Ezra 7:16 (ASV)

Passage

and all the silver and gold that thou shalt find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill-offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem;

Nearby Context

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,

Ezra 7:15 and to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,

Ezra 7:16 and all the silver and gold that thou shalt find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill-offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem;

Ezra 7:17 therefore thou shalt with all diligence buy with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meal-offerings and their drink-offerings, and shalt offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.

Ezra 7:18 And whatsoever shall seem good to thee and to thy brethren to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do ye after the will of your God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "silver", "gold", "thou", "shalt", "find", "province", "babylon", and "freewill-offering". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "silver" and "gold", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "and to carry the silver and gold..." into verse 17's "therefore thou shalt with all diligence buy...", so "silver" and "gold" 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 "silver" and "gold" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.