Nehemias 5

1 Og der rejste sig et stort Skrig af Folket og deres Hustruer imod deres Brødre, Jøderne.

Then came there to be a great outcry of the people and their wives, —against their brethren the Jews.

2 Thi der var nogle, som sagde: Vi med vore Sønner og vore Døtre ere mange; saa lader os da faa Korn, at vi maa æde og leve.

And there were some who were saying, Our sons and our daughters, are we pledging, —that we may obtain corn, and eat, and keep ourselves alive.

3 Der var og dem, som sagde: Vi have pantsat vore Agre og vore Vingaarde og vore Huse; lader os da faa Korn i denne Hungersnød!

And there were some who were saying, Our fields and our vineyards and our houses, are we pledging, —that we may obtain corn in the dearth.

4 Og der var dem, som sagde: Vi have laant Penge paa vore Agre og vore Vingaarde for at betale Kongen Skat.

And there were others who were saying, We have borrowed silver, for the king’s tribute, —[upon] our lands and our vineyards.

5 Nu er dog vort Legeme saa godt som vore Brødres Legeme og vore Børn som deres Børn; men se, vi maa give vore Sønner og vore Døtre hen som Trælle, ja, der er nogle af vore Døtre alt givne hen og ere ikke i vore Hænders Magt, medens vore Agre og vore Vingaarde tilhøre andre.

Now, therefore, as is the flesh of our brethren, so is our flesh, as are their children, so are our children. Yet lo! we are putting in subjection our sons and our daughters, for bondservants, yea there are some of our daughters already trodden down, and we are powerless, and, our fields and our vineyards, belong to others.

6 Og min Vrede optændtes saare, der jeg hørte deres Skrig og disse Ord.

And it angered me greatly, —when I heard their outcry, and these words.

7 Og jeg overvejede Sagen i mit Hjerte, og jeg trættede med de ypperste og Forstanderne og sagde til dem: I trykke den ene den anden med Gæld! og jeg stillede en stor Forsamling imod dem,

So my heart took counsel unto me and I contended with the nobles and with the deputies, and said to them, A loan on interest—every man to his brother, are ye making, —So I appointed over them a great assembly;

8 Og jeg sagde til dem: Vi have løskøbt vore Brødre, Jøderne, som vare solgte til Hedningerne, efter vor Formue, og I, I ville derimod sælge eders Brødre, og skulle de sælge sig til os? Da tav de og fandt intet at svare.

and I said unto them, We, have bought our brethren the Jews, who had sold themselves unto the nations, according to our ability, and will, ye, even sell your brethren, or shall they sell themselves unto us? And they were silent, and found no answer.

9 Fremdeles sagde jeg: Det er ikke en god Ting, som I gøre; skulde I ikke vandre i vor Guds Frygt for Hedningernes, vore Fjenders, Forsmædelses Skyld?

Then said I, Not good, is the thing which ye are doing, —ought ye not, in the fear of God, to walk, because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies?

10 Og jeg, mine Brødre og mine Tjenere, vi have betroet dem Penge og Korn; lader os dog eftergive denne Gæld!

I too, then, my brethren and my young men, might be lending unto them on interest silver and corn! I pray you, let us leave off this lending on interest!

11 Kære, tilbagegiver dem paa denne Dag deres Agre, deres Vingaarde, deres Oliegaarde og deres Huse, og den hundrede Part af Pengene og Kornet, Mosten og Olien, som I have betroet dem.

Restore, I pray you, unto them this very day, their fields, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, —also the hundredth of silver and corn, new wine and oil, for which ye have been lending to them.

12 Da sagde de: Vi ville give det tilbage og intet kræve af dem, saaledes ville vi gøre, ligesom du har sagt; og jeg kaldte ad Præsterne og tog en Ed af dem, at de skulde gøre efter dette Ord.

And they said, We will restore them, and, from them, will we require nothing, so, will we do, as thou, art saying. Then called I the priests, and put them on oath, to do according to this promise.

13 Jeg udrystede ogsaa min Kjortelflig og sagde: Saaledes udryste Gud hver Mand fra sit Hus og fra sit Arbejde, naar han ikke holder dette Ord, og han blive saa udrystet og tom! Og den ganske Forsamling sagde: Amen! og de lovede Herren, og Folket gjorde efter dette Ord.

Also, my lap, shook I out, and said—Thus and thus, may God shake out every man who shall not confirm this promise, out of his house and out of his labour, yea, thus and thus, let him be shaken out and empty, —And all the convocation said, Amen! and praised Yahweh, and the people did according to this promise.

14 Ogsaa fra den Dag, da Kongen befalede mig at være deres Landshøvding i Judas Land, som var fra det tyvende Aar og indtil Kong Artakserkses's to og tredivte Aar, det er tolv Aar, aad jeg og mine Brødre ikke det Landshøvdingen tilkommende Brød.

Moreover, from the day I was commanded to become their pasha in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year, even unto the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, I and my brethren, pasha’s bread, have not eaten;

15 Og de forrige Landshøvdinger, som havde været før mig, havde besværet Folket og taget Brød og Vin af dem og derefter fyrretyve Sekel Sølv, ogsaa deres Tjenere herskede over Folket; men jeg gjorde ikke saa for Guds Frygts Skyld.

whereas, the former pashas, who were before me, suffered themselves to be a burden upon the people, and took from them in bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver, even, their young men, bare rule over the people, —but, I, did not so, because of the fear of God.

16 Tilmed lagde jeg Haand paa Arbejdet med denne Mur, og vi købte ingen Agre; og alle mine Tjenere maatte forsamle sig der til Arbejdet.

Moreover also, in this work of the wall, I repaired, and, no field, did we buy, —though, all my young men, were gathered thither unto the work.

17 Tilmed vare af Jøderne og Forstanderne hundrede og halvtredsindstyve Mænd, og de, som kom til os fra Hedningerne, der vare trindt omkring os, ved mit Bord.

And, Jews and deputies, a hundred and fifty men, and they who were coming in unto us from among the nations which were round about us, [depended] upon my table.

18 Og det, som blev lavet til een Dag, var een Okse, seks udvalgte Faar samt Fugle, som bleve lavede til mig, og een Gang i Løbet af ti Dage var der Vin af al Slags i Overflødighed; desuagtet krævede jeg ikke det Landshøvdingen tilkommende Brød, thi Arbejdet laa svart paa dette Folk.

Now, that which was prepared for a single day, was—one ox, six choice sheep, also, fowls, were prepared for me, and, apportioned unto ten days, of every sort of wine, in abundance, —yet, in spite of this, the bread of the pasha, demanded I not, because heavy was the bondage upon this people.

19 Min Gud! kom i Hu, mig til det gode, alt det, som jeg har gjort for dette Folk!

Remember unto me, O my God, for good, —all that I have done for this people.