Translators should begin a new paragraph at this point (so Revised Standard Version, Good News Bible).

In the one hundred and fifty-third year, in the second month: The one hundred and fifty-third year corresponds to 159 b.c. (see the comments on 1Macc 1.10). The second month of the Hebrew calendar runs from mid-April to mid-May.

Alcimus gave orders to tear down the wall of the inner court of the sanctuary: Whether Alcimus was already High Priest in 7.5 and 7.21 (see the comments there), he was certainly High Priest now. Good News Bible identifies him as such, although it is not in the Greek text. Translators must decide whether this identification is helpful at this point. Some readers may find it distracting to be told that the High Priest was destroying part of the Temple complex. Alcimus is not mentioned in 1Macc after 9.57. Gave orders may be expressed as “ordered his followers.” The wall of the inner court of the sanctuary probably refers to the wall separating the inner courtyard of the Temple from its outer courtyard (see 1Macc 4.38). The Jews alone could enter the inner courtyard, but Gentiles were only allowed in the outer courtyard. If this wall is in view here, its destruction would have made the Temple more acceptable to the Hellenistic rulers by making it accessible to anyone. To observant Jews, it would have destroyed the important distinction between what is holy and set apart from what is not.

He tore down the work of the prophets!: As the next clause indicates, the work of destroying the wall was only begun. The point of this clause seems to be only to express the horror of what Alcimus was doing. Good News Bible expresses it well by saying “This would have destroyed what the prophets had accomplished.”

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.