Ezra 7:26 (DBY)

Passage

And whosoever will not do the law of thy God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed diligently upon him, whether unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.

Nearby Context

Ezra 7:24 Also we inform you, as regards all the priests and Levites, singers, doorkeepers, Nethinim, and ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose tribute, tax, and toll upon them.

Ezra 7:25 And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, which is in thy hand, set magistrates and judges who may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye him that knows [them] not.

Ezra 7:26 And whosoever will not do the law of thy God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed diligently upon him, whether unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.

Ezra 7:27 Blessed be Jehovah the God of our fathers, who has put [such a thing] as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of Jehovah which is at Jerusalem;

Ezra 7:28 and has extended mercy to me before the king and his counsellors, and before all the king's mighty princes. And I was strengthened, as the hand of Jehovah my God was upon me; and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whosoever", "king", "judgment", "executed", "diligently", "upon", "whether", and "death". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whosoever" and "king", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 25's "And thou Ezra after the wisdom of..." into verse 27's "Blessed be Jehovah the God of our...", so "whosoever" 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 "whosoever" and "king" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.