At this point therefore let us begin our narrative may be rendered “So then, I will now begin the story” or “So then, it is time to begin the story.”

Adding only so much to what has already been said: By what has already been said, the writer apparently refers to his initial statement in verses 19-23, which he has been justifying in verses 24-31. Goldstein translates this whole clause as “Having added this much explanation to our statement of purpose.” Compare New Jerusalem Bible, which reads “without adding any more to what has been said above.” Good News Bible expresses it adequately, saying “without any further comment,” and so does New English Bible with “without adding anything further.”

For it is foolish to lengthen the preface while cutting short the history itself: Good News Bible appears to miss the point here. The writer is not talking about cutting his own story short in order to make room for a long preface. He is saying that he has every intention of cutting the story short—Jason’s history, that is—but it would be “silly” (Goldstein) to do that and then write a very long introduction. So we may say “It would be silly to write a long introduction to an abbreviated history” or “It would be silly to abbreviate a history and then write a long introduction to 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.