Verses 18-22 name the priests who had to send their foreign wives away. Other categories appear later: Levites (verse 23), Temple musicians (verse 24), Temple gatekeepers (verse 25), and laymen (called “Israel”; verses 26-35). Here in verse 18 Good News Bible speaks of the “men,” and then puts each category of men in italics (Priests, Levites, Musicians, Temple guards, and Others). This model is quite sufficient and clear, but we will offer a slightly different approach.

Of the priests those who were brought in and found to have foreign wives were: For priests see 1 Esd 1.2. Who were brought in may be rendered “who had been assembled” or even “whom they had brought together.” We take this clause to refer to the priests who were in the big meeting mentioned in verses 5-6. Alternative models for this verse are:

• Here are the names of the priests in that gathering who had foreign wives:….

• Here are the names of the priests whom they had gathered together who had foreign wives:….

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.