23. They must provide whatever the God of heaven demands for his temple, so that he won't be angry with me and with the kings who rule after me.
24. We want you to know that no priests, Levites, musicians, guards, temple servants, or any other temple workers will have to pay any kind of taxes.
25. Ezra, use the wisdom God has given you and choose officials and leaders to govern the people of Western Province. These leaders should know God's laws and have them taught to anyone who doesn't know them.
26. Everyone who fails to obey God's Law or the king's law will be punished without pity. They will be executed or put in prison or forced to leave their country, or have all they own taken away.
27. Because King Artaxerxes was so kind, Ezra said:Praise the Lord God of our ancestors! He made sure that the king honoured the Lord's temple in Jerusalem.
28. God has told the king, his advisers, and his powerful officials to treat me with kindness. The Lord God has helped me, and I have been able to bring many Jewish leaders back to Jerusalem.