Editing Book of Ezra

{{short description|Book of the Bible}}
{{for|a summary of conflicting names for related books|Esdras}}
{{Tanakh OT |historical}}

The '''Book of Ezra''' is a book of the [[Hebrew Bible]] which formerly included the [[Book of Nehemiah]] in a single book, commonly distinguished in scholarship as [[Ezra–Nehemiah]]. The two became separated with the first printed [[Mikraot Gedolot|rabbinic bibles]] of the early 16th century, following late medieval Latin Christian tradition.<ref name="Bogaert">{{Cite journal|volume=110|pages=5–26|last=Bogaert|first=Pierre-Maurice|title=Les livres d'Esdras et leur numérotation dans l'histoire du canon de la Bible latin|journal=Revue Bénédictine|date=2000|issue=1–2|doi=10.1484/J.RB.5.100750}}</ref> Composed in Hebrew and Aramaic, its subject is the [[Return to Zion]] following the close of the [[Babylonian captivity]]. Together with the [[Book of Nehemiah]], it represents the final chapter in the historical narrative of the Hebrew Bible.<ref>{{cite book|title= The Biblical Period from Abraham to Ezra: An Historical Survey|last= Albright|first= William|author-link= William F. Albright|year= 1963|publisher= Harpercollins College Div|isbn= 0-06-130102-7|url= https://archive.org/details/biblicalperiodfr0000albr|url-access= registration}}</ref>

The Book of Ezra is divided into two parts: the first telling the story of the first return of exiles in the first year of [[Cyrus the Great]] (538&nbsp;BC) and the completion and dedication of the new [[Temple in Jerusalem]] in the sixth year of [[Darius I of Persia|Darius I]] (515&nbsp;BC); the second telling of the subsequent mission of [[Ezra]] to Jerusalem and his struggle to purify the Jews from marriage with non-Jews.

In the book's recurring narrative pattern, the God of Israel three times inspires a [[List of monarchs of Persia|king of Persia]] to commission a leader from among the Jews to carry out a mission: the first to rebuild the Temple, the second to purify the Jewish community, and the third to seal the holy city behind a wall. This third mission, that of [[Nehemiah]], is not part of the Book of Ezra.

There is no historical consensus on Ezra's existence or mission due to a lack of extrabiblical evidence and conflicting scholarly interpretations, ranging from viewing him as a historical [[Aramean]] official to a literary figure, with debates hinging on the authenticity of the [[Artaxerxes I|Artaxerxes]] rescript and its dating.<ref>{{cite book
 | last       = Frevel
 | first      = Christian
 | title      = History of Ancient Israel
 | publisher  = SBL Press
 | year       = 2023
 | isbn       = 9781628375145
 | url        = https://books.google.com/books?id=Yvy6EAAAQBAJ
 | quote      = There are no compelling arguments for dating Ezra. The fact that the question cannot be decided from a historical perspective is due to the lack of any tangible historical details regarding Ezra, for whom no extrabiblical indications exist. Here, too, scholarship oscillates between the historical figure of a rich Aramean official and the literarily transfigured legend of Moses redivivus. As with Nehemiah, historical evaluation faces the difficulty of a highly artificial integration of notes about Ezra into a network of biblical reference texts, especially from the Torah. At the textual level, this presupposes the validity of the Torah, which is usually linked to Ezra 7. An evaluation depends on the source value of the Artaxerxes rescript in Ezra 7:12–26. In the maximalist view, Ezra's mission is considered historical because of the Aramaic language; in the minimalist view, even Ezra's existence is denied. Sebastian Grätz's analysis, for example, denies the Achaemenid period background of the document and assigns it to the Hellenistic period.
}}</ref>

