They kill and are killed may be rendered “Some of them kill the enemy and the enemy kills some of them.”

And do not disobey the king’s command may be translated “but they do not disobey the king’s orders” or “but they always obey the king.”

If they win the victory may be expressed as “If they are victorious over the enemy.”

They bring everything to the king—whatever spoil they take and everything else: Spoil refers to things belonging to the enemy which are captured and taken away by those who win the battle. The phrase and everything else adds nothing to the sense, and may be omitted as in the following models of this verse:

• Some of them kill the enemy and the enemy kills some of them, but they do not disobey the king’s orders. When they win a battle, they take back to the king any of the enemy’s possessions they capture.

• … but they always obey the king [or, what the king tells them to do]. When they defeat their enemy, they take back to the king any of….

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.