Then I planned these things, and they were made through me and not through another is literally “Then I thought and these things were made through me alone and not through another.” Here God is pictured as thinking creation into existence, not speaking it, as in Gen 1. A possible model for this first half of the verse is “Before any of those things happened, I had planned [or, thought about] them. I, and I alone, made them all.”

Just as the end shall come through me and not through another may be rendered “In the same way, I, and I alone, will bring about the end of the world.”

Here are alternative models for verses 1-6:

• 1 God said to me, “Here is what the world’s beginning was like. Before the gates of the world were in place and before the winds came together to blow, 2 before the thunder ever rumbled, before the lightning ever flashed, before the Garden of Eden was planted, 3 before there were any beautiful flowers, before the spiritual powers began to rule in space [or, between earth and heaven], before all the countless armies of angels came together, 4 before the sky was set in place, before I gave names to the different parts of earth and sky, before I put Mount Zion in its place to be my footstool, 5 before time began, before I set myself against those who would sin, before I claimed as my own those who would consider faithfulness a treasure [or, who would worship me faithfully just like laying up treasure]—6 before any of those things, I planned them. I made them all, I and I alone. In the same way, I will bring about the end of the world, I and I alone.”

• 1 God answered me, “Here is what the world was like when I created it. Before I put the gates of the world in place, and before the winds came together to blow, 2 … before I planted the Garden of Eden, 3 before any beautiful flowers bloomed in the garden … 4 before I set the sky in place….”

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.