They answered us: This quote frame introduces the words of the Jewish leaders in verses 13-20. They answer the questions of the Persian officials. In their answer they emphasize the continuity of their project from the time of the building of the first Temple by Solomon and the authorization of King Cyrus to rebuild it. Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible keep the long embedded quote here by using single quote marks around it. Contemporary English Version converts it into indirect speech, but for most languages it would too long to do this. This quote frame may be rendered “Here is what they told us.”

We are the servants of the Lord who created the heaven and the earth may be translated “We are servants of [or, We worship] the Lord, who created heaven [or, the sky] and the earth.”

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.