For in many places and in neighboring cities there shall be a great insurrection against those who fear the Lord: The conjunction For may be omitted (so Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version). The Latin text has two words that are translated in many places. New English Bible has “In place after place.” These two renderings are only a reasonable guess; the Latin is puzzling (so Revised Standard Version footnote). Revised Standard Version and New English Bible are probably closer to the meaning than Good News Bible. So we suggest beginning this verse with “In many places and in the nearby towns….” Great insurrection may be rendered “violent [or, great] persecution.” Those who fear the Lord may be expressed as “those who are faithful to the Lord” or “… obey the Lord.” An alternative model for this verse is:

• In many places and in the nearby towns* there will be a great persecution of those who fear the Lord [or, people will violently persecute those who obey the Lord].
* In many … towns; Latin unclear.

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.