== Summary ==
The Book of Ezra consists of ten chapters: [[Ezra 1|chapters 1]]–6, covering the period from the decree of  [[Cyrus the Great in the Bible|Cyrus the Great]] to the dedication of the [[Second Temple]], are told in the third person. Chapters 7–10, dealing with the mission of Ezra, are told largely in the first person. The book contains several documents presented as historical inclusions, written in [[Aramaic]] while the surrounding text is in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] (1:2–4, 4:8–16, 4:17–22, 5:7–17, 6:3–5, 6:6–12, 7:12–26) <ref name="torrey">{{cite journal|last1=Torrey|first1=C. C.|title=The Aramaic Portions of Ezra|journal=The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures|date=April 1908|volume=24|issue=3|pages=209–281|doi=10.1086/369608|jstor=527607|s2cid=170235624 }}</ref>

;''Chapters 1–6 (documents included in the text in italics)''
* 1. ''Decree of Cyrus, first version'': [[Cyrus (Bible)|Cyrus]], inspired by God, returns the Temple vessels to [[Sheshbazzar]], "prince of [[Judea|Judah]]", and directs the Israelites to return to Jerusalem with him and rebuild the Temple.
* 2. 42,360 exiles, with men servants, women servants and "singing men and women", return from Babylon to Jerusalem and [[Judea|Judah]] under the leadership of [[Zerubbabel]] and [[Jeshua the High Priest]].
* 3. [[Jeshua the High Priest]] and Zerubbabel build the altar and celebrate the [[Feast of Tabernacles]]. In the second year the foundations of the Temple are laid and the dedication takes place with great rejoicing.
[[File:Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 126.png|thumb|right|Ezra calls for the rebuilding of the temple in this 1860 woodcut by [[Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld]]]]
* 4. ''Letter of the [[Samaritans]] to Artaxerxes, and reply of Artaxerxes'': The "enemies of [[Judea|Judah]] and Benjamin" offer to help with the rebuilding, but are rebuffed; they then work to frustrate the builders "down to the reign of Darius." The officials of [[Samaria]] write to king Artaxerxes warning him that Jerusalem is being rebuilt, and the king orders the work to stop. The narrative then returns to the times of [[Darius the Great|Darius I]]. "Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia."
* 5. ''Tattenai's letter to Darius'': Through the exhortations of the prophets [[Haggai]] and [[Zechariah (Hebrew prophet)|Zechariah]], Zerubbabel and Joshua recommence the building of the Temple. [[Tatnai|Tattenai]], satrap over both [[Judea|Judah]] and [[Samaria]], writes to Darius warning him that Jerusalem is being rebuilt and advising that the archives be searched to discover the decree of Cyrus.
* 6. ''Decree of Cyrus, second version, and decree of Darius'': Darius finds the decree, directs Tattenai not to disturb the Jews in their work, and exempts them from tribute and supplies everything necessary for the offerings. The Temple is finished in the month of Adar in the sixth year of Darius, and the Israelites assemble to celebrate its completion.

;''Chapters 7–10''
* 7. ''Letter of Artaxerxes to Ezra (Artaxerxes' rescript)'': King Artaxerxes is moved by God to commission Ezra "to inquire about [[Judea|Judah]] and Jerusalem with regard to the Law of your God" and to "appoint magistrates and judges to administer justice to all the people of Trans-Euphrates—all who know the laws of your God." Artaxerxes gives Ezra much gold and directs all Persian officials to aid him.
[[File:Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 128.png|thumb|right|Ezra reads the Law in this 1860 woodcut by Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld]]
* 8. Ezra gathers a large body of returnees and much gold and silver and precious vessels for the Temple and camps by a canal outside Babylon. There he discovers he has no Levites, and so sends messengers to gather some. The exiles then return to Jerusalem, where they distribute the gold and silver and offer sacrifices to God.
* 9. Ezra is informed that some of the Jews already in Jerusalem have married non-Jewish women. Ezra is appalled at this proof of sin, and prays to God: "O God of Israel, you are righteous! We are left this day as a remnant. Here we are before you in our guilt, though because of it not one of us can stand in your presence."
* 10. Despite the opposition of some of their number, the Israelites assemble and send away their foreign wives and children.

