Ezra and Nehemiah: Israel Returns from Exile

The people of Israel were carried away to Babylon, where they lived as exiles and outcasts. God sent this judgment on His people because of their continued unfaithfulness to His word—but the day came when He called them to return to Jerusalem.

However, when they arrived there, they discovered things had dramatically changed for the worse. The Temple was destroyed, the city walls were torn down, and the land had been taken over by people who did not want them back. There was work to be done,...