But what will he do for his name, by which we are called?: The peoples of the world associate the Jews with God; they are the people who worship him by his name. If God does not protect the people who recognize and worship him, it seems that he is doing nothing to protect his own honor or reputation. Contemporary English Version renders this question as “but why doesn’t God help us for his own reputation?” We could make this question even clearer by saying “The nations of the world associate us with God. Why does he not defend his honor by defending us?” The conjunction But may be omitted (so Good News Bible).

It is about these things that I have asked may be expressed as “These are the questions that I want you to answer!”

We suggest the following model for this verse:

• Why does God not defend his honor by defending us, whom the nations know as God’s people? These are the things that I want to know!”

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.