== Historical background ==

In the early 6th century&nbsp;BC, the [[Kingdom of Judah]] rebelled against the [[Neo-Babylonian Empire]] and was destroyed. As a result, the royal court, the priests, the prophets, and the scribes were taken into captivity in the city of [[Babylon]]. There, a profound intellectual revolution took place, the exiles blaming their fate on disobedience to their God and looking forward to a future when he would allow a purified people to return to [[Jerusalem]] and rebuild the [[Temple in Jerusalem]]. The same period saw the rapid rise of Persia, previously an unimportant kingdom in present-day southern Iran, to a position of [[great power]], and in 539&nbsp;BC [[Cyrus the Great|Cyrus II]], the Persian ruler, conquered Babylon.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=IfxMeDl6BZgC&q=The+books+of+Ezra+and+Nehemiah+Fensham Fensham, F. Charles, "The books of Ezra and Nehemiah" (Eerdmans, 1982)] p.&nbsp;10</ref>

It is difficult to describe the parties and politics of [[Judea]] in this period because of the lack of historical sources, but there seem to have been three important groups involved: the returnees from the exile who claimed the reconstruction with the support of [[Cyrus the Great|Cyrus II]]; "the adversaries of [[Judea|Judah]] and Benjamin"; and a third group, "people of the land", who seem to be local opposition against the returnees building the Temple in Jerusalem.

The following table is a guide to major events in the region during the period covered by the Book of Ezra:
{| class="wikitable"
! {{nowrap|King of Persia}}<!--
    --><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=qRw7AAAAIAAJ&q=The+books+of+Ezra+and+Nehemiah++By+R.+J.+Coggins Coggins, R.J., "The books of Ezra and Nehemiah" (Cambridge University Press, 1976)] p.&nbsp;xi</ref>
! Reign&nbsp;{{nobold|(BC)}}
! Main events<!--
    --><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=IfxMeDl6BZgC&q=The+books+of+Ezra+and+Nehemiah+Fensham Fensham, F. Charles, "The books of Ezra and Nehemiah" (Eerdmans, 1982)] pp.&nbsp;10–16</ref>
! Correlation with Ezra–Nehemiah<!--
    --><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=RcB9XepTzRMC&q=The+Levitical+authorship+of+Ezra-Nehemiah Min, Kyung-Jin, "The Levitical authorship of Ezra-Nehemiah" (T&T Clark, 2004)] pp.&nbsp;31–32</ref>
|-
| [[Cyrus the Great|Cyrus II]] || 550[?]–530
| 539 BC [[Neo-Babylonian Empire#Fall of Babylon|Fall of Babylon]]
| Directive to the Jews to rebuild the Temple and first return of the exiles to Jerusalem {{small|(taken as occurring in 538, since Babylon fell in October 539)}}
|-
| [[Cambyses II|Cambyses]] || 530–522
| 525 [[Battle of Pelusium (525 BC)|Conquest of Egypt]]
|
|-
| [[Darius I]] || 522–486
| Secures the throne in 520/519 after fighting off various rivals; [[First Persian invasion of Greece|failed punitive invasion of Greece]]
| 515 [[Second Temple|Temple rebuilt]].
|-
| [[Xerxes I of Persia|Xerxes]] || 486–465
| [[Second Persian invasion of Greece|Failed attempt to conquer Greece]]; beginning of struggle with Greeks for control of the eastern Mediterranean
| According to {{Bibleverse|Ezra|4:6}}, Xerxes (biblical [[Ahasuerus]]) received complaints from the [[Samaritans]] against the inhabitants of Yehud in the context of the enmities between the two groups.
|-
| [[Artaxerxes I of Persia|Artaxerxes I]] || 465–424
| 460–456 [[Artaxerxes I of Persia#Egyptian revolt|Successful suppression of Greek-supported revolt in Egypt]]<br />449 [[Megabyzus|Revolt by Megabyzus]], governor of the territory which included [[Judea|Judah]]
| Currently most widely accepted period for arrival of Ezra "in the seventh year of Artaxerxes"<br />Second return of the exiles to Jerusalem {{small|(in 458 if the king is Artaxerxes I, or 428 if the year is read as his thirty-seventh instead of his seventh)}}<br />445–433 [[Nehemiah|Nehemiah's mission]] {{small|(returns before the death of Artaxerxes)}}
|-
| [[Darius II]] || 423–404
|
| (Alternative) [[Second Temple|Temple rebuilt]].
|-
| [[Artaxerxes II of Persia|Artaxerxes II]] || 404–358
| 401 [[Battle of Cunaxa|Egypt regains independence]]
| (Alternative) period for arrival of Ezra and second return of exiles to Jerusalem {{small|(in 398 if the king is Artaxerxes II)}}
|-
| [[Artaxerxes III]] || 358–338
| Egypt reconquered
|
|-
| [[Darius III]] || 336–330
| The [[Achaemenid Empire]] conquered by [[Alexander the Great]]
|
|}

