Hey everyone, this is Mary Demuth, and this is Pray Every Day, where I pray through the Bible verse by

verse. So humbled and grateful to be here today with you as we work our way through September

and through the Old Testament, the book of Ezra. And we're actually going to jump over to

the book of Esther before we go back into the New Testament. So anyway, today we're in Ezra chapter 7, verses 14 through 28.

I'm going to back up a bit to verse 12 to reiterate the letter that Artaxerxes has written to Ezra.

This is in the world English Bible.

Artaxerxes, King of Kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the perfect God

of heaven.

Now, I make a decree that all those of the people of Israel and their priests and the Levites

in my realm, who intend of their own free will to go to Jerusalem, go with you.

Because you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to

inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God, which is in your

hand, and to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered

to the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem.

And all the silver and gold that you will find in all

the province of Babylon with the free will offering of the people and of the priests, offering willingly

for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem. Therefore, you shall with all diligence buy, with

this money, bowls, rams, and lam lambs with their meal offerings and their drink offerings

and shall offer them on the altar of the house of your god which is in jerusalem whatever seems good

to you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and the gold do that according to the will of your

god the vessels that are given to you for the service of the house of your God deliver before the God of Jerusalem.

Whatever more will be needed for the house of your God which you may have occasion to give, give it out of the King's treasure house.

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