Joe: Hey, so today we have a Bible expert in the house to answer some questions about the book of Ezra. Welcome, sir!

Expert: Thank you for having me, Joe.

Joe: So, tell us about Ezra 10. What’s going on in this chapter?

Expert: Well, Ezra is still in Jerusalem and he hears from the people of the land that some of the Israelites have taken foreign wives and begun to follow other gods. Ezra is distressed and prays to God for help. He then tells the people that they must separate themselves from the foreign wives and children and send them away.

Joe: Whoa! That sounds harsh.

Expert: Well, at the time it was quite a serious offense to have foreign wives or follow foreign gods. In fact, the penalty was death.

Joe: Yikes! That’s pretty intense.

Expert: Yes, it was a very serious matter.

Joe: So, what did they do?

Expert: Well, the people agreed and began to separate themselves from the foreign wives and children. They even made a covenant with God to follow him and keep his commands.

Joe: Wait, did they actually make a covenant with God?

Jamie (Joe’s sidekick): Hold on, let me Google that. (Pause) Yeah, it looks like they did.

Joe: Wow, that’s amazing! So what happened next?

Expert: Well, the people of Israel kept their promise and separated themselves from the foreign wives and the children. They also made offerings to God and confessed their sins. As a result, God showed them mercy.