⁸ Moreover, ^(A)I issue a decree concerning what you are to do for these elders of Judah in the rebuilding of this house of God: the full cost is to be paid to these people from the royal treasury out of the taxes of the provinces beyond the River, and that without delay. ⁹ Whatever is needed, both young bulls, rams, and lambs for a burnt offering to the God of heaven, and wheat, salt, wine and anointing oil, as the priests in Jerusalem request, it is to be given to them daily without fail, ¹⁰ that they may offer ^[a]acceptable sacrifices to the God of heaven and ^(B)pray for the life of the king and his sons. ¹¹ And I issued a decree that ^(C)any man who violates this edict, a timber shall be drawn from his house and he shall be impaled on it and ^(D)his house shall be made a refuse heap on account of this. ¹² May the God who ^(E)has caused His name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who ^[b]attempts to change it, so as to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued this decree, let it be carried out with all diligence!”

^13 (A)I 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.

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

²⁹ Therefore I ^(A)make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of ^(B)Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their ^(C)houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch as there is ^(D)no other god who is able to deliver in this way.”