I sent word to Eliezer, Iduel, Maasmas, Elnathan, Shemaiah, Jarib, Nathan, Elnathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam …: If we join these two verses to the previous one, I sent word to may be rendered “I sent a message to.” Otherwise, we may say “So I sent a message to.” The obvious translation problem here is that the list of ten names gets in the way. Good News Bible solves this problem nicely. But some translators may wish to keep the original order and not combine the two verses (so Revised Standard Version and the second model below). Two men are called Elnathan in this list. In some languages it may be helpful to refer to the second one as “another Elnathan” or “a different Elnathan from the first one.”

Who were leaders and men of understanding: The Greek word translated leaders is the same one rendered “leading man” in verse 45. It is a general term for leaders. The Greek adjective for men of understanding means they were “wise” (Contemporary English Version) or “competent.”

Here are two possible models for verses 43-44:

• 43-44 So I sent a message to ten men who were leaders and had good sense: Eliezer, Iduel, Maasmas, Elnathan, Shemaiah, Jarib, Nathan, [another] Elnathan, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

• 43 I sent a message to Eliezer … 44 Elnathan … These ten men were leaders and had good sense.

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.