Ezra 10: Ezra summons all the people to Jerusalem. There he tells them that everyone who married a foreign woman must send away their wives and children. They all agree as a community. That pretty much sucks!
12/15 Reading (Ezra 7-9; Ephesians 6)
Ezra 7: We finally meet Ezra, āa scribe skilled in the law of Moses that the Lord the God of Israel had givenā (NRSV Study Bible, p. 677; Ezra 7.6). Later text calls him a priest. The main part of this chapter focuses on a decree from the Persian King indicating how important Ezra was to the Persians. He seemed to have been a pretty powerful person. The king pretty much gives him full authority and tells everyone that they need to do what he asks of them. Ezra ends this chapter with a prayer of thanksgiving to God.
12/14 Reading (Ezra 4-6; Ephesians 5)
Ezra 4: We see initial opposition to the reconstruction of the temple. The opposition stems from people who initially wanted to help rebuild the temple but were told they couldnāt help by those who returned from exile. They responded by getting the people on their side, bribing people, and writing to the Persian kings telling them that those who returned from exile will not pay tribute to the kings once they are able to rebuild the city.
12/13 Reading (Ezra 1-3; Ephesians 4)
Introduction to Historical Books section in NRSV: The following quote comes from the introduction to the historical books section in the NRSV study bible: