6
This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a readyscribe in the law of Moses, which the LORDGod of Israel had given: and the kinggranted him all his request, according to the hand of the LORD his God upon him.
7
And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventhyear of Artaxerxes the king.
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For upon the first day of the firstmonthbegan he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifthmonthcame he to Jerusalem, according to the goodhand of his God upon him.
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Now this is the copy of the letter that the kingArtaxerxesgave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel.
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Imake a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem,go with thee.
14
Forasmuch*as thou art sentoftheking, and of his sevencounsellors, to enquireconcerningJudah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand;
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And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon,with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem:
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Thatthou mayest buyspeedily with thismoneybullocks,rams,lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offerthemupon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.
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And I, even IArtaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be donespeedily,
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Unto an hundredtalents of silver, and to an hundredmeasures of wheat, and to an hundredbaths of wine, and to an hundredbaths of oil, and saltwithoutprescribing how much.
23
Whatsoever is commanded bytheGod of heaven, let it be diligentlydone for the house of the God of heaven:forwhy should there bewrathagainst the realm of the king and his sons?
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Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites,singers,porters,Nethinims, or ministers of thishouse of God, it shall not be lawful to imposetoll,tribute, or custom,upon them.
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And thou,Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand,setmagistrates and judges, which may judge*all the people that are beyond the river,all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not.
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And whosoever will notdo* the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgmentbeexecutedspeedily upon him,whether it be unto death,or to banishment,or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.
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Blessed be the LORDGod of our fathers, which hath put such a thing as this in the king'sheart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:
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And hath extendedmercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king'smightyprinces. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.