Ezra 10:1
Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore. Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore.
While Ezra was praying and confessing, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, a very large congregation of men and women and children assembled to him. They wept bitterly and deeply, moved by his humble and sorrowful grief over sin.
Their deep weeping was the beginning of a communal repentance. In it they began to awaken to how serious and heinous sin is and to how God regards it. They were brought to see the holiness of the law spoken at Sinai and trembled at the thought of having transgressed that sacred law.
This gathering marks the beginning of a wonderful reformation in which Ezra, working above all as a teacher of the law, and his associates strove to lead the penitent of Israel into the right way. They labored with great patience and tact and with careful regard for the rights and welfare of every individual concerned. Personal attention was given to the examination of every case, in order to impress the people with the holiness of the law and with the blessings to be gained through obedience.