Ezra 7:13 (WEB)

Passage

I make a decree, that all those of the people of Israel, and their priests and the Levites, in my realm, who intend of their own free will to go to Jerusalem, go with you.

Nearby Context

Ezra 7:11 Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, even the scribe of the words of Yahweh’s commandments, and of his statutes to Israel:

Ezra 7:12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the perfect God of heaven. Now

Ezra 7:13 I make a decree, that all those of the people of Israel, and their priests and the Levites, in my realm, who intend of their own free will to go to Jerusalem, go with you.

Ezra 7:14 Because you are sent by the king and his seven counselors, to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of your God which is in your hand,

Ezra 7:15 and to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "make", "decree", "people", "israel", "priests", "levites", "realm", and "intend". 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 To Ezra the..." into verse 14's "Because you are sent by the king...", 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.