“When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. Then I said, “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome god who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love and obey his commands, listen to my prayer!…
“The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?” With a prayer to the god of heaven, I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.” Nehemiah 2:4-5 NLT
“When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realised this work had been done with the help of our God.” Nehemiah 6:16 NLT
“So the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, the Temple servants, and some of the common people settled in villages near Jerusalem. The rest of the people returned to their own towns throughout Israel.” Ezra 2:70 NLT
“Ezra had determined to study and obey the Law of the Lord and to teach those decrees and regulations to the people of Israel.” Ezra 7:10 NLT
“I prayed, ‘O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens. From the days of our ancestors until now, we have been steeped in sin. That is why we and our…
“But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other leaders of Israel replied, “You may have no part in this work. We alone will build the Temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, just as King Cyrus of Persia commanded us.” Ezra 4:3 NLT
“Then God stirred the hearts of the priests and Levites and the leaders of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin to go to Jerusalem to rebuild the Temple of the Lord. And all their neighbours assisted by giving them articles of silver and gold, supplies for the journey, and livestock. They gave them many valuable…
“This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: The Lord, the god of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of you who are his people may go to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple…
“The Passover meal was eaten by the people of Israel who had returned from exile and by the others in the land who had turned from their corrupt practices to worship the Lord, the God of Israel.” Ezra 6:21 NLT
