Good News Bible begins this verse with a reference to the “Lord”; see the comments on the previous verse.

When the messengers from the king spoke blasphemy refers to the assault that King Sennacherib of Assyria made on Jerusalem (see 2~Kgs 18). Readers at the time of the Maccabees would have known which king Judas had in view. Good News Bible‘s reference to “the Scriptures” tells us that Judas was referring to something in previous history. It is a legitimate way of doing this. The blasphemy is that the Assyrian king denied that God could stop him from taking Jerusalem. For blasphemy Good News Bible and Contemporary English Version use the word “insult,” which is appropriate. An alternative model for this clause is “The Scriptures tell us that when a king long ago sent messengers to Jerusalem to insult you.”

Thy angel went forth and struck down one hundred and eighty-five thousand of the Assyrians: According to 2~Kgs 19.35 and Isa 37.36, an angel of the Lord killed 185,000 of the Assyrian king’s soldiers. Thy angel refers to a heavenly messenger from God. The word Assyrians does not appear in the Greek text; Revised Standard Version supplies it. Most translators will probably find it easier to follow the model below by not bringing in a geographical term that doesn’t relate to the story, but indicating that Judas was referring to a king long ago.

An alternative model connecting verse 41 to verse 40 is:

• 40 … prayed to Heaven, saying, 41 “The Scriptures tell us that many years ago a king sent messengers to Jerusalem who insulted you. So you sent your angel to kill 185,000 [or, one hundred and eighty-five thousand] of his soldiers.

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.