our suggestions. However, something is being lost here. For our author, Judas Maccabeus is a great hero, and when he writes that “Judas” wins a victory rather than saying that his soldiers win it, it is a way of glorifying Judas. Translators should at least be aware of what is happening here, to avoid perhaps failing to give Judas credit where it can be given without using unnatural language.

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.