We do not know when the Book of Ezra was written or by whom. Parts of it were written in the first-person narrative. Also, it was written in both Hebrew and Aramaic (the language used by Persians). It narrates the story of the return of exiled Jews from Babylon back to Jerusalem ordered by King Cyrus, under the leadership of Zerubbabel, who is appointed governor. Upon his return, he builds an altar and starts to build a temple. His team's efforts are cut short as the descendants of the Jews who were not exiled to Babylon lodge a complaint with King Cyrus. After approximately 14 years, under King Artaxerxes, Zerubbabel together with the high priest Jeshua and prophets Haggai and Zechariah begin work and complete the temple. Approximately 60 years later, Ezra, who is a Torah scholar and teacher, leads another wave of the exiled Jews back to Jerusalem. When they return, he discovers that the Jews who had returned earlier were breaking the law of Torah by marrying non-exiles and idol worshipping was getting rampant among other things. In consultation with other Jewish leaders, he announces a decree that such marriages be annulled. Such a decree was not based on the law of Moses, as God forbade divorce.
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