Hey folks, it's Norm MacDonald here with a summary of Ezra 1. So, King Cyrus of Persia issues a proclamation that anyone who wants to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the city and the temple can do so. So, naturally, a bunch of Jews take him up on his offer and head back to Jerusalem. →

"Hey, folks, it's Ezra 2. Well, you know what's coming: another long list of people and their many descendants. You know, it's like a family tree, only longer and more boring. But, hey, we also get a tally of how much money they brought with them back to Jerusalem. →

Well, folks, in Ezra 3, the people of Israel return to Jerusalem and rebuild the altar of the Lord. They also sacrifice burnt offerings and thank offerings, making offerings of bulls and rams. They also offer up a lot of grain and wine. →

"Hey, folks, it's time for another summary of the Bible, and this time we're looking at Ezra 4. Now, it seems that after the Israelites returned to Jerusalem, their rebuilding efforts weren't going so well. →

Well folks, Ezra 5 is a real doozy. It's the story of how two prophets, Haggai and Zechariah, show up and scold the Jews for not rebuilding the Temple. Then the Persian King, Xerxes, hears about it and orders the Jews to continue rebuilding it. →

Well, here we are again, with another chapter of the Bible, and boy, it's a doozy. In Ezra 6, the Lord somehow remembers that King Darius issued a decree allowing the rebuilding of the Temple, so the people of Judah get to work on it. →

Alright, folks, Ezra 7. This is the chapter where Ezra the priest and scribe is granted a royal decree from the Persian King, Artaxerxes, to return to Jerusalem. He's gonna take some of the people, some of the priests, some of the Levites, some of the singers, some of the gatekeepers and some of the Nethinims. →

Well, it looks like Ezra's really going for it this week - he's got himself a caravan of nearly a thousand people to bring back from Babylon to Jerusalem. He's got the blessing of the king and some gifts for the priests and the temple. →

Well, folks, here’s a chapter of the Bible that’s sure to make you feel uncomfortable. In Ezra 9, the Israelites realize they’ve been a little too friendly with their neighbors, and that they’ve been marrying non-Israelites. →

Alright, folks, here we go with Ezra 10. So, the people of Judah are coming back from exile to their homeland and they're trying to get their religious act together. Well, it turns out that some of the people married foreign women, which is a big no-no according to the Law of Moses. →