Then I said in my heart: There is an apparent break in the discourse structure here. In verses 1-3 the speaker, Ezra, spoke of himself in the first person, and began to talk to God in verse 4. That address to God has continued through verse 27. In Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible it appears that Ezra here begins speaking to himself, although in verse 30 he is speaking to God in the second person again. There is a solution to this. Then I said in my heart can be understood to mean “After all this time, reciting early Hebrew history, I finally got around to telling God what was really bothering me.” We may render this clause as “Then I told God what was finally bothering me” or “… what had been upsetting me.” This clause is a quotation frame like verse 3, so it belongs outside the quotation marks.

Are the deeds of those who inhabit Babylon any better?: This rhetorical question may be translated “Are the people of Babylon any more righteous that the people of Israel?” or as a statement, such as “Perhaps the Babylonians are better than we are.” Contemporary English Version says “The Babylonians must be better than we are.” For the city of Babylon, see the comments on verses 1-2.

Is that why she has gained dominion over Zion?: This is another rhetorical question. Contemporary English Version uses a statement again, saying “or else they couldn’t have defeated Jerusalem.” Another possible model is “This may be why they conquered Jerusalem.” For Zion, which is another name for Jerusalem, see the comments on 1 Esd 8.81.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• Then I said to God what was really bothering me, “Are the people of Babylon any more righteous than the people of Israel? Is that why the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem?

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.