Ezra

At this point, we're nearing the end of the history of the nation of Israel as recorded in the Old Testament. We see the return of the people from Persia, and their desire to return to the Old Time Religion. As in isolation, xenophobia, and the need for the racial purity of the Holy Seed. Ezra is a small book with a fair lot of space taken up with lists of people and construction details. Still, there's a few good quotes for us to look at.

Ez 4:1-3 - When the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple to the LORD, the God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of the families and said to them, "Let us build with you, for we worship your God as you do, and we have been sacrificing to him ever since the days of King Esar-haddon of Assyria who brought us here." But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of families in Israel said to them, "You shall have no part with us in building a house to our God; but we alone will build to the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus of Persia has commanded us.
How dare these non-holy people ask to help build God's temple? They were considered enemies and outsiders, in spite of the fact that they worshipped the same god as the returning people. The attitude appears to be one of "He's OUR god - you can't have him!"

Ez 6:11,12 - Furthermore I decree that if anyone alters this edict, a beam shall be pulled out of the house of the perpetrator, who then shall be impaled on it. The house shall be made a dunghill. May the God who has established his name there overthrow any king or people that shall put forth a hand to alter this, or to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, make this decree; let it be done with all diligence.
It's fairly obvious that barbarity was a common trait of people all over this part of the world in those days. There are a couple of interesting points to make here, though. As we'll see shortly, this building project took the reigns of three Persian kings to complete. I don't know - not much diligence there, is my guess. Also, Darius had a go at asking God to punish anyone who delayed the project or destroyed the rebuilt temple. Once more, this failed to be an effective threat.

Ez 6:14 - So the elders of the Jews built and prospered, through the prophesying of the prophet Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo. They finished their building by command of the God of Israel and by decree of Cyrus, Darius, and King Artaxerxes of Persia.
Odd, isn't it, how the building by the Jews needed not only the command of God, but also the work of the Jews and the political support of three kings, not to mention their money?

Ez 9:1-4 - After these things had been done, the officials approached me and said, "The people of Israel, the priests, and the Levites have not separated themselves from the people of the lands with their abominations, from the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons. Thus the holy seed has mixed itself with the peoples of the lands, and in this faithlessness the officials and leaders have led the way." When I heard this, I tore my garment and my mantle, and pulled hair from my head and beard and sat apalled. Then all who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the faithlessness of the returned exiles, gathered around me while I sat apalled until the evening sacrifice.
Ezra, who claims to be a direct descendant of Levi and quite a holy guy, is really into racial purity. Apparently, he's really upset that the "holy seed" should become mixed with the sub-human folks living in his promised land. Now this is a real old-time religion!

Ez 10:10-14 - Then Ezra the priest stood up and said to them, "You have trespassed and married foreign women, and so increased the guilt of Israel. Now make confession to the LORD the God of your ancestors, and do his will; separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign wives." Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, "It is so; we must do as you have said. But the people are many, and it is a time of heavy rain; we cannot stand in the open. Nor is this a task for one day or for two, for many have transgressed in this matter. Let our officials represent the whole assembly, and let all in our towns who have taken foreign wives come at appointed times, and with them the elders and judges of every town, until the fierce wrath of our God on this account is averted from us."
So Ezra has his answer to the problem of racial impurity. Mass divorces. In other words, the women and children of these unauthorized marriages were to be cast aside with no further thought, regardless of their feelings or suffering. The only concern the men had was how much time it would take to process the paper work! Also, I seem to remember back in Deuteronomy seeing some laws that allowed marriages to non-Jewish women. Have these laws been repealed? By whom?