Ezra Orders Every Man Who Married a Foreign Wife to Divorce Her and Send Away Their Children

The assembly gathers in the pouring rain and cold before Ezra, trembling both from the weather and the matter at hand. One man stands and proposes the solution: let all those who have taken foreign wives make a covenant before God to send them away, along with their children. The people agree. A three-month investigation follows — every household examined, every case decided. The book of Ezra ends with a list of names: priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, ordinary Israelites. One hundred and thirteen men in total who sent away their wives and children. The book closes on that list. No resolution, no comfort. Just names and the fact of what was done.