Ezra study section

Ezra chapter summaries

A one-line summary of every chapter, with the period it covers. Open any chapter for the full study.

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Chapter list

Chapters 1–6

The First Return

Cyrus’s decree, the return under Zerubbabel and Jeshua, and the rebuilding of the temple despite fierce opposition.

  • Chapter 1 (538 BC): Stirred by the LORD, Cyrus decrees the return, and the exiles prepare to go up and rebuild the temple.
  • Chapter 2 (c. 537 BC): The list of the nearly fifty thousand who return under Zerubbabel and Jeshua.
  • Chapter 3 (c. 536 BC): The altar is rebuilt and the temple’s foundation laid, amid shouts of joy and weeping.
  • Chapter 4 (c. 536-530 BC): Local opposition and accusations halt the rebuilding of the temple for years.
  • Chapter 5 (520 BC): Stirred by Haggai and Zechariah, the people resume the work, and Darius is asked to verify Cyrus’s decree.
  • Chapter 6 (515 BC): Darius confirms the decree; the temple is completed and dedicated with joy, and the Passover is kept.

Chapters 7–10

Ezra’s Reforms

Ezra returns with a second group and calls the people to put away their unfaithful, foreign marriages.

  • Chapter 7 (458 BC): Ezra, a scribe skilled in the Law, is sent to Jerusalem by Artaxerxes with royal authority.
  • Chapter 8 (458 BC): Ezra leads a second group of exiles home, fasting and praying for God’s protection on the way.
  • Chapter 9 (458 BC): Ezra mourns and prays over the people’s intermarriage with the surrounding nations.
  • Chapter 10 (458 BC): The people confess their sin and, in covenant renewal, put away their foreign marriages.

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