Ezra 7:13-27

New International Version

¹³Now I decree that any of the Israelites in my kingdom, including priests and Levites, who volunteer to go to Jerusalem with you, may go. ¹⁴You are sent by the king and his seven advisers^(A) to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the Law of your God, which is in your hand. ¹⁵Moreover, you are to take with you the silver and gold that the king and his advisers have freely given^(B) to the God of Israel, whose dwelling^(C) is in Jerusalem, ¹⁶together with all the silver and gold^(D) you may obtain from the province of Babylon, as well as the freewill offerings of the people and priests for the temple of their God in Jerusalem.^(E) ¹⁷With this money be sure to buy bulls, rams and male lambs,^(F) together with their grain offerings and drink offerings,^(G) and sacrifice^(H) them on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem.

¹⁸You and your fellow Israelites may then do whatever seems best with the rest of the silver and gold, in accordance with the will of your God. ¹⁹Deliver^(I) to the God of Jerusalem all the articles entrusted to you for worship in the temple of your God. ²⁰And anything else needed for the temple of your God that you are responsible to supply, you may provide from the royal treasury.^(J)

²¹Now I, King Artaxerxes, decree that all the treasurers of Trans-Euphrates are to provide with diligence whatever Ezra the priest, the teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, may ask of you— ²²up to a hundred talents^[a] of silver, a hundred cors^[b] of wheat, a hundred baths^[c] of wine, a hundred baths^[d] of olive oil, and salt without limit. ²³Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should his wrath fall on the realm of the king and of his sons?^(K) ²⁴You are also to know that you have no authority to impose taxes, tribute or duty^(L) on any of the priests, Levites, musicians, gatekeepers, temple servants or other workers at this house of God.^(M)

²⁵And you, Ezra, in accordance with the wisdom of your God, which you possess, appoint^(N) magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of Trans-Euphrates—all who know the laws of your God. And you are to teach^(O) any who do not know them. ²⁶Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king must surely be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.^[e]^(P)

²⁷Praise be to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, who has put it into the king’s heart^(Q) to bring honor^(R) to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem in this way

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Footnotes

Ezra 7:22 That is, about 3 3/4 tons or about 3.4 metric tons
Ezra 7:22 That is, probably about 18 tons or about 16 metric tons
Ezra 7:22 That is, about 600 gallons or about 2,200 liters
Ezra 7:22 That is, about 600 gallons or about 2,200 liters
Ezra 7:26 The text of 7:12-26 is in Aramaic.

Ezra 8:24-36

New International Version

²⁴Then I set apart twelve of the leading priests, namely, Sherebiah,^(A) Hashabiah and ten of their brothers, ²⁵and I weighed out^(B) to them the offering of silver and gold and the articles that the king, his advisers, his officials and all Israel present there had donated for the house of our God. ²⁶I weighed out to them 650 talents^[a] of silver, silver articles weighing 100 talents,^[b] 100 talents^[c] of gold, ²⁷20 bowls of gold valued at 1,000 darics,^[d] and two fine articles of polished bronze, as precious as gold.

²⁸I said to them, “You as well as these articles are consecrated to the Lord.^(C) The silver and gold are a freewill offering to the Lord, the God of your ancestors. ²⁹Guard them carefully until you weigh them out in the chambers of the house of the Lord in Jerusalem before the leading priests and the Levites and the family heads of Israel.” ³⁰Then the priests and Levites received the silver and gold and sacred articles that had been weighed out to be taken to the house of our God in Jerusalem.

³¹On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal^(D) to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us,^(E) and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way. ³²So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days.^(F)

³³On the fourth day, in the house of our God, we weighed out^(G) the silver and gold and the sacred articles into the hands of Meremoth^(H) son of Uriah, the priest. Eleazar son of Phinehas was with him, and so were the Levites Jozabad^(I) son of Jeshua and Noadiah son of Binnui.^(J) ³⁴Everything was accounted for by number and weight, and the entire weight was recorded at that time.

³⁵Then the exiles who had returned from captivity sacrificed burnt offerings to the God of Israel: twelve bulls^(K) for all Israel,^(L) ninety-six rams, seventy-seven male lambs and, as a sin offering,^[e] twelve male goats.^(M) All this was a burnt offering to the Lord. ³⁶They also delivered the king’s orders^(N) to the royal satraps and to the governors of Trans-Euphrates,^(O) who then gave assistance to the people and to the house of God.^(P)