Finally, he met a miserable end: There is a textual problem here. Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible translate Rahlfs’ Greek text, which reads “Finally he came to a bad end.” This text could mean “and he died in misery” (Good News Bible). However, there is a narrative problem with telling of Jason’s death here, and then for the next few verses describing the events leading up to the death. If it is understood to mean this, it would fit better into the narrative if expressed a different way. It might help to begin a new paragraph here, and say “When Jason finally died, it was in misery [or, it was a miserable death]” or “When Jason finally died, he died in misery.” However, the Greek word translated end does not necessarily refer to the moment of death; it may simply refer to the last years of Jason’s life. This is how New English Bible understands it, saying “His career came to a miserable end.” Other possible models with this sense are “Jason lived in misery for the rest of his life” and “From that time on, Jason lived a miserable life.”

Kappler and Hanhart’s Greek text follows other manuscripts in reading “Finally he came on a bad reversal of life/fortune.” The Greek word translated “reversal of life/fortune” here can mean “manner of life.” New Jerusalem Bible, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible, and Abel follow this text but translate it differently, saying “His career of wickedness was thus brought to a halt.” This rendering takes the Greek word translated Finally in Revised Standard Version to mean “halt.” We agree with Goldstein that this translation takes liberties with the grammar.

For the first clause in this verse we strongly recommend accepting the interpretation in New English Bible (and Revised English Bible), and using the above models given based on it. However, it would be fair to give the following footnote: “Or: Finally, Jason died in misery.”

Accused before Aretas the ruler of the Arabs: Here we have another textual problem. Accused translates a conjectural emendation, found in Rahlfs’ text. The Greek manuscripts have “Imprisoned” (Revised Standard Version footnote). The problem is that the following preposition before does not go easily with “Imprisoned” (so Kappler and Hanhart’s text). However, there is no difficulty if we take the Greek preposition here to mean not before but “at the house of.” If Jason was imprisoned at Aretas’ place (whether his palace, house, jail, or country), we can easily say “imprisoned by” with only a slight shift of focus. We favor the reading “imprisoned” (Good News Bible). Aretas was king of Nabatea, a land southeast of Judah. The Nabateans were Arabs, but not all Arabs were Nabateans. A translational problem results from following a reference to imprisonment with an assertion that Jason was always on the run. So in the model below we move this clause near the end of the verse.

Fleeing from city to city, pursued by all men, hated as a rebel against the laws: Revised Standard Version reads this part of the verse as a series of three clauses. However, it can be read as two clauses with no change to the text by saying “fleeing [and] pursued from city to city, hated by everyone as a rebel against the laws.” Goldstein takes it the latter way, translating “then he fled his pursuers from country to country, loathed by all as a rebel against the laws.” There is no way to decide this with certainty, and translators may choose either option. Hated as a rebel against the laws describes Jason as a law-breaker, referring not necessarily to Jewish law but to civil law in general. Good News Bible renders this clause as “he was looked upon as a criminal.” In languages that do not have the passive voice, translators express these clauses as “Jason had to hide in town after town. Everyone hunted him and hated him because he ignored the laws of his people.”

And abhorred as the executioner of his country and his fellow citizens: The Greek word translated executioner refers to the public official whose duty was to kill prisoners who had been sentenced to death. The writer sees Jason as putting his own country to death by trying to abolish the traditional Jewish way of life, based on obeying the Torah. We may render this clause and the previous one as follows: “hated him because he ignored the laws of his own people and his country, and tried to kill [or, wipe out] their way of life.”

He was cast ashore in Egypt: This is the main verb of the long sentence beginning with the word Accused. The Greek verb rendered was cast ashore usually applies to a ship that the sailors can no longer control, and that eventually drifts to shore or is tossed on the shore. Here it describes Jason, implying helplessness. For this clause Goldstein says “and found himself driven like driftwood into Egypt,” Revised English Bible has “until he landed up in Egypt,” New Jerusalem Bible reads “he drifted to Egypt,” and Good News Bible translates “He fled to Egypt for safety.” Another possible model is “At one point he was in Egypt,” which suggests that Jason did not have complete control of his own wanderings.

Alternative models for this difficult verse are:

• From that time on, Jason lived a miserable life. Everyone pursued him and he had to run from one city to another. People hated him because he ignored the laws of his people and his country and tried to kill [or, wipe out] their way of life. Aretas, an Arab ruler, once put him in prison. At one point he was in Egypt.

• From that time on, Jason lived a miserable life. People chased him from city to city and he was always on the run [or, trying to escape]. Everyone hated him because he ignored the laws of his people and his country and tried to kill [or, wipe out] their way of life. Aretas, an Arab ruler, once put him in prison. At one point he was in Egypt.

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.