The Book of Nehemiah was most likely written between 445 BC, the year Nehemiah went to Jerusalem, and the early 400s BC, possibly as late as around 420 or 410 BC. The book is anchored in the mid-fifth century BC during the reign of the Persian king Artaxerxes I (circa 465-424 BC), who gave Nehemiah permission to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city walls. The text contains first- person memoirs from Nehemiah himself, suggesting it was written during his lifetime or shortly after. The final form of the book may have been compiled along with the book of Ezra in the same Persian-era context.