1) King Cyrus of Persia is stirred
by God to allow the Jews to return to Jerusalem, with their temple vessels, and
rebuild the temple of the Lord. All
their neighbors help in language that recalls the Exodus.
2) An extensive list is given of
all those who returned to Jerusalem, emphasizing the priests, Levites, and
temple servants, but including the other people too. Notes are made of the need for returners to
have their status confirmed in the genealogical records, and some cannot.
3) The altar is set up on the old
temple’s foundation, and the Festival of Tabernacles and sacrifices are
reinstituted for the first time since the exile. In the second year, work on the foundation of
the temple begins, with great joy but also mixed feelings by those who remember
the first temple.
4) People who had settled the land
in the absence of the Jews are denied a part in the rebuilding of the temple,
and in response they convince the king to oppose the building of the wall and
the temple, delaying their continuation until King Darius later takes power.
5) Haggai, Zechariah, Zerubabbel,
and Jeshua resume work on the temple during the reign of Darius. The governor Tattenai questions their right
to rebuild the temple, but is unable to stop them immediately, so he appeals to
Darius to ask if their claims are legitimate.
6) King Darius discovers the document confirming that King Cyrus indeed allowed the Jews to rebuild the temple. The project is allowed to proceed, the temple is built, and its dedication is celebrated with great joy. Soon, Passover too is successfully celebrated.
7) 58 years later, in the reign of Artaxerxes, Ezra the scribe is sent from Babylon with the king’s blessings and gifts to study the law of the Lord in Jerusalem and teach it to the people. A letter from the king shows that he fully supports all that Ezra does.
8) Ezra prepares the full party to travel to Jerusalem, including many families, and ensures that Levites are represented. The party and all the precious vessels make it safely to Jerusalem without a military escort, by the grace of God. The gifts are delivered to the temple and a sin offering for all the people is made.
9) Ezra is told by the officials that intermarriage with the “people of the land” is occurring. He mourns dramatically, then prays a prayer of repentance before God that states that all they have suffered has been due to their sin, and they have not suffered as much as they’ve deserved. The prayer makes a clear argument to the community that intermarriage with non-Jews is wrong and that more punishment will result if it continues.
6) King Darius discovers the document confirming that King Cyrus indeed allowed the Jews to rebuild the temple. The project is allowed to proceed, the temple is built, and its dedication is celebrated with great joy. Soon, Passover too is successfully celebrated.
7) 58 years later, in the reign of Artaxerxes, Ezra the scribe is sent from Babylon with the king’s blessings and gifts to study the law of the Lord in Jerusalem and teach it to the people. A letter from the king shows that he fully supports all that Ezra does.
8) Ezra prepares the full party to travel to Jerusalem, including many families, and ensures that Levites are represented. The party and all the precious vessels make it safely to Jerusalem without a military escort, by the grace of God. The gifts are delivered to the temple and a sin offering for all the people is made.
9) Ezra is told by the officials that intermarriage with the “people of the land” is occurring. He mourns dramatically, then prays a prayer of repentance before God that states that all they have suffered has been due to their sin, and they have not suffered as much as they’ve deserved. The prayer makes a clear argument to the community that intermarriage with non-Jews is wrong and that more punishment will result if it continues.
Ezra: For the first time since the destruction of the temple and the exile, some of the Jewish people are allowed to return to Jerusalem. Despite the blessings of the Persian kings, obstacles cause some time to be taken before the temple and the wall can be built. Decades later, Ezra the scribe comes to teach the people in the ways of the law, and purges intermarriage with the “people of the land”.
