Ezra
Ezra has 10 chapters. Read Ezra in the New American Standard Bible 2020, chapter by chapter, free and without an account.
Ezra recounts the return of exiles to Judah and the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple under Persian rule. Opposition delays the work, but it is completed and dedicated in the reign of Darius. The later chapters introduce Ezra, a priest and scribe who comes to teach the Law. The book closes with a crisis over marriages to foreign women and a process of separation.
In Christian Bibles, Ezra is one of the Historical Books of the Old Testament. In the Jewish Tanakh it belongs to the Ketuvim, the Writings. See it on the shelf.
Ezra 1: Cyrus authorizes the Judean exiles to return and rebuild the Jerusalem temple.
Ezra 2: the returning community is counted by households and gives generously for restoration.
Ezra 3: the altar and temple foundation are restored amid mingled praise, joy, and grief.
Ezra 4: organized opposition, accusation, and intimidation bring temple work to a halt.
Ezra 5: encouraged by the prophets, Judean leaders resume rebuilding despite investigation.
Ezra 6: Darius confirms Cyrus's decree, and the completed temple is dedicated with joy.
Ezra 7: the devoted scribe Ezra receives authority and resources to serve in Jerusalem.
Ezra 8: the travelers fast for protection and faithfully steward temple treasures to Jerusalem.
Ezra 9: Ezra responds to communal unfaithfulness with grief, humility, and confession.
Ezra 10: the community responds to confession through an orderly but painful process of reform.