They ate and drank, and when they were satisfied they departed: They were satisfied means the guests had all they wanted to eat and drink. Contemporary English Version begins this verse with “Everyone ate and drank as much as they wanted, and after they left the banquet hall….”

And Darius the king went to his bedroom, and went to sleep, and then awoke: The author spends no time on the events that took place during the banquet. He centers on what happens during the night, after the banquet. Darius the king went to his bedroom may be rendered simply “Darius went to bed” (Good News Bible). Good News Bible does not use the word bedroom although there is nothing wrong with it. The reader or listener would assume that the king went to sleep in his usual place. The real translation problem here is the awkward clause ending the sentence, and then awoke. The reader does not need this information until verse 13, where the writer again tells us that the king awoke. The clause here misleads the reader into thinking that the king was awake while the events of verses 4-12 were happening. Perhaps this is the writer’s problem, and the translator should not try to help him out, but still, thinking of the reader, the following model of this verse suggests a way of lessening the problem:

• When everyone had all they wanted to eat and drink, they left. King Darius then went to bed and slept until the next morning.

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.