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Literary structure (chiasmus, chiasm) of Book of Ezra in Greek

Chiasmus and Concentric Structure of divided by 2


2-1

1 Reign of Josiah (1:1-31)
  2 The last kings of Judah (1:32-55)
    3 Cyrus permits the exiles to return (2:1-14)
      4 Opposition to rebuilding Jerusalem (2:15-25)
    5 The debate of the three bodyguards (3:1-4:63)
  6 List of the returning exiles (5:1-45)
7 The foundation of the temple laid (5:46-62)
Former halfRelationLatter half
1 Reign of Josiah (1:1-31)
Josiah kept the passover to his Lord in Jerusalem (1:1)
Festival of the LORD7 The foundation of the temple laid (5:46-62)
They kept the festival of booths, as it is commanded in the law, and offered the proper sacrifices every day (5:51)
2 The last kings of Judah (1:32-55)
Captivity
Captivity and return6 List of the returning exiles (5:1-45)
Return
3 Cyrus permits the exiles to return (2:1-14)
Permission of Cyrus
Permission of kings5 The debate of the three bodyguards (3:1-4:63)
Permission of Darius

2-2

7 The foundation of the temple laid (5:46-62)
  8 Interference of enemies (5:63-70)
    9 Official permission granted (6:1-33)
      10 The passover (7:1-15)
    11 Ezra arrives in Jerusalem (8:1-64)
  12 The expulsion of foreign wives (8:65-9:36)
13 Ezra reads the law of the people (9:37-55)
Former halfRelationLatter half
7 The foundation of the temple laid (5:46-62)
They kept the festival of booths, as it is commanded in the law, and offered the proper sacrifices every day (5:51)
Festival of the LORD13 Ezra reads the law of the people (9:37-55)
This day is holy to the Lord (9:50)
8 Interference of enemies (5:63-70)
by plots and demagoguery and uprisings they prevented the completion of the building as long as King Cyrus lived. (5:73)
Jamming of foreign people12 The expulsion of foreign wives (8:65-9:36)
All these had married foreign women, and they put them away together with their children. (9:36)
9 Official permission granted (6:1-33)
I, King Darius, have decreed that it be done with all diligence as here prescribed. (6:34)
Permission of kings11 Ezra arrives in Jerusalem (8:1-64)
They delivered the king's orders to the royal stewards and to the governors of Coelesyria and Phoenicia; (8:67)

Citations of the Bible are from New American Bible, New Revised Standard Version and New Jerusalem Bible.

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Literary Structure of the Bible by Hajime Murai is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
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