For there shall be unrest among men …: Compare 2 Esd 5.1-13. The conjunction For may be omitted (so Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version). Good News Bible renders this clause as “There will be great political turmoil.” Another possible model is “There will be political unrest.”

Growing strong against one another may be translated “Each group will try to overcome the others.” Some translators my find “political unrest” difficult to translate. If so, they may consider Contemporary English Version‘s model, which combines the first two clauses of this verse as follows: “Groups of people will plot to rule others.” They may also say “Groups of people everywhere will have hearts full of unrest, and will plot to control [or, rule over] others.”

They shall in their might have no respect for their king or the chief of their leaders: The phrase they shall in their might may be expressed as “they will become powerful enough.” Their king or the chief of their leaders refers to anyone who is their legitimate ruler.

Good News Bible provides a helpful model for this verse. Other possible ones are:

• There will be political unrest. Each group will try to overcome the others, and they will be powerful enough to ignore their legitimate rulers.

• Groups of people everywhere will have hearts full of unrest and will plot to control other people. They will be powerful enough to….

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.