Chapter 19

Three generations of children were born and

raised during the exile of the Jewish people in

Babylon. They endured many evil kings and hard

times as slaves. Finally, the Jews lived under a

good king-King Cyrus. Not only was King Cyrus

a good leader, he also worshiped the one true

God. This kind and generous king made a good

choice: he decided that the Jewish people could

go back to their homeland and to the city of

Jerusalem.

“Start packing!” King Cyrus announced.

“You’re going home to Jerusalem! It’s time to

rebuild the temple, and I’m sending you home to

do the job.”

The people could hardly believe their ears.

They started packing and planning. The king

ordered that all the treasures from the original

temple be sent along with the people. There were

dishes and decorations of gold and silver, enough

to fill the new temple.

Nearly 50,000 people left Babylon.

Homesick no more, they sang and danced as they

traveled to Jerusalem.

When they arrived, they rebuilt the altar to

worship God and thank him for bringing them

home. They laid the foundation for the new

temple.

Then they celebrated. The people played their

instruments and sang praises to God. “The Lord is

good; his faithful love continues forever!”

But the local people of Samaria didn’t like

the Jews coming back to town and building the

temple. They fussed and argued and even wrote

letters to King Darius. But his answer was,

“Leave these people alone and let them build the

temple.”

Some of the Jews wanted to build their own

houses first, so they left the temple work to tend

to their own needs. But when God sent

messengers to remind them of their assignment,

the people went back to working on the temple.

Before long, the beautiful temple was

finished. God had brought his people home.

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