Bible: New International Version - Anglicised

Ezra, Nehemiah The exile in Babylon is over and the Jews return to Israel and set about rebuilding the Temple. Nehemiah, a great leader/reformer organises the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem and reads the first 5 books of the law to the people. Esther 1 of only 2 Old Testament books names after women. As in Ruth, God is the focus. Here he enables Esther to save the Jews from major ethnic cleansing. Job The well-known story of the man afflicted by Satan, with God's 'permission'. Brings up key questions: Is God fair/good Why does God allow suffering



Abridged for the general listener in favour of the wealth of characters in the Old Testament, its poetry and its narrative. Such things as genealogies, instructions regarding certain rituals and some of the law had to give way to the stories and the poetry. Some of the stories are trimmed of some repeated details.