The history books Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther contain records of life during the 70-year captivity of the children of Israel, as well as records of their return to Jerusalem after the captivity. Ezra records the return to rebuild the House of God, Nehemiah records the return to rebuild the walls and gates of Jerusalem, and Esther records an attempt in Shushan, during the reign of the Persian King Ahasuerus, to wipe out all Jews. Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther all faced adversaries to the Lord's work and to the Lord's people. As with all projects of the Lord, adversaries set up roadblocks to hinder their success. The House of God, the walls, and the gates were successfully completed, and the whole Jewish people were saved from destruction. The Lord God insured that projects were completed, enemies were stifled, and the children of Israel remained safe!