Then Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the men of Israel, called out, and said to Ezra: A certain Shecaniah spoke up. There is no previous reference to him and no indication is given as to how he became the spokesman for the crowd. There are six different men with this name in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, and the name of his father Jehiel was a common one. Called out means that in the middle of the crowd of people he “spoke up loudly” enough for Ezra to hear him. The first half of this verse introduces what he said to Ezra in verses 92b-95.

We have sinned against the Lord, and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land may be rendered simply “We have sinned against the Lord by marrying foreign women” (Good News Bible) or even “… women who are not Jews.” For the peoples of the land, see the comments on 1 Esd 5.50.

But even now there is hope for Israel means the people of Israel still have a chance of surviving. We may say “But there is still a chance that we Jews can survive” or “But there is still hope for us the people of Israel.”

We may render this verse as follows:

• Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, one of the Jewish men, spoke out and said to Ezra, “We have sinned against the Lord by marrying women who are not Jews. But there is still a chance that we Jews can survive.

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.