It had been about 70 years since most of the Israelites had gone back to Jerusalem, but some were still living in different parts of the Persian Empire. One of them was a priest named Ezra, who taught Jehovah’s Law. Ezra learned that the people in Jerusalem were not following the Law, and he wanted to go and help them. Persian King Artaxerxes told him: ‘God made you wise so that you can teach his Law. Go, and take any who want to go with you.’ Ezra met with all who wanted to return to Jerusalem. They prayed to Jehovah to keep them safe on the long journey, and then they set off.

Four months later, they arrived at Jerusalem. The princes there told Ezra: ‘The Israelites have disobeyed Jehovah and married women who worship false gods.’ What did Ezra do? In front of the people, Ezra got down on his knees and prayed: ‘Jehovah, you have done so much for us, but we have sinned against you.’ The people repented, but they were still doing things that were not right. Ezra chose elders and judges to look into these matters. Over the next three months, those who did not worship Jehovah were sent away.

Twelve years went by. In the meantime, the walls around Jerusalem were rebuilt. So Ezra gathered the people in the public square to read God’s Law to them. When Ezra opened the book, the people stood up. He praised Jehovah, and they raised their hands in agreement. Then Ezra read and explained the Law, and the people listened carefully. They admitted that they had strayed from Jehovah again, and they wept. The next day, Ezra read more of the Law to them. They learned that soon they should celebrate the Festival of Booths. Right away, they began to prepare for the festival.

For the seven days of the festival, the people rejoiced and thanked Jehovah for a good harvest. There had not been a Festival of Booths like it since the days of Joshua. After the festival, the people gathered and prayed: ‘Jehovah, you saved us from slavery, fed us in the desert, and gave us this beautiful land. But over and over, we disobeyed you. You sent prophets to warn us, but we did not listen. Still, you were patient. You kept your promise to Abraham. Now we promise that we will obey you.’ They wrote down their promise, and the princes, Levites, and priests put their seal on it.

Let’s go back a few years. Nehemiah, a servant of King Artaxerxes, was an Israelite who lived in the Persian city of Shushan. Nehemiah’s brother came from Judah with bad news: ‘The people who returned to Jerusalem are not safe. The city walls and gates that the Babylonians destroyed have never been rebuilt.’ Nehemiah was upset. He wanted to go to Jerusalem to help, so he prayed that the king would let him go.

Later, the king noticed that Nehemiah was looking sad. He said: ‘I’ve never seen you like this. What’s wrong?’ Nehemiah said: ‘Why should I not look sad when my city, Jerusalem, is in ruins?’ The king asked: ‘What do you want me to do for you?’ Immediately, Nehemiah prayed silently. Then he said: ‘Please, let me go to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls.’ King Artaxerxes told Nehemiah that he could go, and the king made sure that he would be safe on his long journey. He also made Nehemiah governor of Judah and gave him wood for the city gates.

When Nehemiah arrived at Jerusalem, he inspected the city walls. Then he gathered the priests and rulers and told them: ‘This is terrible. We need to get to work.’ The people agreed, and they began to rebuild the walls.

But some of the Israelite’s enemies made fun of them, and said: ‘A fox could knock down the wall you’re building.’ The workers ignored the insults and kept on building. The wall got higher and stronger.

The enemies decided to come from different directions and make a surprise attack on Jerusalem. When the Jews heard about the plan, they were frightened. But Nehemiah said: ‘Don’t be afraid. Jehovah is with us.’ He posted guards to protect the workers, and the enemies were not able to attack.

In just 52 days, the walls and the gates were completed. Nehemiah brought all the Levites to Jerusalem for the inauguration. He organized them into two groups of singers. They went up on the wall by the stairs at the Fountain Gate and then marched in opposite directions around the city. They played trumpets, cymbals, and harps and sang to Jehovah. Ezra went with one group, and Nehemiah with the other, until they met up at the temple. All the people​—men, women, and children—​offered sacrifices to Jehovah and celebrated. The sound of their happy voices could be heard far away.