Introduction

In Ezra 4, Zerubable and the Jewish exiles have returned. They are rebuilding the temple with the full blessing and resources of the crown. Cyrus the Great is totally signed off on this. He's even published a decree saying this is the real deal. So they're working on it. And then a bunch of hill people, a bunch of people from maybe the northern 10 tribes of the long since defunct Kingdom of Israel that got defeated by the Assyrians start driving erratically. This is a long time ago, but they're still around. Some of them have migrated back. Others were left behind about 50 or 60 years earlier by Nebuchadnezzar. For whatever reason