Ezra 4:6–23 is a parenthetic statement that tells how opposition to the Jews continued in the time of kings Xerxes I (486–465 BC) and Artaxerxes I (464–424 BC). Thus, this parenthesis must include a period of nearly eighty years, from the events of Ezra 5 (520 BC) until the early part of Artaxerxes’ reign, before Nehemiah is sent to Jerusalem (445 BC). Why does the author skip ahead chronologically? He apparently thought it important to emphasize the continuing opposition, possibly to justify the decision to reject the neighbors’ help and to emphasize the significance of the achievements recorded in chapters 5 and 6. The opposition described here is opposition to the building of the wall. But apart from verse 6, details of the activity during the reign of Xerxes are not given. Some buildi…