For it is much better with them than with us: The conjunction For introduces why the animals can be happier than humans. Good News Bible leaves this connector implied. This clause may be rendered “They are much better off than we are” or “They have an easier life than we do.”

For they do not look for a judgment, nor do they know of any torment or salvation promised to them after death: Not only do animals not have to worry about death, they also don’t have to be concerned about God’s judgment. Torment refers to everlasting torture in hell, and salvation points to eternal life in heaven. So animals don’t have the prospect of spending eternity in hell rather than in heaven. It is legitimate for translators to use the word “hell” in this context, since the idea of hell is part of the author’s world of ideas (see, for example, 2 Esd 2.29; 4.7; 8.53).

Here is an alternative model for this verse:

• Animals are much better off than we are. They are not worried about God’s judgment [or, God judging them] They are not concerned with going to hell after death, or being saved [or, escaping] from it.

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.