1 Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, "The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites.
The original people of Canaan’s land had not only ignored God but had been exceedingly evil. They participated in prostitution, sacrificed their children to demons, and sold each other into slavery. This was why God had destroyed them and brought in Israel in the first place.
He had also commanded Israel not to EVER marry the Canaanites. This was not for “racial purity,” because some inter-marriages were allowed (such as with the Egyptians, most of the neighboring nations, and even one of the eight nations within Canaan), as well as marriage to proselytes. God didn’t want them to inter-marry because when one of His servants marries a non-believer, the believer quits following Him.
These refugees had inter-married with everyone around them and were in danger of being led astray. God simply could not work in their midst if half of each marriage was actively pursuing false gods!
2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers has been chief in this trespass.
I’m not sure the Jews ever really understood the reasons for the separation between them and other people. They were actually quite racist, while God most certainly isn’t.
Those in leadership had been the worst about intermarriage.
3 And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonished.
4 Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonished. until the evening sacrifice.
Here they had traveled all this way, through all this danger to escape the “Evil Empire,” just to bring it with them.
5 And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the Lord my God,
6 And said, “O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to Thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens.”
“Boy, have we messed up!”
7 “Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.”
“We’ve messed up since the beginning and You, God, have punished us for it.”
8 “And now for a little space grace has been showed from the Lord our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in His holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.”
“You’ve rescued us.”
9 “For we were bondmen; yet our God has not forsaken us in our bondage, but has extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.”
“Now we have the chance to start all over and do it right.”
10 “And now, O our God, what shall we say after this? For we have forsaken Thy commandments,”
“And we can’t even do that right.”
11 “Which Thou have commanded by Thy servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.’”
“You warned us that those here before us were bad sinners.”
12 “’Now therefore give not your daughters unto their sons, neither take their daughters unto your sons, nor seek their peace or their wealth forever: that ye may be strong, and eat the good of the land, and leave it for an inheritance to your children forever.’”
“And told us to not marry into their people so that we could serve You forever.”
13 “And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that Thou our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and have given us such deliverance as this;”
“You punished us much less than we deserved.”
14 “Should we again break Thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? Would not Thou be angry with us till Thou had consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping?”
“We’ve already messed up!”
15 “O Lord God of Israel, Thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before Thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before Thee because of this.”
“How can we even begin to serve You, since we have already messed up so bad?”