Ezra 7:14–22

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.