Alas for me! Alas for me! Who will deliver me in those days?: Here alone Ezra speaks for himself, although perhaps this is the personal reaction of a scribe that has found its way into the text. He recognizes that he is in trouble also when the Lord punishes the four nations mentioned in verse 1. For the word Alas, which is an expression of doom, see the comments on 2 Esd 13.16.

We have chosen to use this verse to end this section, but some translations use it to open the next paragraph or section (so Good News Bible, New English Bible, Coggins and Knibb). It works well either way, and translators should think about where they would like to make this section or paragraph break. An alternative model for this verse is:

• I am doomed! Doomed! When that time comes, who will be there to save me?

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.