My hands will cover you is a figurative expression that means God will protect the woman. Contemporary English Version says simply “I will protect you.”

That your sons may not see Gehenna: For your sons, which is better rendered “your children” (Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version), see verse 15. The name Gehenna originally referred to Hinnom Valley outside Jerusalem, where human sacrifices had once been offered and where garbage from the city was constantly burning. By the time of 2 Esdras (namely the second century A.D.), it clearly came to be used of the place of eternal torment, and may legitimately be translated “hell” (Good News Bible). To see Gehenna means to live in hell, or perhaps more exactly, to face the prospect of hell.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• I will protect you, so that your children will not go to hell.

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.