For Esau is the end of this age, and Jacob is the beginning of the age that follows: The idea here is that the present age is represented by Esau (Rome), and Jacob stands for the age to come. Just as these twins came from the womb with Jacob grasping Esau’s heel, the two ages are closely connected. This symbolism, Esau and Jacob standing for this age and the age to come, is found in other Jewish sources of the author’s time (see Stone, pages 160-161). The conjunction For may be omitted (so Good News Bible). For the Latin word translated age (saeculum), see the comments on 2 Esd 2.34. Good News Bible has 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.