But the king is stronger …: Here is the answer given by the second young man to the question, “What is the strongest thing in the world?” (1 Esd 3.5). It is the king. Human beings have a great deal of power, but every person must obey the king. Therefore he is the strongest.

He is their lord and master, and whatever he says to them they obey: The word lord is not a divine title here, but means almost the same as master, meaning one who has authority over someone else. Lord and master is a bound phrase in English that sounds quite natural. Translators may use a single expression here rather than two, for example, “high chief.”

Here is a possible model for this verse:

• But the king is the most powerful of all. He is the lord and master [or, high chief] of everyone else, and they must obey him, whatever he tells them to do.

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.