He said to me …: Uriel challenges Ezra to do some things that are humanly impossible, to emphasize Ezra’s inability to understand God’s ways. Good News Bible inserts “I will answer you if you can do the following things” at the beginning of the quotation to make clear the reason for Uriel’s challenges. If this is necessary, translators should certainly follow it, although the Handbook believes the intent is quite clear from context. An alternative model is “Let’s see what you can do.”

Count up for me those who have not yet come may be rendered “Tell me, how many people are there who have not yet been born?” or “Tell me how many people will be born in the future” (Contemporary English Version).

And gather for me the scattered raindrops may be translated “Collect all the raindrops in one place” (Contemporary English Version). This clause may refer to all the raindrops that have ever fallen, so another possible model is “Bring me all the rain that has ever fallen.”

And make the withered flowers bloom again for me may be expressed as “Make some withered [or, dead] flowers bloom again for me.”

Here is a possible model for this verse:

• He told me, “Tell me, how many people are there who have not yet been born? Bring me all the rain that has ever fallen. Make some withered flowers bloom again for me.

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.