King’s Decree on Behalf of Ezra

¹¹ Now this is the copy of the letter which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, ^[a]learned in the words of the commandments of the Lord and His statutes to Israel: ¹² “^[b]Artaxerxes, ^(A)king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, ^[c]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 are willing to go to Jerusalem, may go with you. ¹⁴ Since you are sent ^[d]on the part of the king and his ^(C)seven advisers to inquire about 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 advisers have voluntarily given to the God of Israel, ^(D)whose dwelling is in Jerusalem, ¹⁶ with ^(E)all the silver and gold which you find in the entire province of Babylon, along ^(F)with the ^[e]voluntary offering of the people and of the priests, who ^(G)offered willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem;