He said to me may be rendered “God answered me” or simply “He replied.”

I shall liken my judgment to a circle …: My judgment refers to God’s final judgment at the end of time. The Latin word translated circle is literally “crown” (Revised Standard Version footnote), but the point here is that a crown is circular. No footnote is needed. We may render this clause as “When I judge people at the end of time, it will be like a circle.” Good News Bible adds “and just as a circle has no beginning or end,” which reflects nothing literally in the Latin text, but is helpful in explaining the meaning of what follows.

Just as for those who are last there is no slowness, so for those who are first there is no haste: At the time of the final judgment no one has any advantage or disadvantage, as far as when they lived is concerned. This sentence may be expressed as “Those who come late will not be too late, and those who come early will not come too early.” Good News Bible reverses the order of these two clauses. Contemporary English Version combines them, saying “I will care about all people, whether they arrive first or last.”

Here is a model for this verse:

• He answered me, “The final judgment will be like a circle, which has no beginning or end. No one can come too early, and no one can come too late.”

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.