Ezra 7:12–20

¹²²Artaxerxes, ^mking of kings,

To Ezra the priest, a scribe of the Law of the God of heaven:

Perfect peace, ⁿand ³so forth.

¹³I issue a decree that all those of the people of Israel and the priests and Levites in my realm, who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem, may go with you. ¹⁴And whereas you are being sent ⁴by the king and his ^oseven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, with regard to the Law of your God which is in your hand; ¹⁵and whereas you are to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, ^pwhose dwelling is in Jerusalem; ^16qand whereas all the silver and gold that you may find in all the province of Babylon, along with the freewill offering of the people and the priests, are to be ^rfreely offered for the ⁵house of their God in Jerusalem—¹⁷now therefore, be careful to buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs, with their ^sgrain offerings and their drink offerings, and ^toffer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem.

¹⁸And whatever seems good to you and your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, do it according to the will of your God. ¹⁹Also the articles that are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem. ²⁰And whatever more may be needed for the house of your God, which you may have occasion to provide, pay for it from the king’s treasury.