And now I say to you: Contemporary English Version inserts Ezra’s name here, saying “Ezra, I am commanding you,” which is a helpful model. God has been talking about his dealings with Moses, now it is Ezra’s turn. This clause may also be rendered “Now, Ezra, I tell you” or “Now, Ezra, I am commanding you.”

Lay up in your heart the signs that I have shown you, the dreams that you have seen, and the interpretations that you have heard: Good News Bible renders the figurative expression Lay up in your heart as “memorize.” New English Bible is similar with “commit to memory.” The problem with these renderings is that words are memorized, not experiences. We think better models are “Remember well” and “Never, ever forget.” The signs refers to the events signaling the end of time (see the comments on 2 Esd 4.52), and the interpretations refers to the explanations of the dreams that Ezra had.

Here is an alternative model for verses 7-8:

• 7 And now, Ezra, I tell you this: 8 You must never forget the signs that I have shown you, or the dreams you have had, or the explanations of them that you have heard.

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.