- Cyrus, king of Persia, proclaims in writing that God has charged him to build a temple in Jerusalem. The Levites and chiefs of Judah and Benjamin rise up to build it, bringing vessels of gold and silver. Cyrus also returns the gold & silver objects that NkB had taken. #Ez1
- The men exiled to Babylon who return to Jerusalem & Judah are named and the number of descendants listed. They are grouped as priests, gatekeepers, keepers of the temple, and musicians. The priests decide with Urim & Thummin the fate of those not listed in the genealogies. #Ez2
- The people make an altar according to the laws of Moses, celebrate festivals and make offerings & sacrifices. The foundation of a new temple is lain using cedar logs from Lebanon. Levites supervise the work. There is rejoicing, & weeping by those who remember the 1st temple. #Ez3
- Enemies of Judah tell Darius, king of Persia, that the Judaeans are a rebellious lot, as found in the records. Darius commands a search, and the history of Jerusalem shows sedition. Artaxerxes, king of Persia, orders a halt to the temple work. #Ez4
- Haggai & Zechariah prophecy to the Jews of the God of Israel. Temple work resumes under Zerubbabel. When challenged over this by Tattenai, governor of the Trans-Euphrates, a letter is sent to Darius to review the history surrounding Cyrus’s decree to rebuild the temple. #Ez5
- A scroll from Cyrus is found in the treasury of Babylon in the citadel of Ecbatana in the Medes province decreeing to rebuild the temple, and return items and tribute. The temple is completed in the 6th year of Darius’s reign. The temple dedication & Passover are celebrated. #Ez6
- During the reign of Artaxerxes, Ezra, a priest of the God of Israel who traces his ancestry to Aaron, went up from Babylon to Jerusalem. King Artaxerxes sends a letter to Ezra pledging support for Judah & Jerusalem, & telling them to obey the law of your God or be punished. #Ez7
- Heads of the families of those returned with Ezra from the Babylonian exile are named & the number of men in the clans given. Ezra calls for Levites & is sent Sherebiah & his kin. They fast & prepare for a journey. Ezra gives silver & gold to the Levites and priests. #Ez8
- Ezra cries to the Lord about the evil of Israel. He rends his garments & pulls his hair & beard, directing his self-abasement most to those who marry outside the tribe. This land is polluted by the corruption of its peoples, by their detestable practices, impure throughout. #Ez9
- Ezra wept sorely because Israel had taken strange wives of the people of the land. All Judah & Benjamin gather with the Levites, and agree to expel their strange wives. And some of them had wives by whom they had children. #Ez10