And you shall be broken down by them like stubble, and they shall be like fire to you: The pronouns them and they refer to the enemy army mentioned in the previous verse. Stubble is what is left standing when a grain crop has been harvested. When dried out, it is hard and brittle, and easily set afire. Good News Bible provides a helpful model for this verse.

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.