24
If anyone disobeys the laws of your God or the laws of the empire, he is to be punished promptly: by death, by fine, by exile, or by some other punishment."
25
Ezra said, "Praise the Lord, the Lord alone! He has made the emperor willing to restore the glory of the Temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.
26
By God's grace, I have won the respect of the emperor, his counselors, all his Friends, and all his powerful officials.
27
The Lord my God has given me courage, and I have been able to persuade many men to return with me."
28
This is the list of the leaders of the clans and families who had been in exile in Babylonia and returned with Ezra to Jerusalem when Artaxerxes was emperor:
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.