Joe: Alright, so what’s the scoop on Ezra 4?

Expert: Ezra 4 is all about the enemies of God's people who are trying to stop them from rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem.

Joe: Whoa, whoa, whoa, who are these enemies?

Expert: Well, they were the neighboring people who had been living in the land before the Israelites returned from exile. They were trying to intimidate the Israelites and prevent them from rebuilding the temple.

Joe: That's wild. What did they do?

Expert: They sent letters to the king of Persia, asking him to stop the Israelites from rebuilding the temple. But the king refused and instead ordered them to help the Israelites in their efforts.

Joe: That's awesome! So how did the Israelites respond?

Expert: They were determined to finish the work and they kept on building the temple despite the opposition. In the end, they were successful and the temple was completed.

Joe: Wow. That's really inspiring. Alright, Jamie, Google this - what was the outcome of Ezra 4?

Jamie: Uh, the outcome was that the temple was rebuilt and the enemies of God's people were unsuccessful in their attempts to stop them.