¹⁴ You have authority to act for the king and for his Council of Seven to conduct an inquiry concerning Judah and Jerusalem in accordance with the Law of your God, which is in your possession. ¹⁵ You are carrying silver and gold that the King and his advisors have freely given to the God of Israel, whose Temple is in Jerusalem, ¹⁶ together with all of the silver and gold that you can raise in the province of Babylon, plus the freewill offerings given by the people and the priests, contributed for the Temple of their God, which is in Jerusalem.