23. Whatever the God of heaven has commanded must be carried out in detail for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should God become angry with the king’s empire and his sons?
24. Furthermore, we are notifying you that you are forbidden to make any priest, Levite, singer, gatekeeper, servant, or worker in the temple of this God pay any taxes, fees, or tolls.
25. You, Ezra, using your God’s wisdom—the Teachings you hold in your hands—will appoint judges and administrators for all the people who know your God’s Teachings and live ⌊in the province⌋ west of the Euphrates River. In addition, you will teach anyone who doesn’t know the Teachings.
26. Whoever will not strictly follow your God’s Teachings and the king’s orders should be promptly exiled, have his goods confiscated, be imprisoned or be sentenced to die.
27. ⌊I, Ezra, said:⌋ Thanks be to the Lord God of our ancestors. He put this into the king’s mind to make the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem beautiful.
28. He made the king, his advisers, and all the king’s powerful officials treat me kindly.I was encouraged because the Lord my God was guiding me. So I gathered leaders in Israel to go with me.