Ezra 7:12–26

^12*Artaxerxes, ^lking of kings, ^||unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, ^mand at such a time. ¹³ⁿI make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. ¹⁴Forasmuch as thou art sent ^†of the king, and of his ^oseven counsellers, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand; ¹⁵And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his ^ocounsellers have freely offered unto the God of Israel, ^pwhose habitation is in Jerusalem, ^16qAnd all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, ^roffering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem: ¹⁷That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their ^smeat offerings and their ^tdrink offerings, and ^uoffer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. ¹⁸And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God. ¹⁹The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem. ²⁰And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king’s treasure house. ²¹And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do ⁿmake a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily, ²²Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred ^†measures of wheat, and to an hundred ^xbaths of wine, and to an hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much. ^23†Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of ^ythe king and his sons? ²⁴Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose ^ztoll, tribute, or custom, upon them. ²⁵And thou, Ezra, after ^athe wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set ^bmagistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and ^cteach ye them that know them not. ²⁶And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or ^†to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.