The second book of the prophet Ezra may be rendered “This is the second book of the prophet Ezra (Good News Bible)” or “… written by the prophet Ezra.” There is no way to tell what the author has in mind for the first book of Ezra. It may be the book of Ezra in the Old Testament. There is certainly no evident connection of this book with either the book of Ezra or the book of 1 Esdras. A prophet not only prophesied events that would happen in the future, but also counseled his people about how they should deal with daily events (see the comments on 1 Esd 1.20). Some translators will wish to translate prophet as “God’s messenger.” The name Ezra is probably a shortened form of Azariah, meaning “the LORD has helped.” The Greek form of this name is the origin of the name “Esdras.”

The son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, son of Ahijah, son of Phinehas, son of Eli, son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, son of Arna, son of Uzzi, son of Borith, son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron, of the tribe of Levi: The family line of Ezra is also found in Ezra 7.1-5 and in 1 Esd 8.1-2. The genealogy here differs somewhat from those. The three genealogies are exactly the same from Ezra through Ahitub, and again from Abishua through Aaron. The names Ahijah, Phinehas, and Eli appear only in 2 Esdras. Amariah appears in all three books, but Azariah and Meraioth are missing from 1 Esdras, In place of Arna the Ezra genealogy has “Zerahiah”; there is no corresponding name in 1 Esdras. The name Uzzi is in all three lists. In place of Borith both Ezra and 1 Esdras have “Bukki.” We recommend that translators use the same forms of these names used in the book of Ezra where possible, Arna and Borith are exceptions. Levi was one of the twelve tribes of Israel, named for one of the sons of Jacob. Members of the tribe of Levi were priests, so the writer here is identifying Ezra as a legitimate priest. Of the tribe of Levi may be rendered “a member of the tribe of Levi.” Some cultures have special literary forms or a special genre for tracing ancestry. Where they exist, the special rules of this genre should be followed in presenting this genealogy. As in the Latin text, it may be traced from Ezra to his father, grandfather and great-grandfather back to Aaron. Alternatively, the order of presentation may be reversed to trace Ezra’s ancestors from Aaron in descending order.

Who was a captive in the country of the Medes in the reign of Artaxerxes, king of the Persians: The relative pronoun who refers back to the prophet Ezra, not to Levi. The word captive indicates that Ezra was among the Jews exiled by the Babylonians. The Medes were the people of Media, which was a province of the Persian Empire (see the comments on 1 Esd 3.1-2). There were two Persian emperors named Artaxerxes, and it is not clear here which is meant. Artaxerxes I ruled from 465 to 424 B.C. (see 1 Esd 2.16). Artaxerxes II ruled from 405 to 359 B.C. Most likely the former emperor is meant. For king of the Persians, see the comments on 1 Esd 1.57 and 2.1.

The Latin text has only one sentence for verses 1-3 (so also Revised Standard Version), but many languages will prefer several sentences here (so Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version). In verse 4 Ezra begins speaking in the first person singular, so some translators may wish to bring the first person forward into this material; for example, Contemporary English Version renders these verses as follows:

• 1-3 I am Ezra the prophet, the son of Seraiah and the grandson of Azariah. I belong to the Levi tribe, because my ancestors go all the way back to Aaron and include Hilkiah, Shallum, Zadok, Ahitub, Ahijah, Phinehas, Eli, Amariah, Azariah, Meraimoth, Arna, Uzzi, Borith, Abishua, Phinehas, and Eleazar son of Aaron.
I wrote this second book during the rule of King Artaxerxes of Persia, while I was a prisoner in Media Province.

Here is another model:

• 1-3 This is the second book of [or, written by] the prophet Ezra, who was a captive in Media at the time when Artaxerxes was king of Persia. Ezra was a Levite [or, member of the tribe of Levi], and was descended from Seraiah, Azariah, Hilkiah, Shallum, Zadok, Ahitub, Ahijah, Phinehas, Eli, Amariah, Azariah, Meraioth, Arna, Uzzi, Borith, Abishua, Phinehas, Eleazar, and Aaron.

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.