One of the major themes of Scripture is God's dependability and His covenant love to His people in good times and bad. Ezra and Nehemiah together show how God chose Cyrus, a pagan king, to defeat the Babylonians and to be His servant in restoring many of his people from captivity in Babylon back to Judah. Esther is the thrilling account of how God raised up a young Jewish woman to become queen of the Persian Empire. Knute Larson and Kathy Dahlen have made these marvelous books accessible to pastors and lay Bible teachers alike for preaching, teaching, and personal Bible study.