Ezra 10:14
Let now our rulers of all the congregation stand, and let all them which have taken strange wives in our cities come at appointed times, and with them the elders of every city, and the judges thereof, until the fierce wrath of our God for this matter be turned from us.
Ezra's proposal belongs to his effort to separate the people from the heathen and restore them to a spiritual condition in which they could carry forward the rebuilding of Jerusalem. It set forth an organized, public process in which the rulers would stand for the whole congregation to oversee the response, while all those who had taken strange or foreign wives would come at appointed times with the elders and judges of every city so their cases could be considered and the matter addressed. The rulers were to convene and represent the congregation, and the men involved were to appear respectively by town with their city elders and judges at appointed hearings until God's wrath over the matter was turned away.
The staggered approach was needed because the people involved were many, it was a time of much rain so they could not stand outside, and it was not a work of one day or two since many had transgressed in this thing. Those in the transgression were therefore to come respectively at their appointed times until all had cleared themselves. The action was directed at the trespass of Israel in taking strange wives, to address the community's guilt and turn away the fierce wrath of God for this matter. This suggestion was adopted as the orderly way to deal with the crisis over foreign marriages.
Carrying out the work took two whole months, from the first day of the tenth month until the first day of the first month. It ended in the putting away of the foreign wives and their children along with other heathen practices, as a practical separation from the surrounding world. That separation from the world and determination to obey God's commandments were necessary preparations for understanding the law. As counsel on marriage, the verse is to be read and prayerfully considered and cheerfully obeyed before entering marriage, giving timely warning to marry only in the Lord and not take strange wives. Neglecting this counsel brings bitter anguish of heart, painful regret for long years, and frequent disappointment in that honorable estate.