¹² “^[b]Artaxerxes, ^(A)king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace. And now—

^13 (B)I have issued a decree that any of the people of Israel and their priests and the Levites in my kingdom who freely offer to go to Jerusalem, may go with you.

¹⁴ Forasmuch as you are sent from before the king and his ^(C)seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God which is in your hand,

¹⁵ and to bring the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, ^(D)whose dwelling is in Jerusalem,

¹⁶ and ^(E)all the silver and gold which you find in the whole province of Babylon, along ^(F)with the freewill offering of the people and of the priests, who ^(G)offered willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem;

¹⁷ with this money, therefore, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, ^(H)with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and ^(I)bring them near to the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.

¹⁸ And whatever 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.

¹⁹ Also the utensils which are given to you for the service of the house of your God, deliver in full before the God of Jerusalem.

²⁰ The rest of the needs for the house of your God, which may fall upon you to provide, ^(J)provide for it from the royal treasury.

²¹ “So I, even I, King Artaxerxes, issue a decree to all the treasurers who are in the provinces beyond the ^[c]River, that whatever Ezra the priest, ^(K)the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, may ask of you, it shall be done with all diligence,

²² even up to ^[d]100 talents of silver, ^[e]100 kors of wheat, ^[f]100 baths of wine, ^[g]100 baths of oil, and salt without written order.

²³ Whatever is ^[h]decreed by the God of heaven, let it be done with zeal for the house of the God of heaven, ^(L)so that there will not be wrath against the kingdom of the king and his sons.

²⁴ We also make known to you that ^(M)it is not allowed to ^[i]impose tribute, custom, or toll ^(N)on any of the priests, Levites, singers, doorkeepers, temple servants, or other servants of this house of God.

²⁵ “And you, Ezra, according to the wisdom of your God which is in your hand, ^(O)appoint magistrates and judges that they may judge all the people who are in the province beyond the River, even all those who know the laws of your God; and to anyone who does not know the laws, you shall ^(P)make them known.

^26 (Q)Whoever will not do the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be done to him with all diligence, whether for death or for ^[j]banishment or for confiscation of goods or for imprisonment.”