Listen now to these things, and understand them, O servants of the Lord: Here Ezra addresses God’s people directly. These things refers to what he is about to say. We suggest putting the phrase O servants of the Lord at the beginning of this verse as follows:

• You servants of the Lord, listen to these things [or, my message]! Listen, and take them to heart [or, pay attention]!

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.