And the king of Egypt sent word to him saying means the Egyptian king sent a message to Josiah. The message is in verses 26b-27. The conjunction And may be omitted (so Contemporary English Version). However, it may be rendered “but” (Good News Bible) since it marks the contrast between Josiah’s hostile action and the fact that Neco had done nothing to provoke it.

What have we to do with each other, king of Judea?: With this rhetorical question the king of Egypt is telling Josiah that he has no quarrel with him, and intends no harm to him or his country. He simply wants to be allowed to pass through. Good News Bible renders this question as a statement, which other languages may find helpful. The address king of Judea presents a problem in English, since it sounds quite odd, translated literally. Some translators may have no problem with this phrase, but those who do may consider the following translation of this verse, which presents the address not as a greeting to the king, but as the heading on a letter:

• The king of Egypt sent this message to Josiah: “To the king of Judah. I do not intend to attack you.

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.