So thou didst deliver the city into the hands of thy enemies: God punished the people of Jerusalem by allowing the Babylonians to capture the city. Good News Bible is able to keep the imagery of deliver … into the hands of by using the verb phrase “handed over.” Contemporary English Version uses nonfigurative language by rendering this verse as “So you let enemies defeat your own city Jerusalem.” Another possible model is:

• That’s why you let your enemies capture the city.”

We place quotation marks at the end of this verse since a new quote frame begins verse 28 (see the comments there).

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.