Ezra 7:10-12

7:10 Now Ezra had dedicated himself ¹  to the study of the law of the Lord, to its observance, and to teaching ²  its statutes and judgments in Israel.

Artaxerxes Gives Official Endorsement to Ezra’s Mission

7:11 What follows ³  is a copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priestly scribe. ⁴  Ezra was ⁵  a scribe in matters pertaining to the commandments of the Lord and his statutes over Israel:

7:12 ⁶ “Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, a scribe of the perfect law of the God of heaven:

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¹ tn Heb “established his heart.”

² tn Heb “to do and to teach.” The expression may be a hendiadys, in which case it would have the sense of “effectively teaching.”

³ tn Heb “this.”

⁴ tn Heb “the priest, the scribe.” So also in v. 21.

⁵ tn The words “Ezra was” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.

⁶ sn Ezra 7:12-26 is written in Aramaic rather than Hebrew.