I divided fertile lands among you refers to God’s dividing the land of Canaan among the twelve tribes of Israel after the conquest (see Josh 13.8–21.40). Fertile lands may be rendered “land that provides many crops” or “rich farmland” (Contemporary English Version).

I drove out the Canaanites, the Perizzites, and the Philistines before you: For the Canaanites and the Perizzites, see the comments on 1 Esd 8.69. They were some of the native people of Canaan, whom Joshua and the Israelites conquered. They are referred to numerous times in the Old Testament (see, for example, Exo 3.8; Deut 7.1; Jdg 3.5). The Philistines were a people of European origin who invaded Canaan from the Mediterranean Sea about the time the Israelites invaded from the west. They lived in an area along the eastern Mediterranean Sea about 80 kilometers long and 32 kilometers wide (50 miles long and 20 miles wide). They too are often referred to in the Old Testament (see, for example, Gen 10.14; 1 Chr 1.12).

What more can I do for you?: With this rhetorical question God is not volunteering to help them some more or asking them how he can help then any more. It is really an exclamation that is better rendered “What more [or, else] could I have done for you?” Some languages will prefer a strong statement here, such as “There isn’t anything else that I could have done for you.”

Says the Lord: See the comments on verse 14. Good News Bible omits this clause, but Contemporary English Version keeps it, saying “I, the Lord, have spoken.”

Here is a possible model for this verse:

• I divided the fertile land of Canaan among you. I drove the Canaanites, the Perizzites, and the Philistines out of the land as you advanced. What more could I have done for you? I, the Lord, have spoken.” ’

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.