Thus the disease became permanent: The conjunction Thus introduces a summary here. Good News Bible uses the connector “So.” The disease is an image referring to the tendency to sin. Contemporary English Version says “The disease of sin.” This clause may be rendered “So this tendency to sin became a permanent weakness [or, disease] in people.”

The law was in the people’s heart along with the evil root means the people had the inclination to obey the Law and the inclination to do evil (see the comments on verse 20). Evil root is an image with the same meaning as “evil heart” in verses 20-21, that is, the desire to sin (compare 2 Esd 8.53). The second model below uses nonfigurative language for this clause.

But what was good departed, and the evil remained means the desire to do good left people, so they only sinned.

Here are alternative models for this verse:

• So this tendency to sin became a permanent weakness [or, disease] in people. Their hearts held your Law, but also that desire to do evil. Finally, the desire to do good left them, and all that was left was evil [or, only evil remained].

• So this disease to sin never left [or, always stayed with] people. They had the desire to obey your Law, but also the desire to do evil….

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.