Few men were left in the sanctuary, because famine had prevailed over the rest and they had been scattered, each to his own place: Not many men were left to defend the Temple, since the lack of food had already caused many to leave and return to their hometowns. Good News Bible translates this verse well, although “hometowns” would probably be better than “homes,” which could leave the impression that everyone defending the Temple lived in Jerusalem. We may restructure the verse as follows:

• Most of the people had returned to their hometowns, because there was no food to eat [or, they were starving]. Only a few men remained by the Temple.

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.