Then we asked these elders: For these elders, see 1 Esdras 6.5.

At whose command are you building this house and laying the foundations of this structure?: Compare verse 4a. This question is a quote within a quote. Translators will need to decide whether to express this question as a direct quote (so Revised Standard Version) or as indirect speech (so Good News Bible). In English it appears to work better as indirect speech, and we recommend Good News Bible as a model. If translators find the direct question of Revised Standard Version more natural, they should follow it. In direct speech this question may be rendered “Who has commanded you to rebuild this Temple and lay its foundations?”

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.