Then I went as he commanded me, and I gathered all the people together, and said may be rendered “So I did as the Lord commanded me….”

Hear these words, O Israel: A similar expression is found in Deut 5.1; 6.4; 9.1; 20.3. In those passages Moses commanded the people to pay attention as he was about to tell them something important. Here Ezra, who was compared to Moses in verses 1-6, has important things to say to his people.

An alternative model for verses 27-28 is:

• 27 So I did what the Lord told me to do. I gathered all the people, and said, 28 “Listen to me, [you] people of Israel.

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.