First Esdras offers a flowing Greek account of a pivotal era in Israel's history, retelling material found in 2 Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah. The story begins on a high note with King Josiah's magnificent Passover celebration but quickly moves to the tragedy of Jerusalem's destruction and the Babylonian exile. The central focus is on the restoration: the return of the exiles under the Persian kings Cyrus and Darius, and the rebuilding of the Temple and the community. Unique to this book is the famous story of the three royal bodyguards who debate what is strongest—wine, the king, or women. The winner, Zerubbabel, argues successfully that truth is the most powerful of all, securing the king's favor for the reconstruction of Jerusalem.