== Texts ==

===Ezra–Nehemiah===
{{Books of Ketuvim}}
The single Hebrew book [[Ezra–Nehemiah]], with title "Ezra", was translated into Greek around the middle of the 2nd century BC.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=owwhpmIVgSAC&q=The+Hebrew+Bible+today:+an+introduction+to+critical+issues Graham, M.P, and McKenzie, Steven L., "The Hebrew Bible today: an introduction to critical issues" (Westminster John Knox Press, 1998)] p. 202</ref>  The [[Septuagint]] names  [[Ezra–Nehemiah]] and [[1 Esdras]] Esdras B and A respectively. This usage is noted by the early Christian scholar [[Origen]], who remarked that the Hebrew 'book of Ezra' might then be considered a 'double' book.<ref name="Bogaert" />

[[Jerome]], writing in the early 5th century, noted that this duplication had since been adopted by Greek and Latin Christians.  Jerome himself rejected the duplication in his [[Vulgate]]  translation of the Bible into Latin from the Hebrew. Consequently, all early [[Vulgate manuscripts]] present Ezra-Nehemiah as a single book.<ref name="Bogaert" />

From the 9th century onwards, Latin bibles are found that for the first time separate the Ezra and Nehemiah sections of Ezra-Nehemiah as two distinct books, then called the first and second books of Ezra. This becomes standard in the Paris Bibles of the 13th century. It was not until 1516/17, in the first printed [[Mikraot Gedolot|Rabbinic Bible]] of [[Daniel Bomberg]] that the separation was introduced generally in Hebrew Bibles.<ref>{{Citation| last1 = Gallagher| first1 = Edmon L.|author-link=Edmon L. Gallagher|last2 = Meade| first2 = John D. | title = The Biblical Canon Lists from Early Christianity | pages = 269 | publisher = OUP| year = 2017}}</ref>

===First Esdras===
[[1 Esdras]], also known as "Esdras [[Alpha|α]]", is an alternate Greek-language version of Ezra. This text has one additional section, the '[[Tale of the Three Guardsmen]]' in the middle of Ezra 4.<ref name="Bogaert" /> 1 Esdras (3 Esdras in the Vulgate) was considered apocryphal by Jerome.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tertullian.org/fathers/jerome_preface_ezra.htm|title=St. Jerome, The Prologue on the Book of Ezra: English translation|website=www.tertullian.org}}</ref>

== Date, structure and composition ==

===Date===

Koresh of Ezra 1:1 is called "king of Persia" (מלך פרס ''[[Melekh]] Pāras''); the title was introduced by Cyrus the Great sometime after he defeated [[Astyages]] of Media (585–550 BC).<ref>{{cite book|author1=François Vallat|editor1-last=Perrot|editor1-first=Jean|title=The Palace of Darius at Susa: The Great Royal Residence of Achaemenid Persia|date=2013|publisher=I.B. Tauris|isbn=978-1-84885-621-9|page=39}}</ref>

