Then he went down to the seacoast with his army: The connector Then may also be translated “After…” (see the model at the end of the discussion on this verse). It is not necessary to remind the reader here that Holofernes is leading Nebuchadnezzar’s army as Good News Translation does; the king is not mentioned by name in the text. So one may say “Holofernes led his soldiers down to the Mediterranean coast.”

Stationed garrisons in the hilltop cities: Once again, the towns involved are “walled towns,” not hilltop cities, although they surely were on higher ground (so also the note on 2.24). “Stationed guards” (Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version) for stationed garrisons is a bit weak; it suggests only a few sentries. More likely these towns are made to serve as military outposts, that is, garrisons that consisted of large groups of soldiers. Compare 1 Macc 11.3.

Took picked men from them as his allies: Holofernes strengthens his position by choosing the best (called picked) local men to serve as “reserve troops” (Good News Translation) or “auxiliaries” (New Revised Standard Version, New American Bible, New English Bible). Under the circumstances it would be too much to call them allies.

An alternative translation model for verses 5 and 6 is:

• After Holofernes had listened to their message, he led his soldiers to the Mediterranean coast. He put groups of soldiers in every walled town and took the best men in these towns to help him fight.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on Judith. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.