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Answer key (separate)‹ Back to chapter 4

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Ezra 4 · Preschool

God Is Still with Us

Name Date

Color the half-built house of God. Even when work stopped, God was still in charge!

Can you find these in the picture? Circle each one!

Bible 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)

Prayer

Thank You, God, for making me!

Take It Home

Read the verse aloud. Say: Some people tried to stop the work on God's house. But God was still with His people. God is with us when things are hard.

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.

Ezra 4 · Kindergarten

Wait on God

Name Date

Trace the Words

Trace each word with your pencil.

BUILD
HOUSE
STOP
KING
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)

Match the Pictures

Draw a line from each word to its picture.

HOUSE
KING
LETTER
BUILD

Mini Maze

Help find the way through the maze.

Draw It

Draw something you can keep doing even when it is hard.

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 do you do when you have to wait?
  • Who is with you when things are hard?

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.

Ezra 4 · Grade 1

Hard Times

Name Date

Trace the Words

Trace the words and the verse.

BUILD
LETTER
WORK
CEASED
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)

Match the Pictures

Draw a line from each sentence to its picture.

Some people wanted to help, but not God's way.
The people kept building God's house.
Some people sent a letter to the king.
The king said the work must stop.
God's house waited to be finished.

Draw something you can keep doing even when it is hard.

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)

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 did the leaders say to the men who wanted to help?
  • Who can help you when things go wrong?
  • What do you do when someone tries to stop you from doing good?

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.

Ezra 4 · Grade 2

The Work Stops

Name Date

Read the Story

God's people were building His house. Some men came to them. They asked to build with them. But they did not truly follow God. The leaders said no.

Then those men tried to stop the work. They made the people afraid. They sent a letter to the king. They said bad things about the city.

The king read the letter. He told them to stop the work. So the people had to stop. God's house was not done. But God was not done either. He was still with them.

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)

Show What You Know

Circle the right answer, or write it on the lines.

  1. What were God's people building?

    His houseBuild with themGod

  2. What did some men want to do?

    GodBuild with themNo

  3. What did the leaders say?

    GodA letterNo

  4. What did the men send to the king?

    A letterNoBuild with them

  5. Who was still with the people?

    Build with themNoGod

Word Search

Find and circle each word. Words go across and down.

CFRWALLSWIYPISCAHVTJBWKNHOVYUUNKBGUKFDIJHIASPAALLETTERYHDSGAYMKSTOPPEDPKBYYLKINGA
  • 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 did the enemies write in their letter?
  • What happened to the work on God's house?

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.

Ezra 4 · Grade 3

Trouble from Enemies

Name Date

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

  1. What did the enemies ask to do?

  2. What did Zerubbabel and Jeshua say?

  3. How did the people of the land try to stop the builders?

  4. What did the letter say about Jerusalem?

  5. When did the work begin again?

Trouble for the Builders

Write what happened in each box.

1
2
3
4

Word Search

Find each word. Words go across, down, and diagonally.

YCOJOYUIMOHDTJUDAHWALLSISPKLINYSLTWIEHYKBKOCNTOJOUSPIGTUOLIOPTNESMULWEYJRENUDGDPS
  • 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.

Ezra 4 · Grade 4

Opposition and Delay

Name Date

Read and Think

The enemies of Judah heard that the people were building the temple. They asked to join. They said they had worshiped God for a long time. But Zerubbabel and Jeshua said no. They said they alone would build for God, as Cyrus had said.

Then the people of the land made the builders weak and afraid. They paid men to work against them. Next the chapter shows letters from later kings. The trouble went on for many years.

Rehum and Shimshai wrote to King Artaxerxes. They said Jerusalem was a city that fought kings. They said the king would lose his taxes if it were built. The king searched the records and ordered the work stopped. Verse 24 goes back to the temple. The work stopped until the second year of Darius.

Show What You Know

  1. Why did Zerubbabel refuse the adversaries' help?

  2. How did the people of the land oppose the work?

  3. What did Rehum and Shimshai warn the king about?

  4. How long did the temple work stop?

Word Bank Fill-In

Use the word bank to fill in each blank.

JudahbuildGodcityKing
  1. The enemies of heard that the people were building the temple.
  2. They said they had worshiped for a long time.
  3. They said they alone would for God, as Cyrus had said.
  4. Rehum and Shimshai wrote to Artaxerxes.
  5. They said Jerusalem was a that fought kings.

Think About It

  1. The leaders said no to help that came with the wrong motives. How can you tell when you should say no, even to an offer of help?

  2. God's work was delayed for years. How can you stay faithful when God's plans seem to be on hold?

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)

Copy It

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.

  • How did the leaders stay faithful to God's way?
  • How did the opposition grow over time?

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.

Ezra 4 · Grade 5

When God's Work Is Opposed

Name Date

Read and Think

Ezra 4 shows that doing God's work does not mean an easy road. The adversaries of Judah first offered partnership, claiming to worship the same God. Zerubbabel and Jeshua recognized that their worship was mixed, so they declined, appealing to the decree of Cyrus. Their refusal was not unkindness but faithfulness to worship as God commanded.

When partnership failed, opposition came. The people of the land discouraged the builders and made them afraid. The writer then groups together accusations from later reigns, under Ahasuerus and Artaxerxes, to show a long pattern of resistance. Rehum the commander and Shimshai the scribe wrote that Jerusalem was rebellious and that the king would lose tribute, custom, and toll.

Artaxerxes found that Jerusalem had resisted kings in the past and ordered the rebuilding stopped until he gave a new command. The officials hurried to Jerusalem and made the Jews cease by force and power. Verse 24 brings the reader back to the temple story: the work on God's house stopped until Darius's second year. The delay was real, but chapter 5 will show that God's purposes were not defeated.

Show What You Know

  1. Why did Zerubbabel and Jeshua decline the offer of partnership?

  2. Why does the writer include letters from later reigns?

  3. What three losses did the officials warn about?

  4. How did the officials make the Jews stop?

  5. What will chapter 5 show?

Crossword

4213

Across

  1. Parts of the city they were building.
  2. Then work ____ on God’s house

Down

  1. What the enemies wrote to the king.
  2. The adversaries of ____ and Benjamin

Think About It

  1. Faithfulness sometimes means saying no to an easier path. Where might God be asking you to stand firm?

  2. Opposition delayed the temple for years. How does knowing God is still in control help you face discouragement?

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)

Copy It

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.

  • How can you keep going when people work against you?
  • How can you trust God when His work seems stopped?
  • How can you keep loving God while you wait for a wrong to be fixed?

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.