Ezra 7:11-26

The Voice

¹² To Ezra, the priest and teacher of the law of the True God of heaven:

May you have perfect peace. I, Artaxerxes, the ruler of all kings, ¹³ have decreed that any of the Jewish exiles, priests, and Levites residing in my empire may go with you to Jerusalem if they want to. ¹⁴ I, the king, and my seven cabinet members are sending you to investigate how Judah and Jerusalem are following your True God’s laws, the laws which you study and teach. ¹⁵ You will take the silver and gold—which we are freely offering to the True God of Israel who lives in Jerusalem— ¹⁶ all the silver and gold in the province of Babylon, and the freewill offerings of all the people and priests for their True God’s temple in Jerusalem. ¹⁷ Use the money to buy bulls, rams, and lambs for burnt offerings and sin offerings, and offer the grain and drink offerings on the altar of your True God’s temple in Jerusalem. ¹⁸ Use any leftover money as your True God intends for you and your fellow returning exiles to use it. ¹⁹ Deliver all the new vessels, which I have given you to use in the services of your True God’s temple, to the True God in Jerusalem. ²⁰ Whatever the True God’s temple requires, the Persian royal treasury will pay for it.

²¹ To the treasurers in the provinces west of the Euphrates: I, King Artaxerxes, command you to obey Ezra, the priest and teacher of the law of the True God of heaven, and give whatever he needs to support the temple sacrifices for 2 years— ²² up to 7,500 pounds of silver, 600 bushels of wheat, 600 gallons of wine, 600 gallons of oil, and salt. ²³ Whatever the True God of heaven commands, do it eagerly for the True God of heaven’s temple so that He will not be angry with my empire. ²⁴ Also do not charge taxes, tributes, or tolls to any priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, priests’ and Levites’ servants, or temple servants.

²⁵ Ezra, appoint officials and judges over everyone in the province west of the Euphrates, including the Jews who follow your True God’s laws, as the wisdom of your True God motivates you, and teach those who do not know His laws. ²⁶ Anyone who does not follow your True God’s law and my law will be judged harshly and punished by death, exile, foreclosure, or prison.