Take courage, O Israel; and do not be sorrowful, O house of Jacob: These two clauses are parallel and close in meaning. Take courage is a positive expression (Good News Bible “Be brave”), while do not be sorrowful expresses the same thought negatively (Good News Bible “put away your sorrow”; Contemporary English Version “stop being sad”). Another way to render do not be sorrowful is “you should not be grieving” or “stop grieving.” House of Jacob is simply another expression for Israel (compare 2 Esd 8.16). Good News Bible uses only “Israel.” Nothing substantial is lost by doing this, and many translators will want to follow it. We also suggest the following model for this verse:

• “You must be brave, Israel [or, you Israelites]. You are the descendants of Jacob, and you should not be grieving [or, so stop grieving].

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.