When the troops were about to capture the tower and were forcing the door of the courtyard, they ordered that fire be brought and the doors burned: The tower and the courtyard are not identified. Probably in the original five-volume history, the context would have made this clear. For clarity Good News Bible renders the tower as “the tower where Razis had gone.” Apparently Razis had a home, built with a tower overlooking a street on one side of a wall and an inner courtyard on the other side. A door opened into the courtyard from the street. In the absence of anything to the contrary, we assume this to be true and encourage translators to indicate this to help the readers, who otherwise will be asking, “What tower? What courtyard?” Were forcing the door of the courtyard may be rendered “started beating down the gate[s] to the courtyard” (Contemporary English Version). The Greek word rendered door and doors for the gateway into the courtyard is grammatically singular the first time and plural the second time. Translators may use either singular or plural, whichever seems more natural. Here is a possible model for the first sentence of this verse:

• These soldiers were about to capture the tower of Razis’ house, and were trying to break through the doors into the courtyard, when they decided to bring fire and burn them open.

Being surrounded, Razis fell upon his own sword: Razis attempted suicide by holding his sword with the point facing his chest, and then falling to the ground. If translators believe that Razis fell upon his own sword would be misunderstood—this is not describing an accidental fall—they should follow Good News Bible by simply indicating that Razis took his sword and tried to kill himself with it.

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.