And thou didst set apart Jacob for thyself, but Esau thou didst reject; and Jacob became a great multitude: Compare Mal 1.2-3; Rom 9.13. Although Jacob was the youngest of the twins, he became the ancestor of the Israelites, here called a great multitude. Esau was the ancestor of the Edomites. Good News Bible provides a good model for this verse. However, translators should also study the following model of Contemporary English Version:

• You chose Jacob as your own, and his descendants became a powerful nation. But you rejected Esau.

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.