He answered me and said: It will be sufficient in most languages to say simply “He [or, Uriel] replied.”

Listen to me, Ezra, and I will instruct you, and will admonish you yet again: As the Revised Standard Version footnote indicates, the Latin text does not have the name Ezra. We see no strong reason for including it, but translators who wish to may do so on translational grounds alone, without a textual footnote. The Latin word translated admonish is a strong one, almost suggesting violence, like the English idiom, “I will beat this into your head.” In the model below we use the idiom “set you straight,” which suggests at least impatience, and the idea that the instruction will correct some of Ezra’s wrong thinking. (Myers translates “set you right” on the basis of the Syriac. This is not our line of reasoning.) The Latin phrase translated again can also mean “about what follows,” and that is how we understand it.

Here is our suggested model for this verse:

• Uriel replied, “Listen to me. I am going to teach you and set you straight about these things [or, a number of things].

For translators who may be uneasy with the above suggestion, we offer New English Bible as an alternative model:

• The angel replied, “Listen to me and I will give you further instruction and correction.

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.