And the winds from the east shall prevail over the cloud that was raised in wrath: The connector And is better rendered “But” (Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version). The winds from the east shall prevail over may be rendered “the east winds will be stronger than.” The cloud that was raised in wrath refers to the menacing dark clouds coming from the other directions (south, north, and west). This clause may be translated “But the cloud from the east will be stronger than the dark, menacing clouds from the other directions” or “But the wind from the east will be stronger than all these other destructive clouds.”

And shall dispel it: The pronoun it refers to the storm clouds from the other directions (south, north, and west), so this clause may be expressed as “and will cause them to break up [or, disappear].”

And the tempest that was to cause destruction by the east wind shall be driven violently toward the south and west: Again tempest translates the Latin word meaning “star” (see the comments on verses 13 and 36). The Latin text of this verse is unclear, as the footnotes in Good News Bible and Contemporary English Version indicate. Both New Revised Standard Version and New English Bible have notes indicating doubt over the meaning of the Latin word translated “tempest” or “storm,” and Myers (page 333) warns that his translation is somewhat “conjectural.” We might say the same of our model below. The meaning of this sentence seems to be “The star that was going to cause ruin [or, destruction] will be driven swiftly by the east wind to the south and west” or “And the east wind will make the star that was going to cause destruction go swiftly to the south and west.”

Here is a possible model for this verse:

• But the east wind will be stronger than the dark, menacing clouds from the other directions, and will cause them to break up. The star that was going to cause ruin will be driven swiftly by the east wind to the south and west.*
* Verse 39 in Latin is unclear.

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.