The book of Nehemiah continues the story that starts in the book of Ezra.

Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. 1:0 Babylon was a rich and powerful city on the Euphrates River. The king of Babylon ruled many other countries.He took the Israelites who lived in Judah to Babylon as prisoners. That was called the Exile.1:0 The Israelites were the descendants of Jacob, who was also called Israel. Jacob's 12 sons became the ancestors of Israel's 12 tribes. The land that God gave to them as their home was called Israel. After King Solomon died, the nation of Israel became two kingdoms. The nation in the north was called Israel. The nation in the south was called Judah.

When Cyrus, king of Persia, started to rule over Babylon, he let some of the Jews return to Jerusalem. 1:0 A Jew was someone who belonged to the Israelite tribe of Judah. The name was first used at the time of their exile in Babylon. It can mean any of the Israelites who returned to Judah. Jerusalem was the capital city of Judah.They built the temple again. We can read about that in the book of Ezra.

Later, Artaxerxes became king of Babylon. He let more Jews return from Babylon to Jerusalem with Nehemiah. This book tells us about what happened.

Nehemiah found that soldiers had destroyed the city wall. He helped the Jews to build the wall again. Their enemies tried to stop them. Nehemiah helped the people to be brave and to continue the work. He knew that God would keep them safe.