Receive what the Lord has entrusted to you and be joyful: The verbs Receive and be joyful may be combined as “Accept gladly [or, with joy].” The Latin clause rendered what the Lord has entrusted to you is ambiguous, and we believe Good News Bible and New English Bible are correct in interpreting it to mean “whom the Lord has commended to you,” which refers to the Savior in the previous verse.

Giving thanks to him who has called you to heavenly kingdoms: The referent for the pronoun him is unclear. It may refer to God or to the Savior whom God has sent. We believe it refers to God. So we suggest the following model for this clause: “Give thanks to God who has invited [or, called] you into the kingdom of heaven.” In this context the plural word kingdoms is not significantly different from the singular, and the translator may use either. New English Bible renders heavenly kingdoms as “the heavenly realms.”

An alternative model for this verse is:

• Gladly accept [or, Accept with joy] this one whom the Lord has provided for you [or, given you]. Give thanks to God, who has invited you into the kingdom of heaven.

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.