And he gave them this command may be expressed as “He gave them these [or, the following] orders.”

Take charge of this people may be rendered “You are in command of this army [or, these soldiers].”

But do not engage in battle with the Gentiles until we return: But do not engage in battle may be rendered simply “but do not attempt to fight.”

We may combine verses 18 and 19 as follows:

• Judas put two leaders, Azariah and Joseph son of Zechariah, in charge of the rest of the army. He gave them these orders: “You are in command of this army [or, these men], but do not attempt to fight the Gentiles until we return.” He then left them behind to defend Judea.

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.