And I said: Since this quote frame introduces a new subsection, it may be helpful to make the addressee explicit by saying “After this I said to God.”

O Lord, I beseech thee, if I have found favor in thy sight: The clauses I beseech thee and if I have found favor in thy sight (see the comments on 2 Esd 4.44) politely introduce Ezra’s request to God, and convey his sense of unworthiness. They may be rendered “please if you would be so kind,” but translators may think of similar clauses in their own language that will serve this purpose.

Show thy servant through whom thou dost visit thy creation: With the phrase thy servant Ezra refers to himself, showing more deference to God (see the comments on verse 45). Good News Bible uses simply the pronoun “me.” The verb visit is used here in the negative sense often found in the Old Testament, the sense of visiting with the intent to judge and then punish or destroy (compare Num 14.18; Job 7.18; Psa 17.3). So Ezra is asking God about the person through whom he will act to end the world. This clause may be translated “show me who is going to come to the world to judge it for you” or “tell me who will judge the world for you at the end of time.”

Here is a possible model for this verse:

• After this I said to God, “Please, Lord, if you would be so kind, tell me who is going to come to judge the world for you.”

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.