Ezra 7:13 (DRB)

Passage

It is decreed by me, that all they of the people of Israel, and of the priests and of the Levites in my realm, that are minded to go into Jerusalem, should go with thee.

Nearby Context

Ezra 7:11 And this is the copy of the letter of the edict, which king Artaxerxes gave to Esdras the priest, the scribe instructed in the words and commandments of the Lord, and his ceremonies in Israel.

Ezra 7:12 Artaxerxes king of kings to Esdras the priest, the most learned scribe of the law of the God of heaven, greeting.

Ezra 7:13 It is decreed by me, that all they of the people of Israel, and of the priests and of the Levites in my realm, that are minded to go into Jerusalem, should go with thee.

Ezra 7:14 For thou art sent from before the king, and his seven counsellors, to visit Judea 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 to the God of Israel, whose tabernacle is in Jerusalem.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "decreed", "people", "israel", "priests", "levites", "realm", "minded", and "jerusalem". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "decreed" and "people", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Artaxerxes king of kings to Esdras the..." into verse 14's "For thou art sent from before the...", so "decreed" and "people" 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 "decreed" and "people" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.