And the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, and the rest of those from the captivity who joined them, did according to what was written in the book of Moses: A new paragraph should begin here (so Revised English Bible). The conjunction And (“Then” in Good News Bible) introduces a new event: the Jews’ faithfulness to the Law of Moses, first seen in the dedication of the new Temple. The people of Israel are divided into three categories: priests, Levites, and the rest of those from the captivity who joined them. For comments on priests and Levites, see 1 Esd 1.2-3. The rest of those from the captivity who joined them refers to the other Jews who returned from exile, that is, the laity, those who were not the professional workers in the Temple. The pronoun them refers to the priests and the Levites. Did according to what was written in the book of Moses means the Jews who returned from exile followed God’s laws in the Torah. When the Temple was completed, the Jews began using the Temple for worship according to the instructions in the Law of Moses. For the book of Moses, see the comments on 1 Esd 1.10-11. Good News Bible provides a good 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.