"Ezra-Nehemiah chronicles the return of the exiles to Jerusalem during the Persian period. Empowered by the Persian authorities, Ezra and Nehemiah came on the scene in Jerusalem to restore the worship of the "God of heaven" and the sanctity of Zion and his people. God's sovereignty over temporal powers, confession of sin and repentance, and worship according to Yahweh's holiness undergird the account. In the face of tremendous odds, opposition and...