Yet they themselves cannot perceive this and abandon them: Good News Translation renders perceive this as “realize that their gods cannot help.” Abandon them refers to abandoning their gods. Revised Standard Version (also New Revised Standard Version) contains an exceptionally bad ambiguity here. The writer is not saying that the Babylonians (a) cannot perceive this and (b) abandon their gods. It means that the Babylonians cannot perceive this so as to abandon their gods. In fact they do not abandon their gods, because they cannot perceive this. Good News Translation is clear, correct, and unambiguous.

For they have no sense: The Greek noun rendered sense comes from the same root as the verb translated “understand” in the verse above with reference to Bel. Translators should try to preserve this play on words if possible, since the author is saying that Bel’s worshipers are just as brainless as Bel himself. Compare New English Bible: “… as if Bel could understand him. They cannot see the folly of it … because they themselves have no understanding.”

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.