Ezra 7:26 (GNV)

Passage

And whosoeuer will not doe the Lawe of thy God, and the Kings lawe, let him haue iudgement without delay, whether it be vnto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.

Nearby Context

Ezra 7:24 And we certifie you, that vpon any of the Priestes, Leuites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or Ministers in this house of God, there shall no gouernour laye vpon them tolle, tribute nor custome.

Ezra 7:25 And thou Ezra (after the wisedome of thy God, that is in thine hand) set iudges and arbiters, which may iudge all the people that is beyond the Riuer, euen all that knowe the Lawe of thy God, and teach ye them that know it not.

Ezra 7:26 And whosoeuer will not doe the Lawe of thy God, and the Kings lawe, let him haue iudgement without delay, whether it be vnto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.

Ezra 7:27 Blessed be the Lord God of our fathers, which so hath put in the Kings heart, to beautifie the house of the Lord that is in Ierusalem,

Ezra 7:28 And hath enclined mercy toward me, before the King and his counsellers, and before all the Kings mightie Princes: and I was comforted by the hand of the Lord my God which was vpon me, and I gathered the chiefe of Israel to goe vp with me.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whosoeuer", "lawe", "kings", "haue", "iudgement", "without", and "delay". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whosoeuer" and "lawe", 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 wisedome of..." into verse 27's "Blessed be the Lord God of our...", so "whosoeuer" and "lawe" 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 "whosoeuer" and "lawe" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.