And kill the passover lamb: See the comments on 1 Esdras 1.1. Good News Bible says “Kill the Passover lambs and goats,” which is a helpful model. We may say simply “Kill the Passover animals.”

And prepare the sacrifices for your brethren: The sacrifices does not refer to the Passover animals, but to the cattle that were offered as sacrifices during the festival (see 1 Esdras 1.7).

And keep the passover according to the commandment of the Lord which was given to Moses: The Levites had to observe the Passover according to the instructions that God gave through Moses.

Here is an alternative model for this verse:

• When your people bring you Passover lambs and goats, you must kill these animals. Then you should also prepare the cattle that are to be sacrificed for your people. You must observe the Passover according to the commandments that the Lord gave to Moses.

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.