The fifth way, they shall see how the habitations of the others are guarded by angels in profound quiet: As the souls of the wicked wander without a place to rest while awaiting the final judgment, they see the places where the righteous are resting in complete silence guarded by angels. An alternative model for this verse is:

• Fifth [or, In the fifth place], they see that the souls of the righteous have places of rest, where angels guard them and [where] there is complete silence.

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.

For what good is it to us, if an eternal age has been promised to us, but we have done deeds that bring death?: Once again the connector For may be left implied (so Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version). What has been promised is the possibility of eternal life (an eternal age). Death here is eternal death. The rhetorical question asked here is repeated in different words in every verse through verse 125. The models suggested for this and the following verses represent various ways of expressing the basic question. The forms are interchangeable, and translators should feel free to search their own languages for several different ways to come at this. Some may even think that use of the same form in each verse is effective. Contemporary English Version uses strong statements for most of them; for example, here it has “So what if we are promised a life that never ends—the sins we have committed will bring only death.” Other possible models are:

• We have been promised eternal life, but what good is that promise if our deeds guarantee [eternal] death?

• What good is it for us, if God has promised us eternal life, but we have done things that cause us to die eternally?

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.

Thou wilt take away his life, for he is thy creation; and thou wilt make him live, for he is thy work: In spite of the fact that the phrase make him live is mentioned here after take away his life, it does not appear to be a reference to the resurrection. This verse simply states that it is within God’s power to let a person live or die. Each person is God’s creation, and he can do with anyone as he wishes. The two clauses he is thy creation and he is thy work have exactly the same meaning, so they may be combined (so Good News Bible). A model of this verse that does is:

• Every human being is your creation, so you can let him live or die.

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.

For you come far short of being able to love my creation more than I love it: Ezra cannot shame God into having mercy on the unrighteous. No one loves God’s created beings more than God himself does. The connector For may be omitted (so Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version). You come far short of may be rendered “You are certainly not able to” (Good News Bible) or “You simply cannot.” My creation may be translated “what I have created.”

But you have often compared yourself to the unrighteous. Never do so!: God does not want Ezra likening himself to the unrighteous (see verses 31-35, where Ezra does so). The Revised Standard Version footnote here may be ignored.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• You are a long way from loving [or, certainly cannot love] my creation more than I do. But Ezra, you have often been comparing yourself to the unrighteous. You must never do that!

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.

And pray to the Most High continually—then I will come and talk with you: For the Most High, see 2 Esd 3.3. The angel Uriel once again becomes the speaker. Some languages may prefer to keep God as the speaker (so Contemporary English Version) by rendering this verse as follows:

• Pray the whole time to me, God Most High. Then I will come and talk with you again.”

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.

Then I say to you introduces what Ezra says to the woman in the rest of this verse. Both Good News Bible and Contemporary English Version use indirect speech here, which other languages may find helpful. This quote frame may be rendered “Here’s what I say to that” or “Listen to me” (Contemporary English Version). Good News Bible translates it “But let me tell you” at the end of verses 12-13, since that is where it occurs in some Latin manuscripts. We prefer to place it at the beginning of this verse.

As you brought forth in sorrow may be expressed as “just as you suffered the birth of your son” (Contemporary English Version) or “Yes, you went through the pain of childbirth [or, bearing a child].”

So the earth also has from the beginning given her fruit, that is, man: It is not clear whether this clause means that the earth has sorrow because of the death of its people, or it suffers when they are born. Box (page 604), with hesitation, thinks it refers to the earth’s sorrow over the death of people. But most scholars agree that it refers to its suffering during their birth (compare Rom 8.19-22). So we may translate this clause as “so also from the very beginning of time the earth has been suffering while giving birth to human beings.”

To him who made her: The pronoun him refers to God, who created the earth.

Possible models for this verse are:

• Here’s what I say to that: ‘Yes, you went through the pain of childbirth, but from the very beginning [of time] the earth has been suffering while giving birth to human beings for God, who made her.’

• But listen: of course you went through the pain of childbirth, but the earth has been suffering also while giving birth to human beings for God ever since he first created her [or, 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.

And after this I looked, and behold, the middle head also suddenly disappeared, just as the wings had done: Like all the Roman emperors before him, Vespasian died. For I looked, and behold, see 2Esdras 11.2. Good News Bible has a good 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.