Scholars are divided over the chronological sequence of the activities of Ezra and Nehemiah. Ezra 7:8 says that Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes, while Nehemiah 2:1–9 has Nehemiah arriving in Artaxerxes' twentieth year. If this was [[Artaxerxes I]] (465–424 BC), then Ezra arrived in 458 and Nehemiah in 445&nbsp;BC. Nehemiah 8–9, in which the two (possibly by editorial error) appear together, supports this scenario.<ref name="google204">M. Patrick Graham, ''The "Chronicler's History": Ezra-Nehemiah, 1–2 Chronicles'' in [https://books.google.com/books?id=owwhpmIVgSAC&q=The+Hebrew+Bible+today:+an+introduction+to+critical+issues Graham, M.P, and McKenzie, Steven L., "The Hebrew Bible today: an introduction to critical issues" (Westminster John Knox Press, 1998)], pp. 204–05</ref>

===Structure===
The contents of Ezra–Nehemiah are structured in a theological rather than chronological order: "The Temple must come first, then the purifying of the community, then the building of the outer walls of the city, and so finally all could reach a grand climax in the reading of the law."<ref>R.J. Coggins, "The books of Ezra and Nehemiah" (Cambridge University Press, 1976)p.107, quoted in [https://books.google.com/books?id=VI1bMiMXLs0C&q=Ezra-Nehemiah++By+Mark+A.+Throntveit Throntveit, Mark A., "Ezra-Nehemiah" (John Knox Press, 1992)] p. 3</ref>

The narrative follows a repeating pattern in which the God of Israel "stirs up" the king of Persia to commission a Jewish leader (Zerubbabel, Ezra, Nehemiah) to undertake a mission; the leader completes his mission in the face of opposition, and success is marked by a great assembly.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=VI1bMiMXLs0C&q=Ezra-Nehemiah++By+Mark+A.+Throntveit Throntveit, Mark A., "Ezra-Nehemiah" (John Knox Press, 1992)] pp.2–4</ref> The tasks of the three leaders are progressive: first the Temple is restored (Zerubabbel), then the community of Israel (Ezra), and finally the walls which will separate the purified community and Temple from the outside world (Nehemiah).<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=VI1bMiMXLs0C&q=Ezra-Nehemiah++By+Mark+A.+Throntveit Throntveit, Mark A., "Ezra-Nehemiah" (John Knox Press, 1992)] p. 3</ref>

The pattern is completed with a final coda in which Nehemiah restores belief in Yahweh.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=VI1bMiMXLs0C&q=Ezra-Nehemiah++By+Mark+A.+Throntveit Throntveit, Mark A., "Ezra-Nehemiah" (John Knox Press, 1992)] p. 2</ref> This concern with a schematic pattern-making, rather than with history in the modern sense of a factual account of events in the order in which they occurred, explains the origin of the many problems which surround both Ezra and Nehemiah as historical sources.<ref name="Thront">[https://books.google.com/books?id=VI1bMiMXLs0C&q=Ezra-Nehemiah++By+Mark+A.+Throntveit Throntveit, Mark A., "Ezra-Nehemiah" (John Knox Press, 1992)] pp. 1–3</ref>

