A copy of the letter which Sisinnes the governor of Syria and Phoenicia, and Sathrabuzanes, and their associates the local rulers in Syria and Phoenicia, wrote and sent to Darius: This verse introduces verses 8-22, which is the letter sent by the Persian officials to Darius. A copy of the letter may be rendered “Here is a copy of that letter.” The translator needs to be sure that the reader will know from reading this verse what is coming in the next verses. For Sisinnes the governor of Syria and Phoenicia, and Sathrabuzanes, and their associates the local rulers in Syria and Phoenicia, see the comments on 1 Esdras 6.3. Good News Bible reduces this part of the verse, saying simply “the Persian officials.” We see no harm in this, since the names and titles were given in verse 3. Translators who feel uneasy about this may certainly follow Good News Bible or even Revised Standard Version, but we suggest this verse read simply “Here is a copy of that letter” or “Here is what they wrote in that letter.” However, translators must check to see that their rendering of this verse follows easily enough from verse 6. Our two condensed models of this verse follow the models above for verse 6 by providing all the necessary information, but a significant variation from the models for verse 6 may create a need for a different approach here.

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.