Now then come and rescue us from their hands may be expressed as “Please come and rescue us.”

For many of us have fallen: Good News Bible places this clause before the previous one, but this does not quite work, since for many of us have fallen is needed to introduce the reference to the massacre in the next verse. We would much prefer:

• Please come and rescue us! Many of us have already been killed [or, They have already killed many of us].

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.