Old Testament · 10 chapters
Read Ezra.
Ezra recounts the return from exile, the rebuilding of the temple, and renewed attention to God’s law. The community faces opposition and difficult questions about covenant identity, worship, and faithfulness after a long displacement.
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Chapter 1.
Cyrus authorizes the exiles to return and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. Families prepare to go, and temple vessels taken by Nebuchadnezzar are restored.
Read chapter 70 versesChapter 2.
The returning community is counted by families, towns, and service roles. Contributions for rebuilding accompany the people’s resettlement in their ancestral places.
Read chapter 13 versesChapter 3.
The altar is rebuilt and sacrifices resume before the temple is complete. When its foundation is laid, joyful praise mingles with the elders’ tears.
Read chapter 24 versesChapter 4.
Opposition frustrates the rebuilding work through political accusations and intimidation. The chapter gathers examples of resistance against both the temple and Jerusalem’s later reconstruction.
Read chapter 17 versesChapter 5.
Haggai and Zechariah encourage renewed temple work, prompting an official inquiry. The builders appeal to Cyrus’s earlier authorization.
Read chapter 22 versesChapter 6.
Darius confirms Cyrus’s decree and orders support for the rebuilding. The temple is completed and dedicated, and the returned community celebrates Passover.
Read chapter 28 versesChapter 7.
Ezra is introduced as a teacher devoted to studying, practicing, and teaching God’s law. Artaxerxes authorizes his journey and supplies resources for temple service.
Read chapter 36 versesChapter 8.
Ezra assembles the returning group, recruits Levites, and leads a fast for protection. The sacred gifts are entrusted carefully and delivered safely in Jerusalem.
Read chapter 15 versesChapter 9.
Ezra learns of marriages that compromise the community’s covenant commitments. He responds with grief and a prayer confessing Israel’s repeated unfaithfulness.
Read chapter 44 versesChapter 10.
The community gathers to address the marriages Ezra has mourned. A difficult process of investigation and separation follows within the returned exiles’ covenant setting.
Read chapterKing James Version (KJV). Bible text supplied by eBible.org and the CrossWire Bible Society. Summaries are written with AI assistance and are separate from Scripture. Read the chapter itself when considering its meaning.