Chapters of the Bible

King Darius finds the original decree of Cyrus authorizing the Temple in the archives. Darius orders the work to continue immediately, financing the project and threatening anyone who hinders it.

Seventy years after the Temple was finished, the priest Ezra is granted permission by King Artaxerxes to return to Jerusalem to teach God's Law and administer justice.

Ezra leads the second wave of exiles back to Jerusalem. He is granted vast wealth and treasure for the Temple. Ezra records the names of all the returning leaders and priests.

Ezra is informed that the Jewish men have committed the great sin of intermarrying with the pagan people of the land. Ezra tears his garments and offers a long, agonizing prayer of confession to God.

The people respond to Ezra’s prayer with national repentance. They publicly confess their sin and vow to divorce their foreign wives. Ezra organizes the leaders to investigate and record all the men who sinned.

Nehemiah, cupbearer to the Persian King Artaxerxes, hears that the walls of Jerusalem are broken down. Nehemiah weeps, fasts, and offers a prayer of confession and petition to God for help.

Nehemiah bravely asks King Artaxerxes for permission to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls. The King grants his request, sending him with letters of support, but Sanballat and Tobiah become his fierce enemies.

This chapter meticulously lists all the families and individuals who worked side-by-side to rebuild the walls, detailing which gate or section each group was responsible for repairing.

Nehemiah’s enemies, Sanballat and Tobiah, mock the Jewish builders. Nehemiah responds by arming the people. The builders work with one hand on the wall and the other holding a weapon.

Nehemiah addresses a severe social crisis where the rich are exploiting the poor by demanding excessive interest and enslaving them due to debt. Nehemiah rebukes the nobles and institutes financial reform.

Nehemiah's enemies attempt to lure him out of the city to assassinate him and try to hire a false prophet to discourage him. Nehemiah refuses to stop working, declaring, "I am doing a great work."

The wall of Jerusalem is completed in just 52 days, terrifying the enemies. Nehemiah takes a census of the returned exiles, using the original record that Ezra brought back to organize the population.