While he spoke to me, behold, little by little the place where I was standing began to rock to and fro: See verses 14-15. The pronoun he most likely refers to Uriel, but Good News Bible identifies it as “the voice.” The word behold highlights an unusual event for Ezra, the ground shaking under him. Good News Bible omits it, but translators should retain its function in some way; for example, Contemporary English Version uses the phrase “I felt.” In some African languages an ideophone would be appropriate here. The Revised Standard Version footnote here should be included. The Latin text is unreliable here, and scholars must refer to other ancient translations to restore the meaning. An alternative model for this verse is:

• While Uriel [or, the voice] was speaking to me, I felt the ground under me begin to shake back and forth.*
* Some ancient translations the ground … forth; Latin unclear.

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.