Hear my words, O my people: Revised Standard Version begins this verse with a double quote mark, which indicates that the Lord is the speaker here. In Revised Standard Version the Lord’s quote ends at the end of verse 48 (see the comments there). If he is the speaker, then the pronoun my refers to him. In Contemporary English Version this pronoun refers to Ezra, who is identified by Contemporary English Version as the speaker at the beginning of this section (verse 35). This pronoun most likely refers to Ezra. Hear my words may be rendered “Listen to me!”

Prepare for battle: Battle stands for the troubles the people on earth must go through at the end times. This clause may be translated “Get ready for a struggle.”

And in the midst of the calamities be like strangers on the earth: Compare Heb 11.13; 1 Peter 2.11.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• My people, listen to me! Get ready for a struggle. When these disasters strike, you must live as people whose home is not in this world.

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.