Ezra 7:12–26

¹²“¹Artaxerxes, ^aking of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. And now

^13aI have issued a decree that any of the people of Israel and their priests and the Levites in my kingdom who are willing to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.

¹⁴“Forasmuch as you are sent ¹by the king and his ^aseven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God which is in your hand,

¹⁵and to bring the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, ^awhose dwelling is in Jerusalem,

¹⁶with ^aall the silver and gold which you find in the whole province of Babylon, along ^bwith the freewill offering of the people and of the priests, who ^coffered willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem;

¹⁷with this money, therefore, you shall diligently buy bulls, rams and lambs, ^awith their grain offerings and their drink offerings and ^boffer them on the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.

¹⁸“Whatever seems good to you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do according to the will of your God.

¹⁹“Also the utensils which are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem.

²⁰“The rest of the needs for the house of your God, for which you may have occasion to provide, ^aprovide for it from the royal treasury.

²¹“I, even I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the provinces beyond the ¹River, that whatever Ezra the priest, ^athe scribe of the law of the God of heaven, may require of you, it shall be done diligently,

²²even up to 100 talents of silver, 100 ¹kors of wheat, 100 baths of wine, 100 baths of oil, and salt ²as needed.

²³“Whatever is ¹commanded by the God of heaven, let it be done with zeal for the house of the God of heaven, ^aso that there will not be wrath against the kingdom of the king and his sons.

²⁴“We also inform you that ^ait is not allowed to ¹impose tax, tribute or toll ^bon any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, Nethinim or servants of this house of God.

²⁵“You, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God which is in your hand, ^aappoint magistrates and judges that they may judge all the people who are in the province beyond the River, even all those who know the laws of your God; and you may ^bteach anyone who is ignorant of them.

²⁶“^aWhoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him strictly, whether for death or for ¹banishment or for confiscation of goods or for imprisonment.”