And when the genealogy of these men was sought in the register and was not found, they were excluded from serving as priests: Just exactly what the register was is not clear, but the translator only needs to say that a search was made in the family records of the Jews in exile, and no record could be found of these families being among the legitimate priests. Lacking that evidence, they were not allowed to serve as priests. An alternative model for this verse is:

• Since no one could [or, the authorities could not] find any written evidence that these were priestly families, they were not allowed to serve as priests.

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.