²¹ “And I, Artaxerxes 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, let it be done with all diligence,

⁶ this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe ^(A)skilled in the Law of Moses that the Lord, the God of Israel, had given, and the king granted him all that he asked, ^(B)for the hand of the Lord his God was on him.

¹⁶ We make known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond the River.”

¹⁰ For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the Lord, and to do it ^(A)and to ^(B)teach his statutes and rules in Israel.

¹¹ This is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, a man learned in matters of the commandments of the Lord and his statutes for Israel:^{[a] 12} “Artaxerxes, ^(C)king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the ^(D)scribe of the Law of the God of heaven. Peace.^{[b] (E)}And now ^13 (F)I make a decree that anyone of the people of Israel or their priests or Levites in my kingdom, who freely offers to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.

⁶ “Now therefore, ^(A)Tattenai, governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, ^(B)and your^[a] associates the governors who are in the province Beyond the River, keep away.

²⁰ And mighty kings have been over Jerusalem, ^(A)who ruled over the whole province Beyond the River, to whom ^(B)tribute, custom, and toll were paid.