In those days a very great famine occurred: In those days may be rendered “at that time” (Good News Bible) or even “That same year”; this was the year that Judas died. A very great famine occurred means there was hardly any food in the land. For this clause Contemporary English Version has “The crops had failed that year.” Another way to say this is “Food became very scarce about that time.”

And the country deserted with them to the enemy: At the time of the famine the Syrians governing the country and those in sympathy with them would have better access to food than their political opponents. The country refers to the people of Judea. The statement is of course an exaggeration for effect. All the Jews certainly did not defect to the enemy. The pronoun them refers to “the lawless” of the previous verse. For this clause Good News Bible has “and the whole country went over to the side of the renegades,” and Contemporary English Version says “and everyone in the whole country joined these troublemakers.” However, both these versions omit the phrase to the enemy. A model that keeps it is “and everyone in the land began to abandon their religious traditions, and side with the enemy.”

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.