Therefore may the Lord …: This verse is a curse formula. Darius calls on the Lord to destroy any ruler or nation that tries to stop the rebuilding of the Temple or damage it. The conjunction Therefore may be rendered “Finally.”

Whose name is there called upon means the Lord is worshiped in the Jerusalem Temple.

Destroy every king and nation that shall stretch out their hands to hinder or damage that house of the Lord in Jerusalem: The phrase stretch out their hands to is an idiomatic expression meaning “try to.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• “Finally, I call on the Lord, who is worshiped in Jerusalem, to destroy any king or nation that will attempt to stop the work on the Temple or damage it in any way.

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.