He also did what was evil in the sight of the Lord may be rendered “Just like the three kings before him, Zedekiah sinned against the Lord.” See the comments on verse 39.

And did not heed the words that were spoken by Jeremiah the prophet from the mouth of the Lord may be translated “and refused to listen to the message from God spoken by Jeremiah the prophet.” Jeremiah spoke words to Zedekiah that the Lord had given him to say. He warned Zedekiah not to rebel against Babylonian rule and not to rely on help from Egypt, but Zedekiah did not listen (see Jer 37–38). Several of Jeremiah’s prophecies are dated to the time of Zedekiah’s rule (Jer 27.1-22; 28.1-17).

An alternative model for this verse is:

• Just like the three kings before him, Zedekiah sinned against the Lord, and paid no attention to the message from God that the prophet Jeremiah spoke [or, delivered] to him.

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.