Then the king took the remaining half of his troops and departed may be rendered “Then Antiochus took the rest of his soldiers and set out.”

From Antioch his capital may be expressed as “from Antioch his chief city” or “from Antioch the city where his palace was.”

In the one hundred and forty-seventh year: This year is equivalent to 165 b.c. Contemporary English Version says “In the year 147 of the Syrian Kingdom.”

He crossed the Euphrates river and went through the upper provinces: The upper provinces were the areas of Mesopotamia and Persia; they were called upper because they were inland from the Mediterranean Sea (see 1Macc 6.1). Good News Bible says simply “Mesopotamia,” which is certainly not wrong.

Good News Bible‘s rendering of this verse is good, but translators can also consider the following models, which provide all the necessary geographical information:

• Taking the other half of his army with him, the king set out from Antioch, his capital city. He marched eastward, and crossed the Euphrates River. This was in the year 147 [or, one hundred and forty-seven] of the Syrian Kingdom.

• Then in the year 147 of the Syrian Kingdom, Antiochus took the other half of his army and set out from Antioch his capital city. He [or, They] marched eastward and crossed the Euphrates River.

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.