Nehemiah 5
1 To naah kaminawk hoi a zunawk loe angmacae Judah nawkamyanawk to laisaep o thuih.
Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brothers the Jews.
2 Thoemto kaminawk mah, Kaicae loe canu hoi capa ka tawnh o mangh; to pongah ka caak o moe, ka hing o thai hanah, cang phawh han angaih, tiah a thuih o.
For there were some who said, “We, our sons and our daughters, are many. Let us get grain, that we may eat and live.”
3 Thoemto kaminawk mah, Khokha pongah, cang qan hanah laikok, takha hoi imnawk to ka pawng o boeh, tiah thuih o.
There were also some who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses. Let us get grain, because of the famine.”
4 Thoemto kaminawk mah loe, Lawk hoi misur takha nuiah siangpahrang mah kok ih tamut to paek hanah phoisa coi han angai boeh.
There were also some who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute using our fields and our vineyards as collateral.
5 Vaihi kaicae ih ngan loe kaimacae nawkamyanawk ih ngan baktiah oh moe, kaicae ih caanawk doeh nihcae ih caanawk baktiah ni oh o; khenah, kaicae ih capa hoi canunawk loe tamna ah angcoeng hanah ka sak o boeh, thoemto aicae ih canunawk doeh misong ah hoih o boeh; kaicae ih lawk hoi misur takhanawk loe minawk kalah ban ah oh ving boeh pongah, misong ah kaom kaicae ih canunawk doeh ka krang o thai ai boeh, tiah a thuih o.
Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children as their children. Behold, we bring our sons and our daughters into bondage to be servants, and some of our daughters have been brought into bondage. It is also not in our power to help it, because other men have our fields and our vineyards.”
6 Nihcae laisaephaih hoi hae baktih loknawk to ka thaih naah, paroeai palung ka phui.
I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
7 To naah ka poek moe, angraengnawk hoi ukkungnawk to ka kawk, Nihcae khaeah, nam nawkamyanawk nuiah acaa kamtlai hmoek ah phoisa na caak o, tiah ka zoeh pacoengah, to kawng thuih hanah kaminawk to kam kuengsak.
Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers, and said to them, “You exact usury, everyone of his brother.” I held a great assembly against them.
8 Kai mah nihcae khaeah, Sithaw panoek ai kaminawk khaeah zawh ih aicae nawkamya Judahnawk to angcoeng thaih thung akrang hanah ka zom o; toe nam nawkamyanawk to kaicae mah akrang pae tih hmang, tiah poek pongah kapop aep ah na zawh o let han vop maw? To tih ai boeh loe nihcae to aimacae acaeng khaeah na zawh o let han maw? tiah ka naa. To naah nihcae mah lok pathim o ai, anghngai o duem.
I said to them, “We, after our ability, have redeemed our brothers the Jews that were sold to the nations; and would you even sell your brothers, and should they be sold to us?” Then they held their peace, and found not a word to say.
9 Kai mah, Na sak o ih hmuen hae hoih ai; Sithaw panoek ai kaminawk mah aicae kasae thuih han ai ah, aicae Angraeng Sithaw zithaih palungthin hoiah khosak han om ai maw?
Also I said, “The thing that you do is not good. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies?
10 Kam nawkamyanawk hoi ka tamnanawk mah doeh, minawk hanah phoisa hoi canghum to coisak toeng, toe a caa to kamtlai hmoek ah la o hmah si.
I likewise, my brothers and my servants, lend them money and grain. Please let us stop this usury.
11 Vaihni roe ah, lawknawk, misur takhanawk, olive takhanawk, imnawk to paek o let ah, to pacoengah kamtlai hmoek ah a caa kangpung cumvaito ah na lak o ih phoisa, canghum, misurtui, thingthai hoi situinawk doeh paek o let ah, tiah ka naa.
Please restore to them, even today, their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, that you are charging them.”
12 Nihcae mah, Ka paek o let han hmang, tidoeh ka hni o mak ai boeh; na thuih ih lok baktih toengah ka sak o han, tiah thuih o. To naah a thuih o ih lok baktih toengah sak o hanah, qaimanawk to ka kawk moe, lokkamhaih ka saksak.
Then they said, “We will restore them, and will require nothing of them. We will do so, even as you say.” Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they would do according to this promise.
13 Kaimah roe qan ih kahni to ka takhoek moe, Hae lokkamhaih pazui ai kami loe, Sithaw mah a im hoi a tawnh ih hmuennawk to hae tiah takhoek pae nasoe, tidoeh tawn ai ah takhoek pae bit nasoe, tiah ka naa. To naah rangpui mah, Amen, tiah thuih o moe, Angraeng to saphaw o; to kaminawk mah lokkamhaih baktih toengah sak o.
Also I shook out my lap, and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that doesn’t perform this promise; even may he be shaken out and emptied like this.” All the assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the LORD. The people did according to this promise.
14 To pacoengah, Judah ukkung ah ka ohhaih saning, Artaxerxes siangpahrang ah ohhaih saning pumphaeto hoi kamtong saning qui thum, hnetto karoek to, saning hatlai hnetto thung, kaimah hoi kam nawknawk mah, ukkung mah caak han koi caaknaek to ka caa o ai.
Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brothers have not eaten the bread of the governor.
15 Toe kai om ai naah toksah ukkungnawk loe kaminawk khaeah buh hoi misurtui pacoengah, sum kanglung shekel quipalito a kok o; ue, nihcae ih tamnanawk mah doeh kaminawk nuiah akaa tawnh o. Toe Sithaw to ka zit pongah, kai loe to tiah ka sah ai.
But the former governors who were before me were supported by the people, and took bread and wine from them, plus forty shekels of silver; yes, even their servants ruled over the people, but I didn’t do so, because of the fear of God.
16 Ue, kai loe tapang pakaahaih tok ni ka sak patomh poe; kaicae loe long doeh ka qan o ai; kai han toksah ka tamnanawk doeh tokkung ah ni kam khuengsak boih.
Yes, I also continued in the work of this wall. We didn’t buy any land. All my servants were gathered there to the work.
17 Prae taengah kaom, kaicae khaeah angzo Sithaw panoek ai kaminawk pacoengah, Judah kaminawk hoi ukkung angraeng cumvai, quipangatonawk doeh, ka caboi nuiah ni buh a caak o.
Moreover there were at my table, of the Jews and the rulers, one hundred fifty men, in addition to those who came to us from among the nations that were around us.
18 Ni thokkruek maitaw tae maeto, tuu tarukto hoi aanawk to kai hanah ang paek o; ni hato kruek misurtui congca ang thak o; to tiah hmuen to oh, toe kaminawk hanah hmuenzit ah oh pongah, ukkungnawk han paek koi caaknaek to ka la ai.
Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days a store of all sorts of wine. Yet for all this, I didn’t demand the governor’s pay, because the bondage was heavy on this people.
19 Aw ka Sithaw, hae kaminawk nuiah ka sak ih kahoih hmuennawk pongah, na pahnet hmah, tiah lawk ka thuih.
Remember me, my God, for all the good that I have done for this people.
