And said in their hearts that there is no God—though knowing full well that they must die: See 2 Esd 7.23. We suggest the following models for this verse:

• They knew full well they were going to die, but still they told themselves that there was no God [or, that God did not exist].

• They even said, ‘God doesn’t exist,’ knowing that one day they had to die.

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.