Ezra 7:13 (KJV)

Passage

I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.

Nearby Context

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

Ezra 7:12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.

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

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "make", "decree", "people", "israel", "priests", "levites", "realm", and "minded". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "make" and "decree", 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 unto Ezra the..." into verse 14's "Forasmuch as thou art sent of the...", so "make" and "decree" 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 "make" and "decree" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.