So in those days three or four shall be left by those who search their houses with the sword: Those days refers to the time when God will punish people on earth with famines, wars, and other disasters (see verses 18-19 and 21). Those who search their houses with the sword refers to soldiers who search homes to kill people. They will roam the streets, breaking into houses looking for anyone who might be left alive. An alternative model for this verse is

• That is how it will be in those days. Soldiers will go through houses in an effort to kill everyone they find, but they may miss three or four people here and there.

Contemporary English Version provides the following helpful model:

• That’s how it will be when these disasters begin. Soldiers with swords will search each home, ready to kill any survivors, and only three or four won’t be found.

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.