Ezra 6:22
And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the Lord had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
Cross-reference
Ezra 6:6-12 contains Darius' decree that caused the king's heart to turn — the immediate context for this verse.
In Ezra 6:16, the dedication of the temple is celebrated with joy — the same joyful spirit in the same temple completion narrative.
Ezra 1:1 records God stirring Cyrus' spirit — another instance of God moving a foreign king for Israel's benefit.
1 Corinthians 5:8 calls to keep the feast with sincerity, applying the literal feast spiritually.
Exodus 12:15-20 institutes the feast of unleavened bread, which Ezra 6:22 records being joyfully kept.
1 Corinthians 5:7 uses the feast imagery to urge purging sin, linking the physical observance to Christ the Passover.
Matthew 26:17 shows the feast still observed in Jesus' time, connecting to the historical practice in Ezra.
Proverbs 21:1 declares the king's heart is in God's hand — a direct parallel to God turning the Assyrian king's heart.
Proverbs 16:7 states the principle that God makes enemies at peace when ways please Him — here applied to the Assyrian king.
2 Chronicles 35:17 records another keeping of the feast, mirroring the observance in Ezra.
2 Chronicles 30:21 describes a similar celebration with great gladness, paralleling Ezra's account.
Exodus 13:7 forbids leaven during the feast, reinforcing the regulations kept in Ezra.
Exodus 13:6 commands eating unleavened bread for seven days, the very practice observed in Ezra.
In Jeremiah 33:11, voices of joy and praise fill the house of the LORD — directly parallels the joyful temple feast in Ezra 6:22.
In Nehemiah 2:8, the king grants timber as God's hand works — similar divine provision through a pagan ruler for temple/wall work.
John 19:11 shows Jesus attributing all earthly authority to God's grant — similar divine sovereignty over rulers as seen here.
2 Chronicles 33:11 shows God using Assyria to punish Manasseh — contrasting use of divine control over Assyria (judgment vs. favor).
In 2 Chronicles 29:36, Hezekiah and the people rejoice because God prepared them suddenly — the same divine joy and temple restoration theme.