And, after that, heavy storm clouds shall be stirred up from the south, and from the north, and another part from the west: Here the writer is very likely giving an account in coded language of historical events, but they cannot be identified with certainty. The storm clouds are surely meant to be certain armies. However, translators must render the text as it is. The translation of the cardinal points, south, north and west presents some problems in certain languages. West is usually translated with reference to the setting of the sun, but north and south are more difficult to render. In some languages, with an orientation toward the rising sun (east), north is spoken of as being on the “left hand” and south is referred to as the “right hand.” 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.