When all the people heard that the seven days were past and I had not returned to the city …: What all the people heard was not that the seven days were past, but that Ezra had not returned. The seven days refers to those of 2 Esd 9.23, not the seven additional days commanded in verse 39. The model below attempts to make this clear by beginning this verse with the word “Meanwhile.” The city is Babylon.

They all gathered together, from the least to the greatest, and came to me: From the least to the greatest is an expression that refers to people of all social levels, from the least important to the most important. Good News Bible says “rich and poor.”

And spoke to me, saying: Good News Bible says simply “and asked me,” since this quote frame introduces several questions in the next verse.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• Meanwhile, when I did not return to the city after seven days, all the people, rich and poor, got together and came to [the field] where I was. They said to [or, asked] me….

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.