On the third day, while I was sitting under an oak: An oak is a tree. It can grow quite large and is known for its strength. If the oak tree is unknown in a culture, a similar large tree may be substituted in the translation.

Behold, a voice came out of a bush opposite me and said, “Ezra, Ezra”: For the use of the word behold in the context of a dream or vision, see the comments on 2 Esd 11.1. Good News Bible and Contemporary English Version render it “suddenly” here, which is a helpful model.

The verse numbering for verses 1 and 2 is slightly different in Good News Bible. We suggest following Good News Bible as a model here, but we prefer Revised Standard Version‘s verse numbering. An alternative model for verse 1 is:

• On the third day, while I was sitting under an oak tree, I suddenly heard a voice that called to me from a nearby bush, saying “Ezra! Ezra!”

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.