Verse 41 provides an example of how the Babylonians bring their gods into disrepute, so it begins with the connector for (Contemporary English Version “For example”). The Greek of this verse is exceptionally unclear and difficult. Among the things that are not clear are:
1. Do the people bring Bel to the man or bring the man to Bel?
2. Who do they ask to do something, Bel or the man?
3. Who is supposed to speak, Bel or the man?
(Or does the Greek verb here mean “speak” or “make noise”?)
4. Who is it that does not understand, Bel or the man?

The various English translations go in different directions, all of which can be justified grammatically, although some make more sense than others. We suggest that translators follow the direction taken by Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, and Revised English Bible, and answer the above questions as follows:
1. The people bring the man to Bel, or at least, bring him to the temple.
2. They ask Bel to allow the man to speak.
3. It is the man who is supposed to speak, not Bel.
(And he is to speak, not just make noise.)
4. Bel is the one who does not know what is going on.
(The poor man probably knows all too well.)

In any case, a footnote indicating that the Greek is unclear is very much in order.

When they see a dumb man, who cannot speak: The idea here is not necessarily that the Babylonians see, that is, catch sight of such a person. They find him, they come across him, they happen upon him. An alternative rendering here is “when the Babylonians find someone who cannot talk.”

American English has a peculiar problem here in that the word dumb, which originally meant “unable to speak,” as in “dumb animals,” has come to mean “unintelligent,” which is certainly not what is meant here. Further, in present-day English it is insensitive to refer to a person by a noun that describes his or her condition, such as “a cripple” or “a deaf-mute.” Translators should use an expression for a person without the power of speech that is not considered derogatory by the people to whom it refers.

They bring him and pray Bel: Good News Translation inserts “to the temple.” This is not in the Greek, but it is where Bel is. Unless the text is interpreted to mean the people take Bel to the man, a temple or shrine of some kind is surely involved, and saying so clarifies the picture. The author’s original readers would have known where Bel was. Some readers may need the help of having Bel identified as a god. Good News Translation makes it reasonably clear with “to the temple,” but it could have added “… and ask their god Bel.” Or it could be expressed as “they take him to the temple of Bel and ask the god.” Bel (a form of the Canaanite divine name Baal, meaning “lord”) was a title of Marduk, the chief Babylonian god. This is the deity in the deuterocanonical book called Bel and the Dragon (Dan 14 in Catholic Bibles).

As though Bel were able to understand: A better rendering is “as though Bel was aware of anything.” The next verse applies the Greek verb rendered understand as a noun (“sense”) to the Babylonians.

An alternative translation model for this verse is:

• For example, when the Babylonians find someone who cannot talk, they bring him to the temple of Bel and ask their god to help the person to be able to talk, as though Bel was aware of anything that was happening.

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.