Or has another nation known thee besides Israel?: With this rhetorical question Ezra asks if any other nation besides Israel has ever known God, that is, worshiped him as their God. Some languages may prefer a strong statement here; for example, Contemporary English Version says “Israel has been the only nation to worship you.”

Or what tribes have so believed thy covenants as these tribes of Jacob?: With this rhetorical question Ezra says the Jews may have been lax in observing God’s covenants, but surely no other people has done better. Israel and these tribes of Jacob refer to the same people, that is, the Jews (see the comments on verse 19). Israel consisted of twelve tribes. A tribe was the largest social unit in the nation. It was composed of several clans, which, in turn, were composed of several families For covenants see 2 Esd 2.5. A possible model that renders this question as a statement is “No other tribes have accepted the terms of your covenants like the tribes of Israel.”

It may be helpful to use the first person plural for the Jews since Ezra was one. A model of this verse that does this is:

• Has any other nation ever worshiped you like we Jews have? Has any people ever so accepted the terms of your covenants as we have?

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.