So the God of their fathers sent by his messenger to call them back: The conjunction So may be rendered “But” or “Nevertheless” (King James Version), since this verse introduces God’s surprising response to the sins of the people. The God of their fathers may be expressed as “the God whom their ancestors worshiped.” His messenger refers to a prophet, but to no particular one, as the next verse makes clear. Myers properly renders the word messenger as plural, and so does Good News Bible with the word “prophets.” We may do this on translational grounds, although there is no manuscript evidence for the plural. To call them back may be translated “to call them back from their sins.” In some languages this clause may be rendered in direct speech by beginning this verse with “But the God whom their ancestors worshiped sent messengers to them who said, ‘Turn back to God and stop sinning’ ” (similarly Contemporary English Version).

Because he would have spared them and his dwelling place: This verse says that the God of Israel, seeing the situation described in verse 49, did not want to punish his people by destroying them and his own Temple, but wanted them to repent. We may render this clause as “because he did not want to punish them by destroying them and his own Temple.”

Here is an alternative model for this verse:

• But the God of their ancestors [or, whom their ancestors worshiped] sent prophets [or, messengers] to call them back from their sins, because he did not want to have to punish them by destroying them as well as his own Temple.

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.