Ezra 7:26 (DRB)

Passage

And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king diligently, judgment shall be executed upon him, either unto death, or unto banishment, or to the confiscation of goods, or at least to prison.

Nearby Context

Ezra 7:24 We give you also to understand concerning all the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nathinites, and ministers of the house of this God, that you have no authority to impose toll or tribute, or custom upon them.

Ezra 7:25 And thou Esdras according to the wisdom of thy God, which is in thy hand, appoint judges and magistrates, that may judge all the people, that is beyond the river, that is, for them who know the law of thy God, yea and the ignorant teach ye freely.

Ezra 7:26 And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king diligently, judgment shall be executed upon him, either unto death, or unto banishment, or to the confiscation of goods, or at least to prison.

Ezra 7:27 Blessed be the Lord the God of our fathers, who hath put this in the king's heart, to glorify the house of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem,

Ezra 7:28 And hath inclined his mercy toward me before the king and his counsellors, and all the mighty princes of the king: and I being strengthened by the hand of the Lord my God, which was upon me, gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whosoever", "king", "diligently", "judgment", "shall", "executed", "upon", and "either". 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 Esdras according to the wisdom..." into verse 27's "Blessed be the Lord the God of...", 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.