===Composition===
Twentieth-century views on the composition of Ezra revolved around whether the author was [[Ezra]] himself, and who may have also authored the [[Books of Chronicles]], or was another author or authors who also wrote the Chronicles.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=IfxMeDl6BZgC&q=The+books+of+Ezra+and+Nehemiah+Fensham Fensham, F. Charles, "The books of Ezra and Nehemiah" (Eerdmans, 1982)] pp. 1–2 ff.</ref> More recently it has been increasingly recognised that Ezra, Nehemiah and Chronicles all have extremely complex histories stretching over many stages of editing,<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=xRS8P0RDXeoC&q=Ezra+the+scribe:+the+development+of+Ezra+7-10+and+Nehemiah+8 Pakkala, Juha, "Ezra the scribe: the development of Ezra 7–10 and Nehemiah 8" (Walter de Gryter, 2004)] p. 16</ref> and most scholars now are cautious of assuming a unified composition with a single theology and point of view.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=VK2fEzruIn0C&q=A+history+of+the+Jews+and+Judaism+in+the+Second+Temple+Period%2C+Volume+1++Lester+L.+Grabbe Grabbe, L.L., "A history of the Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple Period, Volume 1" (T&T Clark, 2004)] p. 71</ref> As an indication of the many layers of editing which Ezra has undergone, one recent study finds that Ezra 1–6 and Ezra 9–10 were originally separate documents, that they were spliced together at a later stage by the authors of Ezra 7–8, and that all have undergone extensive later editing.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xRS8P0RDXeoC&q=Ezra+the+scribe:+the+development+of+Ezra+7-10+and+Nehemiah+8|title=Ezra the Scribe|isbn=9783110182804|last1=Pakkala|first1=Juha|year=2004|publisher=Walter de Gruyter }}</ref>

[[Tamara Cohn Eskenazi]] argues that the final composition of Ezra took place during the late [[Persian period]] (c. 370–350 BCE), with some small additions from the [[Hellenistic period]]. She states that the language and ideology of the book seem to best fit within a Persian-period context.<ref>{{cite book |title=Ezra: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary |last=Eskenazi |first=Tamara Cohn |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2023 |isbn=978-0-300-17462-5 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ycbFEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA29 |series=Anchor Yale Reference Library |page=29}}</ref>

== Manuscripts ==
[[File:CodxAmiatinusFolio5rEzra (cropped).jpg|thumb|Ezra at work in the [[Codex Amiatinus]] (AD 716 or earlier)]]
The oldest surviving manuscript of Ezra is [[4QEzra]], also called 4Q117; it contains Ezra 4:2–6, 9–11; 5:17; 6:1–5. It dates to the [[Hasmonean period]] (140–37 BC).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.deadseascrolls.org.il/explore-the-archive/manuscript/4Q117-1?locale=en_US|title=The Dead Sea Scrolls – 4Q Ezra|website=The Dead Sea Scrolls – 4Q Ezra}}</ref> A 7th-century Egyptian [[ostracon]] contains a fragmentary text of the [[Septuagint]] (Greek translation): [[1 Esdras]] 2:10, 9:21–24.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://jstor.org/stable/community.18685910|title=Ostrakon [12.180.184]|jstor=community.1865910}}</ref> A [[Vulgar Latin]] translation is found in the [[Codex Amiatinus]] (8th century). The Hebrew text in full is found in the [[Aleppo Codex]] (10th century) and [[Leningrad Codex]] (11th century).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gratis.bible/he/alep/ezra/|title=Ezra|website=gratis.bible}}</ref>
== Persian documents ==
Seven purported Persian decrees of kings or letters to and from high officials are quoted in Ezra. Their authenticity has been contentious. While some scholars accept them in their current form, most accept only part of them as genuine, while still others reject them entirely. L.L. Grabbe surveyed six tests against which the documents can be measured (comparative known Persian material, linguistic details, contents, presence of Jewish theology, the Persian attitude to local religions, and Persian letter-writing formulas) and concluded that all the documents are late post-Persian works and probable forgeries, but that some features suggest a genuine Persian correspondence behind some of them.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=VK2fEzruIn0C&q=A+history+of+the+Jews+and+Judaism+in+the+Second+Temple+Period%2C+Volume+1++Lester+L.+Grabbe Grabbe, L.L., "A history of the Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple Period, Volume 1" (T&T Clark, 2004)] p. 78</ref> By contrast, [[Richard C. Steiner]] and [[H. G. M. Williamson]] argue that the linguistic and other evidence suggests that the documents are authentic.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Bishlam's Archival Search Report in Nehemiah's Archive: Multiple Introductions and Reverse Chronological Order as Clues to the Origin of the Aramaic Letters in Ezra 4–6 |journal=Journal of Biblical Literature |last=Steiner |first=Richard C. |url=https://www.academia.edu/44012582 |volume=125 |issue=4 |pages=641–685 |year=2006 |doi=10.2307/27638400 |issn=0021-9231}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=The Aramaic Documents in Ezra Revisited |journal=The Journal of Theological Studies |last=Williamson |first=H. G. M. |volume=59 |issue=1 |pages=41–62 |year=2008 |doi=10.1093/jts/flm097 |issn=0022-5185}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Esdras]]
* [[Ezra-Nama]]
* [[Ezra-Nehemiah]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikisource|Ezra (Bible)|The Book of Ezra}}

