Ezra by MarkYourBible
Ezra for Pastors — an AI Bible study companion built for ministry
Ezra is a voice Bible study companion for pastors, teachers and study leaders. You speak a question and it answers from Scripture, looking up every verse in the real text as it goes. It will not write your sermon, and it is not meant to. It sits beside you while you open the Word.
Opens Ezra in Bible Scholar Mode and starts talking — built for sermon prep.
No card required to try it.
Prepare sermons with Scripture you can trust
Read the passage aloud and think out loud with it. Ask what the chapters on either side are doing, where the same word shows up elsewhere, how the writer builds his argument, and what the text is actually claiming before you decide what to preach. Ezra answers in conversation, so the study stays at the speed of thought rather than the speed of typing.
Study the text, not a summary of the text
Every reference Ezra speaks is fetched from the real Bible text at the moment it answers, across six translations — KJV, NIV, NLT, BSB, ASV and WEB. It will not smooth a verse into something the text does not say, and when it cannot find what you asked for it says so. What you carry into the pulpit is what is written.
Follow a theme from Genesis to Revelation
Guided verse chains from MarkYourBible let you walk a subject across the whole canon instead of collecting proof texts. Topical search, verse lookup, saved passages and a full transcript of the conversation mean the work you do on Tuesday is still there on Saturday night.
A tool your congregation can use too
The Church & Leadership plan gives sixty shared hours of conversation a month — enough for a midweek study, Sabbath/Sunday School preparation, and the members who want to keep studying at home. Study rooms let you open a live session with a join code so a group can follow along together and keep the transcript afterwards.
Speak with the congregation you actually have
Ezra holds a spoken study in ten languages — English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Tagalog — so a bilingual church can study in the language the room speaks.
Care that knows its limits
The Ministry of the Holy Word studies walk through anxiety, depression, grief and fear from Scripture, with crisis safeguards built in that point a person in danger toward real help. Ezra is a study companion, never a substitute for a pastor, a counsellor, or the body of Christ.
What it costs a church
Free — $0. Three minutes of voice conversation every day, no card required. Enough to run a passage or two past Ezra before you commit to anything.
Personal — $9.95 a month. Thirty hours of conversation a month with priority support, for your own study desk.
Church & Leadership — $29.95 a month. Sixty shared hours a month for small groups, Sabbath/Sunday School preparation and congregational use.
Pastors & Church Leaders — $39.95 a month. Eighty hours a month of deep study for sermon preparation, theological research and church leadership. 10% off your first month ($35.96).
Talk to Ezra from any phone
No app to download and no WiFi required. Pick up any telephone — in the car, the study, or the kitchen — and dial Ezra directly. Every plan includes up to 15 minutes a day by phone at no extra charge.
Call Ezra: (318) 373-5997Free on every plan · up to 15 min a day · any telephone
Build a study & sermon-prep routine
Pair Ezra with an original-language reference to move from text to sermon in four deliberate steps — an interactive audio study, a Hebrew/Greek word deep dive, a scholar-mode Q&A, and structured sermon development.
Step 1 — Primary passage study
Use voice interaction on Ezra to read through your target text in your preferred translation (KJV, NIV, NLT, BSB, ASV or WEB). Ask Ezra to trace main themes, contextual background and cross-references across the Old and New Testaments.
Step 2 — Key word parsing (Hebrew & Greek)
Identify key theological words from your primary passage. Open Hebrew & Greek Word Study to search Strong’s numbers, examine root meanings, check semantic ranges and review underlying grammatical structures (verbs, tenses and syntactical nuances).
Step 3 — Synthesis & deep Q&A
Return to Ezra and pose complex questions using the insights from your word study. Test interpretations, historical contexts and alternative readings at the speed of thought rather than the speed of typing.
Step 4 — Application & sermon development
Outline your message by converting key original-language insights into clear, accessible sermon points. Use Ezra to talk through your outline aloud — refine delivery, check logical transitions and draft illustrations. Ezra will not write the sermon for you, and it is not meant to.
| Stage | Tool | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Passage overview | Ezra voice study | “Read Romans 8:1–11 and highlight key theological themes.” |
| Word deep dive | Hebrew & Greek Word Study | Look up Strong’s G4151 (Pneuma) or H7307 (Ruach). |
| Scholar-mode Q&A | Ezra voice study | “Based on the Greek word Pneuma, how does Paul distinguish flesh vs spirit here?” |
| Sermon development | Ezra voice study | “Help me turn these three word-study insights into a 3-point sermon outline.” |
Questions pastors ask
Can Ezra help me prepare a sermon?
Yes. Ezra is a study partner for the desk, not a sermon generator. You can read a passage aloud with it, ask what the surrounding chapters are doing, follow a theme from Genesis through Revelation, and think out loud about how the text preaches — with every verse pulled from a real translation as you go.
Does Ezra cite real Bible verses?
Yes. Every reference Ezra speaks is fetched from the actual Bible text in real time across six translations: KJV, NIV, NLT, BSB, ASV, and WEB. It will not paraphrase a verse into something the text does not say, and it will tell you when it cannot find what you asked for.
How is Ezra different from using ChatGPT for sermon prep?
A general assistant has no obligation to the text and will invent a reference that sounds like Scripture. That is a serious problem in a pulpit. Ezra retrieves the verse before it speaks it, so what you carry into Sunday is what is actually written.
Will Ezra write my sermon for me?
No, and that is deliberate. Ezra opens the text with you, asks questions back, and keeps the Scripture in front of you. The message God gives your congregation still comes through your own study, prayer, and pastoral knowledge of the people in front of you.
Can I share Ezra with my small group or congregation?
Yes. The Church & Leadership plan at $29.95 per month provides sixty shared hours of conversation each month, and the Pastors & Church Leaders plan at $39.95 per month provides eighty hours for deeper study. Study rooms let you share a live session by code so a group can follow along and keep the transcript afterwards.
Can I use Ezra with a congregation that does not speak English?
Yes. Ezra holds a spoken study in ten languages — English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Tagalog — so a bilingual congregation can study in the language the room actually speaks.
What does it cost a pastor to try it?
Nothing to start — Ezra gives three minutes of voice conversation every day at no cost and without a card. When you are ready, the Pastors & Church Leaders plan at $39.95 per month gives eighty hours of deep study, and it starts with 10% off your first month ($35.96).
Open the Word with Ezra this week
Three free minutes every day. Bring the passage you are preaching on Sunday.
Start free