Ezra 7:12 (ASV)

Passage

Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect and so forth.

Nearby Context

Ezra 7:10 For Ezra had set his heart to seek the law of Jehovah, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances.

Ezra 7:11 Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even the scribe of the words of the commandments of Jehovah, and of his statutes to Israel:

Ezra 7:12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect and so forth.

Ezra 7:13 I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and their priests and the Levites, in my realm, that are minded of their own free will to go to Jerusalem, go with thee.

Ezra 7:14 Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king and his seven counsellors, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thy hand,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "artaxerxes", "king", "kings", "ezra", "priest", "scribe", "heaven", and "perfect". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "artaxerxes" and "king", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Now this is the copy of the..." into verse 13's "I make a decree that all they...", so "artaxerxes" and "king" belong inside that flow. In Ezra context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "artaxerxes" and "king" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.