'''Commentaries'''
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=3PvirfZkfvQC&q=Ezra-Nehemiah:+A+Commentary++By+Joseph+Blenkinsopp Blenkinsopp, Joseph, "Ezra-Nehemiah: A Commentary" (Eerdmans, 1988)]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=m1V1DeBS6P0C&q=Judaism,+the+first+phase:+the+place+of+Ezra+and+Nehemiah+in+the+origins Blenkinsopp, Joseph, "Judaism, the first phase" (Eerdmans, 2009)]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=qRw7AAAAIAAJ&q=The+books+of+Ezra+and+Nehemiah++By+R.+J.+Coggins Coggins, R.J., "The Books of Ezra and Nehemiah" (Cambridge University Press, 1976)]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=Rq_FEAAAQBAJ Eskenazi, Tamara Cohn, "Ezra: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary" (Yale University Press, 2023)]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=IfxMeDl6BZgC&q=The+books+of+Ezra+and+Nehemiah+Fensham Fensham, F. Charles, "The books of Ezra and Nehemiah" (Eerdmans, 1982)]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=S2MSzgZ8DMMC&q=Ezra-Nehemiah+Grabbe Grabbe, L.L., "Ezra-Nehemiah" (Routledge, 1998)]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=VK2fEzruIn0C&q=A+history+of+the+Jews+and+Judaism+in+the+Second+Temple+Period%2C+Volume+1++Lester+L.+Grabbe Grabbe, L.L., "A history of the Jews and Judaism in the Second Temple Period, Volume 1" (T&T Clark, 2004)]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=xRS8P0RDXeoC&q=Ezra+the+scribe:+the+development+of+Ezra+7-10+and+Nehemiah+8 Pakkala, Juha, "Ezra the scribe: the development of Ezra 7–10 and Nehemiah 8" (Walter de Gryter, 2004)]
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=VI1bMiMXLs0C&q=Ezra-Nehemiah++By+Mark+A.+Throntveit Throntveit, Mark A., "Ezra-Nehemiah" (John Knox Press, 1992)]

'''Translations'''
* [http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?AID=15774 Ezra (Judaica Press)] – translation [with [[Rashi]]'s commentary] at [[Chabad.org]]
* [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezra+1&version=NIV Bible Gateway (opens at NIV version)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20111018144522/http://bible.daresler.net/Ezra-1/ Ezra – King James Version]
* {{librivox book | dtitle=Bible: Ezra| stitle=15: Ezra}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-hou | [[Ketuvim|History books]]|||}}
{{s-bef | before = [[Book of Daniel|Daniel]] }}
{{s-ttl | title  = [[Tanakh|Hebrew Bible]] }}
{{s-aft | after  = [[Book of Nehemiah|Nehemiah]] | rows = 3 }}
{{s-bef | before = [[Books of Chronicles|1–2 Chronicles]] }}
{{s-ttl | title  = [[Western Christianity|Western]]<br>[[Old Testament]] }}
{{s-bef | before = [[1 Esdras]] }}
{{s-ttl | title  = [[Eastern Christianity|Eastern]]<br>[[Old Testament]] }}
{{s-end}}
{{Book of Ezra}}
{{Books of the Bible}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Book Of Ezra}}
[[Category:Book of Ezra| ]]
[[Category:4th-century BC books]]
 [[Category:Ketuvim|10]]
[[Category:Ezra–Nehemiah|Ezra]]
[[Category:Historical books]]