THE Bible book of Ezra picks up where Second Chronicles leaves off. Its writer, Ezra the priest, begins the account with the issuing of a decree by King Cyrus of Persia that allows a remnant of the Jews exiled in Babylon to return to their homeland. The narrative ends with Ezra’s taking measures to cleanse those who have defiled themselves with the people of the land. All in all, the book covers a period of 70 years—from 537 to 467 B.C.E.
In writing the book, Ezra has a clear objective: to show how Jehovah fulfilled His promise to free His people from exile in Babylon and to restore true worship in Jerusalem. Hence, Ezra focuses only on the events that pertain to this purpose. The book of Ezra is an account of how the temple was rebuilt and how Jehovah’s worship was reestablished despite opposition and the imperfection of God’s people. The account is of great interest to us because we too are living in a time of restoration. Many are streaming to “the mountain of Jehovah,” and the entire earth is about to be “filled with the knowing of the glory of Jehovah.”—Isaiah 2:2, 3; Habakkuk 2:14.
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