Ezra 4 · Grade 3
Trouble from Enemies
Read the Story
The enemies of Judah heard that the people were building. So they came and asked to help. They said they also sought God. But Zerubbabel and Jeshua said no. They said they would build for Yahweh themselves, as King Cyrus had commanded.
Then the people of the land made the builders afraid. They paid men to work against them for many years.
Later, enemies wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes. They said Jerusalem was a bad city that would not pay taxes. The king searched the records and ordered the work to stop. So the work on God's house stopped until the second year of Darius.
Memory Verse
“Then work stopped on God’s house which is at Jerusalem. It stopped until the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.”
Ezra 4:24 (WEB)
Answer the Questions
What did the enemies ask to do?
What did Zerubbabel and Jeshua say?
How did the people of the land try to stop the builders?
What did the letter say about Jerusalem?
When did the work begin again?
Trouble for the Builders
Write what happened in each box.
Word Search
Find each word. Words go across, down, and diagonally.
- STOPPED
- LETTER
- BUILD
- WALLS
- JUDAH
- HOUSE
- KING
- CITY
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for being with me when things are hard. Help me . Amen.
Take It Home
For families: talk about these together.
- What can you do when someone tells lies about you?
- How long did the work stop?
Scripture: World English Bible, public domain, eBible.org. © 2026 The Daily Rooted. Free to print and copy for church and home use; not for resale. Original line art.