Ezra 7:1-21

11Now after these things, in the reign of 2Artaxerxes king of Persia, there went up Ezra son of Seraiah, son of Azariah, son of Hilkiah, 2son of Shallum, son of Zadok, son of Ahitub, 3son of Amariah, son of Azariah, son of Meraioth, 4son of Zerahiah, son of Uzzi, son of Bukki, 5son of Abishua, son of Phinehas, son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the chief priest. 6This Ezra went up from Babylon, and he was a 3scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which the Lord God of Israel had given; and the king granted him all 4he requested 5because the hand of the Lord his God was upon him. 76Some of the sons of Israel and some of the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers and the temple servants went up to Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.

8He came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king. 9For on the first of the first month 7he began to go up from Babylon; and on the first of the fifth month he came to Jerusalem, 8because the good hand of his God was upon him. 10For Ezra had set his heart to 9study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and 10to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.

11Now this is the copy of the decree which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, 11learned in the words of the commandments of the Lord and His statutes to Israel: 12“12Artaxerxes, 13king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. And now 1314I have issued a decree that any of the people of Israel and their priests and the Levites in my kingdom who are willing to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. 14Forasmuch as you are sent 15by the king and his 16seven 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, 17whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, 16with 18all the silver and gold which you find in the whole province of Babylon, along 19with the freewill offering of the people and of the priests, who 20offered willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem; 17with this money, therefore, you shall diligently buy bulls, rams and lambs, 21with their grain offerings and their drink offerings and 22offer them on the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. 18Whatever 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. 19Also the utensils which are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem. 20The rest of the needs for the house of your God, for which you may have occasion to provide, 23provide 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 24River, that whatever Ezra the priest, 25the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, may require of you, it shall be done diligently,