Nehemias 5

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

Then the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow 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.

For there were some who said, “With our sons and daughters we are many. So let us get grain that we may eat and stay 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!

There were also some who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain during the famine.”

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

Some also said, “We have borrowed money to pay the king's tax on our fields 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.

Yet now our flesh and blood is the same as our brothers, and our children are the same as their children. We are forced to sell our sons and our daughters to become slaves. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved. But it is not in our power to help it because other men now own our fields and our vineyards.”

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

I was very angry 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,

Then I thought about this, and brought charges against the nobles and officials. I said to them, “You are exacting interest, each from his own brother.” I held a great assembly against them

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 said to them, “We, as much as we are able, have bought back from slavery our Jewish brothers who had been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers and sisters that they may be sold back to us!” They were silent and never found a word to say.

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?

Also I said, “What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations that are our enemies?

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

I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. But we must stop charging interest on these loans.

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.

Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses and the percentage of the money, the grain, the new wine, and the oil that you exacted from 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.

Then they said, “We will return what we took from them, and will require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” Then I called the priests, and made them swear to do as they had promised.

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.

I shook out the fold of my robe and said, “So may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep his promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” All the assembly said, “Amen,” and they praised Yahweh and the people did as they had promised.

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.

So from the time I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food provided for the governor.

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.

But the former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people, and took from them forty shekels of silver for their daily food and wine. Even their servants oppressed the people. But I did not do 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.

I also continued to work on the wall, and we bought no land, and all my servants were gathered there for 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.

At my table were the Jews and the officials, 150 men, besides those who came to us from among the nations who were around us.

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 what was prepared each day was one ox, six choice sheep, and also birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance, yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the demands were too heavy on the people.

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

Call me to mind, my God, for good, because of all that I have done for this people.