But he took the city may be rendered “But Judas and his men captured the city.”

And burned the sacred precincts with fire: The sacred precincts may be translated “the temple” (Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version). Again it is not necessary in most languages to say with fire.

Together with all who were in them may be expressed as “with everyone inside it [the temple].” Good News Bible also provides a helpful model here. Presumably the Jews who were shut up in all these cities (verses 26-27) were allowed to escape, since they appear in verse 45.

Thus Carnaim was conquered; they could stand before Judas no longer: Carnaim was the last of the strong towns, and once it fell to Judas, the Gentiles in Gilead could no longer put up any resistance. Good News Bible makes the connection between these two clauses clear. Another way to express it is “The Gentiles could no longer resist [or, fight] Judas because Carnaim was destroyed.”

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.