Thus says the Lord Almighty: See the comments on verses 12 and 15.

When you were in the wilderness, at the bitter stream, thirsty and blaspheming my name: See Exo 15.22-25 for this incident recalled in verses 22-23. The bitter stream may be rendered “that stream full of bitter water.” The word bitter describes the unpleasant taste of the water in a general sense. It was possibly caustic, with a sharp, biting taste, but was not necessarily sour as opposed to “sweet” in verse 23. Most languages will have an expression to describe liquid or food that has an unpleasant or bitter taste. Blaspheming my name may be translated “cursing me” or “saying evil things about me.”

Here is an alternative model for this verse:

• “ ‘The Lord Almighty [also] says, “When you were at that stream of bitter water in the wilderness, you were so thirsty that you were cursing me.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.