But to speak to our lord the king may be rendered “but to bring it to the attention of Your Majesty” (Good News Bible) or simply “and we decided to tell you about it” (Contemporary English Version). For our lord the king, see the comments on verse 18.

The connector in order that may be omitted (so Contemporary English Version) or rendered “Then” (Good News Bible).

If it seems good to you is a polite way of asking the king to do something; it recognizes his authority and gives him the initiative. So we may say “If you think that it is a good idea” or “If you agree with what we are saying.” Good News Bible says “if it seems proper to you,” which is another possibility.

Search may be made in the records of your fathers: The passive expression search may be made may be rendered “you should have them search” or “they should search.” The records of your fathers refers to the official records of events, the official history, kept by the government. Your fathers may be rendered “your ancestors” or “the kings of the past.”

Good News Bible may be used as a model for verses 20-21. Another possible model is:

• 20 Since they are already rebuilding the Temple, we felt that we could not remain silent. 21 So we decided to let Your Majesty know about this. And if you think it is a good idea, you could have people search through the records of your ancestors 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.