And he commanded that …: If translators are indenting the text of the king’s letter, there is a choice to be made here, since this verse is not a direct quote. Either they must not indent this verse, knowing that the next verse, which resumes the quotation, will be indented again; or they must convert this verse into a direct quote. The latter is the simplest choice. Good News Bible has done this in part, by expressing And he commanded as “He also gave these orders,” before giving the substance of the verse as a quotation. Good News Bible, however, has not indented any of the quoted text in this section, perhaps because of the difficulty presented by this verse. Contemporary English Version has translated the entire verse as part of a quoted text, omitting as unnecessary any representation of And he commanded. We prefer Contemporary English Version‘s approach (see our model below).
If any should transgress or nullify any of the things herein written: Transgress means to “disobey.” Nullify means to “ignore” or “pay no attention to.” As Revised Standard Version indicates in its footnote, there is a textual problem concerning the Greek word translated herein written. There is manuscript evidence for “written above” and “added in writing.” The manuscript that has “added in writing” actually reads “said above and added in writing.” Hanhart’s Greek text includes “said above” but then goes with “written above.” There is also some further minor confusion that we will not discuss here. Our judgment is that Hanhart’s text represents the original, since it best explains the existence of the other readings. Any reference to “things spoken above” would have been a problem, since this is a written document. Scribes could have easily omitted it as making no sense, but they would have had no reason to add it. Since the reading “added in writing” exists, and it differs from “written above” by only one letter in Greek, it can be explained as deriving from “written.” It is our further judgment, however, that the reading “said above and added in writing” is probably intended as a formal legal phrase; the king dictated and a scribe wrote down his words. The king is emphasizing that the commands here in writing were indeed spoken by his own mouth. In our model below we represent this idea by saying “which I myself have dictated.” The difference between “added in writing” and “written” is minor, and in spite of the difficulty here, we suggest a textual note only to advise the reader that the words translated “which I myself have dictated” are not in most manuscripts. The Aramaic text of the parallel passage in Ezra 6.11 offers no help with the textual problem here.
A beam should be taken out of his house may be translated “they must take a wooden beam from his own house.” The Greek word for beam refers to a crossbeam used in the roof of a house.
And he should be hanged upon it: The verb hanged presents a problem. Contemporary English Version, following Myers, interprets this verb as impalement, a Persian method of execution in which a length of wood, sharpened at one end, was set in the ground, and the victim placed on it, with the point piercing the chest and lungs, where he would be left hanging until dead. Revised Standard Version and Good News Bible interpret the parallel passage of Ezra 6.11 in this way, although it is not clear that this is what the text means there. The Aramaic text rendered “and he shall be impaled upon it” in Ezra 6.11 is literally “and lifted up he shall be beaten upon it [the beam of wood].” Revised English Bible takes this passage in Ezra rather literally, saying “and he will be fastened erect to it and flogged” (similarly New English Bible). It is clear, however, that the Greek text here says hanged. It is possible that our author did not understand the reference to impalement (if that is indeed meant), or that this is the way he chose to express it. In any case, the translator of 1 Esdras should follow the Greek text here.
And his property should be forfeited to the king: For languages that cannot use a passive verb here, this clause may be rendered “and the king [or, I] will take over his property.”
An alternative model for this verse is:
• “Furthermore, if anyone disobeys or ignores these written orders which I myself have dictated,* he is to be hanged [or, you must hang him] from a wooden beam taken from his own house, and his property will become the property of the king [or, my property].
* Probable text: which I myself have dictated; most manuscripts do not have these words.
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.