He answered me and said: It is not clear here who the speaker is, God or the angel Uriel. At verse 48 it will be clear that Uriel is speaking, but at 2 Esd 9.8, in the same discourse, God seems to be the speaker. We recommend following Revised Standard Version with the pronoun He. But translators would not be wrong to identify the speaker as “God” or “The Lord” (Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version). The verb answered is better rendered “replied” (similarly New English Bible) or “responded” (Myers), since God is not answering a question asked by Ezra. He is simply responding to Ezra’s prayer.

Some things you have spoken rightly, and it will come to pass according to your words: God agrees that some of Ezra’s comments are true and will take place. Contemporary English Version says “Ezra, some of what you just said is true, and those things will happen exactly as you said.”

Good News Bible has a helpful model for this verse. Another possible one is:

• The Lord responded to me, “Ezra, part of what you have just said is true, and those things will happen exactly as you said.

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.