And he said to me: Good News Bible says “he commanded,” since Uriel asks Ezra to do something.

Stand at my right side: For standing to hear a message from God, see Num 23.18; Ezek 2.1; Dan 10.11 (compare Jdg 3.20). The right side of a respected person was a position of honor.

And I will show you the interpretation of a parable: Parable, which is a literary form, is the wrong choice of word here. The Latin word for parable is literally “similitude” (King James Version), that is, “likeness” (compare verse 3, where it is rendered “problems”). Here it is better translated “vision” (Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version), since Uriel is about to show Ezra a vision. When he interprets the vision, he tells Ezra in what respects the elements of the vision are like what Ezra is asking about.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• He told me, “Stand at my right side. I will show you a vision and interpret it for you.”

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.