The king and his seven counselors send Ezra to inquire about Judah and Jerusalem according to the law of your God which is in your hand. The reference to seven counselors and the formal language establish the high-level authorization of Ezra\'s mission and suggest that religious affairs in Judah were important enough to command the attention of the imperial council. The phrase "according to the law of your God which is in your hand" grants Ezra authority to interpret and apply Torah in Judah and Jerusalem, making him effectively the imperial administrator of Jewish religious law. This verse demonstrates that the Persian empire was willing to delegate significant authority to indigenous religious leaders to administer according to local law, a practice that would later evolve into Jewish autonomy under the Romans.

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