And recompense shall follow, and the reward shall be manifested …: Uriel is speaking here, which is not clear in Good News Bible‘s model. Good News Bible reverses the order of the two sentences in this verse. Translators should study that model carefully and see whether it is better style in their language or whether they should keep the original order, which Revised Standard Version follows. The first sentence of this verse may be rendered “God will quickly reward the good people and punish sinners” or “God will punish the guilty and reward the righteous.”

Righteous deeds shall awake, and unrighteous deeds shall not sleep: These parallel clauses use figurative language. Their meaning is that no human action, good or bad, will be forgotten when God judges. A person’s every deed will be remembered and judged. For languages that can use the passive voice, Good News Bible provides a good model for this sentence, saying “The good and bad that people have done will be fully revealed.” But for others we suggest “God will make known everything good or bad that people have done.”

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.