Ezra:7:11-28
Seeker Overlay ON
*
Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest ,
the scribe ,
even the scribe of the words of the commandments of Yahweh ,
and of his statutes to Israel :
*
Artaxerxes ,
king of kings ,
to Ezra the priest ,
the scribe of the law of the God of heaven ,
perfect and so forth .
*
I make a decree ,
that all those of the people of Israel ,
and their priests and the Levites ,
in my realm ,
who are minded of their own free will to go to Jerusalem ,
go with you .
*
Because you are sent of the king and his seven counselors ,
to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem ,
according to the law of your God which is in your hand ,
*
and to carry the silver and gold ,
which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel ,
whose habitation is in Jerusalem ,
*
and all the silver and gold that you shall find in all the province of Babylon ,
with the freewill offering of the people ,
and of the priests ,
offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem ;
*
therefore you shall with all diligence buy with this money bulls ,
rams ,
lambs ,
with their meal offerings and their drink offerings ,
and shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem .
*
Whatever shall seem good to you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and the gold ,
do that after the will of your God .
*
The vessels that are given to you for the service of the house of your God ,
deliver before the God of Jerusalem .
*
Whatever more shall be needful for the house of your God ,
which you shall have occasion to bestow ,
bestow it out of the king '
s treasure house .
*
I ,
even I Artaxerxes the king ,
do make a decree to all the treasurers who are beyond the River ,
that whatever Ezra the priest ,
the scribe of the law of the God of heaven ,
shall require of you ,
it be done with all diligence ,
*
to one hundred talents of silver ,
and to one hundred measures of wheat ,
and to one hundred baths of wine ,
and to one hundred baths of oil ,
and salt without prescribing how much .
*
Whatever is commanded by the God of heaven ,
let it be done exactly for the house of the God of heaven ;
for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons ?
*
Also we inform you ,
that touching any of the priests and Levites ,
the singers ,
porters ,
Nethinim ,
or servants of this house of God ,
it shall not be lawful to impose tribute ,
custom ,
or toll ,
on them .
*
You ,
Ezra ,
after the wisdom of your God who is in your hand ,
appoint magistrates and judges ,
who may judge all the people who are beyond the River ,
all such as know the laws of your God ;
and teach him who doesn '
t know them .
*
Whoever will not do the law of your God ,
and the law of the king ,
let judgment be executed on him with all diligence ,
whether it be to death ,
or to banishment ,
or to confiscation of goods ,
or to imprisonment .
*
Blessed be Yahweh ,
the God of our fathers ,
who has put such a thing as this in the king '
s heart ,
to beautify the house of Yahweh which is in Jerusalem ;
*
and has extended loving kindness to me before the king ,
and his counselors ,
and before all the king '
s mighty princes .
I was strengthened according to the hand of Yahweh my God on me ,
and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me .
![[pBiblx2]](/img/pbiblx2_logo3.png){kind=logo}