Contents
Further information: Book of EzraFirst Esdras contains the whole of Ezra with the addition of one section; its verses are numbered differently. Just as Ezra begins with the last two verses of 2 Chronicles, 1 Esdras begins with the last two chapters; this suggests that Chronicles and Esdras may have been read as one book at sometime in the past.
Ezra 4:6 includes a reference to a King Ahasuerus. Etymologicaly, Ahasuerus is the same as Xerxes, who reigned between Darius and Artaxerxes. Because this is anachronistic, some scholars identify it with another king. In 1 Esdras, this reference is replaced with the additional section. Thus, in 1 Esdras, Cyrus the Great, Darius the Great, and Artaxerxes I appear in their historical order.
The additional section forms the core of 1 Esdras with Ezra 5, which together are arranged in a literary chiasm around the celebration in Jerusalem at the exiles’ return. This chiastic core forms 1 Esdras into a complete literary unit, allowing it to stand independently from the book of Nehemiah. Indeed some scholars, such as W. F. Albright and Edwin M. Yamauchi, believe that Nehemiah came back to Jerusalem before Ezra.
| EZRA AND I ESDRAS COMPARED | ||
|---|---|---|
| Masoretic Text | Septuagint | Summary |
| Continuation of Paralipomenon |
||
| (II Chr. 35) | (I Esd. 1:1-33) | |
| (II Chr. 36) | (I Esd. 1:34-58) | |
| Begin Ezra | ||
| Ezr. 1 | I Esd. 2:1-14 | Cyrus's edict to rebuild the Temple |
| Ezr. 4:7-14 | I Esd. 2:15-30a | Flash forward to Artaxerxes’ reign (prolepsis) |
| Core: Chiasm of Celebration | ||
| — | I Esd. 2:30b | Inclusio: Work hindered until second year of Darius’s reign |
| — | I Esd. 3 | A Feast in the court of Darius |
| — | I Esd. 4 | B Darius vows to repatriate the exiles |
| — | I Esd. 5:1-6 | X The feast of those who returned to Jerusalem |
| Ezr. 2 | I Esd. 5:7-46 | B' List of former exiles who returned |
| Ezr. 3 | I Esd. 5:47-65 | A' Feast of Tabernacles |
| Ezr. 4:1-5 | I Esd. 5:66-73 | Inclusio: Work hindered until second year of Darius’s reign |
| Conclusion | ||
| Ezr. 5 | I Esd. 6:1-22 | In the second year of Darius's reign |
| Ezr. 6 | I Esd. 6:23 — 7 | The temple is finished |
| Ezr. 7 | I Esd. 8:1-27 | In Artaxerxes’ reign |
| Ezr. 8 | I Esd. 8:28-67 | List of latter exiles who returned |
| Ezr. 9 | I Esd. 8:68-90 | Repentance from miscegenation |
| Ezr. 10 | I Esd. 8:91-9:36 | Putting away of foreign wives and children |
| (Neh. 7:73-8:12) | (I Esd. 9:37-55) | |
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