Fire and hail and flying swords and floods of water, that all the fields and all the streams may be filled with the abundance of those waters: In this context fire probably refers to “lightning” (Contemporary English Version). It is not clear what is meant by flying swords, but this imagery should be kept. An alternative model for this verse is:

• There will be fire [or, lightning], hail, and flying swords, and all the streams will start overflowing until all the fields are flooded.

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.