Let many perish who are now living, rather than that the law of God which is set before them be disregarded!: It is better for wicked people to perish without hope, no matter how many, rather than allow them to get by with ignoring God’s Law. Good News Bible provides a helpful model for this verse by putting the final clause into the active voice. Contemporary English Version is similar with the following model:

• Many of today’s evil people would be better off to die than to disobey the Law that God has given them.

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.