10

The leaders agree that they have sinned and offer to put away their foreign wives

The assembly meet in the heavy rain and Ezra addresses the people and says they have brought God's wrath on them and to separate from their foreign wives. The people agree, all except a handful of men.

The people them go ahead and put away their wives and children.

Observations

This is a terribly sad part of scripture and I don't know exactly what to make of it. It leaves the story hanging. We don't know what becomes of the foreign wives and children or the men who opposed Ezra. We don't hear directly from the Lord. We don't find out what happens to the returned exiles either. It's a very sombre ending to the book.