In verses 8-9 God addresses Assyria instead of Ezra, so some languages may prefer to insert a quote frame here; for example, Contemporary English Version begins verse 8 with “The Lord said.” Another possible insertion is “The Lord said to Assyria.”

Woe to you, Assyria…!: The Latin word for Woe introduces a message of doom and judgment in this context. Woe to you may be rendered “You are doomed” or even “Trouble is going to come to you.” Assyria (now the northern part of Iraq) was the country that conquered the northern kingdom of Israel, and was itself overcome by Babylonia. Here Assyria is almost surely a reference to Rome, the great world power during the author’s time (compare 2 Esd 3.1 and Rev 14.8, where “Babylon” probably refers to Rome).

Who conceal the unrighteous in your midst may be rendered “because you give shelter to unrighteous people [or, sinners]” or even “because you let sinners hide in your land” (Contemporary English Version).

O wicked nation may be translated “You are a wicked nation” or even “You are wicked people.”

Remember what I did to Sodom and Gomorrah: Sodom and Gomorrah were the cities that the Lord destroyed because of their evil deeds (see Gen 18.20; 19.24-25).

Contemporary English Version has the following helpful model for this verse:

• The Lord said:
Assyria, you evil nation, you are in for trouble because you let sinners hide in your land. Do you remember what I did to the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah?

Another possible model is:

• “Assyria, you also are doomed, because you give shelter to unrighteous people. You are a wicked nation, and you should remember how I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah!

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.