So we fasted and besought our God: So indicates the conclusion to Ezra’s call to fasting and prayer. Besought is a nearly archaic past tense form of the English verb “to beseech,” which means “to beg for, to pray earnestly.” New Revised Standard Version renders it as “petitioned,” New Jerusalem Bible says “pleaded,” while English Standard Version has “implored.” The first person plural pronoun we is an exclusive first person plural pronoun, and our is an inclusive first person plural possessive pronoun.

For this: The Hebrew does not say specifically what they prayed for. Perhaps they prayed for the protection along the way that Ezra was ashamed to request from the king. Good News Translation interprets it this way and makes it explicit with “to protect us” (also Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible, Bible en français courant).

He listened to our entreaty is a statement looking back after the end of the journey. In his conclusion to this event, the narrator looks back on the journey from Babylonia to Jerusalem and affirms that God answered their prayer (so Revised English Bible). If the receptor language uses honorifics, the third person singular masculine pronoun he needs to be appropriate as a reference to deity. Our is an exclusive first person plural possessive pronoun.

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Ezra. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .