He answered me and said: See the comments on verses 1-2. This verse begins a new section, so a good model for this quote frame is “Then the angel Uriel answered me.”

I went into a forest of trees of the plain, and they made a plan: There are textual difficulties here in the Latin text, but Revised Standard Version provides a good reading. Contemporary English Version begins this sentence with “One time.” Stone is similar with “Once upon a time,” which fits the context of a fable. A forest of trees of the plain reflects a Hebrew idiom meaning “trees in a forest,” as opposed to trees planted in an orchard.

Good News Bible offers an excellent model for this verse.

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.