Ezra:7:11-28
Seeker Overlay ON
*
This is a copy of the letter which King Ar-ta-xerx '
es gave to Ezra the priest ,
the scribe ,
learned in matters of the commandments of the LORD and his statutes for Israel :
* "
Ar-ta-xerx '
es ,
king of kings ,
to Ezra the priest ,
the scribe of the law of the God of heaven .
And now
*
I make a decree that any one of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom ,
who freely offers to go to Jerusalem ,
may go with you .
*
For you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to make inquiries about Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God ,
which is in your hand ,
*
and also to convey the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel ,
whose dwelling is in Jerusalem ,
*
with all the silver and gold which you shall find in the whole province of Babylonia ,
and with the freewill offerings of the people and the priests ,
vowed willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem .
*
With this money ,
then ,
you shall with all diligence buy bulls ,
rams ,
and lambs ,
with their cereal offerings and their drink offerings ,
and you shall offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem .
*
Whatever seems good to you and your brethren to do with the rest of the silver and gold ,
you may do ,
according to the will of your God .
*
The vessels that have been given you for the service of the house of your God ,
you shall deliver before the God of Jerusalem .
*
And whatever else is required for the house of your God ,
which you have occasion to provide ,
you may provide it out of the king '
s treasury .
* "
And I ,
Ar-ta-xerx '
es the king ,
make a decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River :
Whatever Ezra the priest ,
the scribe of the law of the God of heaven ,
requires of you ,
be it done with all diligence ,
*
up to a hundred talents of silver ,
a hundred cors of wheat ,
a hundred baths of wine ,
a hundred baths of oil ,
and salt without prescribing how much .
*
Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven ,
let it be done in full for the house of the God of heaven ,
lest his wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons .
*
We also notify you that it shall not be lawful to impose tribute ,
custom ,
or toll upon any one of the priests ,
the Levites ,
the singers ,
the doorkeepers ,
the temple servants ,
or other servants of this house of God .
* "
And you ,
Ezra ,
according to the wisdom of your God which is in your hand ,
appoint magistrates and judges who may judge all the people in the province Beyond the River ,
all such as know the laws of your God ;
and those who do not know them ,
you shall teach .
*
Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king ,
let judgment be strictly executed upon him ,
whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment ."
*
Blessed be the LORD ,
the God of our fathers ,
who put such a thing as this into the heart of the king ,
to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem ,
*
and who extended to me his steadfast love before the king and his counselors ,
and before all the king '
s mighty officers .
I took courage ,
for the hand of the LORD my God was upon me ,
and I gathered leading men from Israel to go up with me .
![[pBiblx2]](/img/pbiblx2_logo3.png){kind=logo}