Nehemias 5
1 Der lød nu højrøstede Klager fra Folket og deres Kvinder mod deres Brødre, Jøderne.
And the cry of the people and their wives [was] great against their brethren the Jews.
2 Nogle sagde: »Vore Sønner og Døtre maa vi give i Pant for at faa Korn til Livets Ophold!«
And some said, We [are] numerous with our sons and our daughters; so we will take corn, and eat, and live.
3 Andre sagde: »Vore Marker, Vingaarde og Huse maa vi give i Pant for at faa Korn under Hungersnøden!«
And some said, [As to] our fields and vineyards and houses, let us pledge [them], and we will take corn, and eat.
4 Atter andre sagde: »Vi har maattet laane paa vore Marker og Vingaarde for at kunne udrede de kongelige Skatter!
And some said, We have borrowed money for the king's tributes: —our fields, and our vineyards, and houses [are pledged].
5 Og vore Legemer er dog lige saa gode som vore Brødres og vore Sønner lige saa gode som deres; men vi er nødt til at give vore Sønner og Døtre hen til at blive Trælle, ja, nogle af vore Døtre er det allerede, og det stod ikke i vor Magt at hindre det, eftersom vore Marker og Vingaarde tilhører andre!«
And now our flesh [is] as the flesh of our brethren, our children [are] as their children: yet, behold, we are reducing our sons and our daughters to slavery, and some of our daughters are enslaved: and there is no power of our hands, for our fields and our vineyards [belong] to the nobles.
6 Da jeg hørte deres Klager og disse deres Ord, blussede Vreden heftigt op i mig;
And I was much grieved as I heard their cry and these words.
7 og efter at have tænkt over Sagen gik jeg i Rette med de store og Forstanderne og sagde til dem: I driver jo Aager over for eders Næste! Saa kaldte jeg en stor Folkeforsamling sammen imod dem
And my heart took counsel within me, and I contended against the nobles, and the princes, and I said to them, Should every man demand of his brother what you demand? And I appointed against them a great assembly,
8 og sagde til dem: Saa vidt vi var i Stand dertil, har vi frikøbt vore jødiske Brødre, der maatte sælge sig til Hedningerne; og I sælger eders Brødre, saa de maa sælge sig til os! Da tav de og fandt intet at svare.
and I said to them, We of our free-will have redeemed our brethren the Jews that were sold to the Gentiles; and do you sell your brethren? and shall they be delivered to us? And they were silent, and found no answer.
9 Men jeg fortsatte: Det er ikke ret af eder at handle saaledes! Skulde I ikke vandre i Frygt for vor Gud af Hensyn til Hedningerne, vore Fjenders Spot?
And I said, The thing which you do [is] not good; you will not so walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the Gentiles our enemies.
10 Ogsaa jeg og mine Brødre og mine Folk har laant dem Penge og Korn; men lad os nu eftergive dem, hvad de skylder!
Both my brethren, and my acquaintances, and I, have lent them money and corn: let us now leave off this exaction.
11 Giv dem straks deres Marker, Vingaarde, Oliventræer og Huse tilbage og eftergiv dem Pengene, Kornet, Mosten og Olien, som I har laant dem!
Restore to them, I pray, as at this day, their fields, and their vineyards, and their olive yards, and their houses, and bring forth to them corn and wine and oil of the money.
12 Da svarede de: Ja, vi vil give det tilbage og ikke afkræve dem noget; som du siger, vil vi gøre! Jeg lod da Præsterne kalde og lod dem sværge paa, at de vilde handle saaledes.
And they said, We will restore, and we will not exact of them; we will do thus as you say. Then I called the priests, and bound them by oath to do according to this word.
13 Og jeg rystede min Brystfold og sagde: Enhver, der ikke holder dette Ord, vil Gud saaledes ryste ud af hans Hus og Ejendom; ja, saaledes skal han blive udrystet og tømt! Da sagde hele Forsamlingen: Amen! Og de lovpriste HERREN; og Folket handlede efter sit Løfte.
And I shook out my garment, and said, So may God shake out every man who shall not keep to this word, from his house, and from his labors, he shall be even thus shaken out, as an outcast and empty. And all the congregation said, Amen, and they praised the Lord: and the people did this thing.
14 Desuden skal det nævnes, at fra den Dag Kong Artaxerxes bød mig være deres Statholder i Judas Land, fra Kong Artaxerxes's tyvende til hans to og tredivte Regeringsaar, hele tolv Aar, spiste hverken jeg eller mine Brødre det Brød, der tilkom Statholderen,
From the day that he charged me to be their ruler in the land of Juda, from the twentieth year even to the thirty-second year of Arthasastha, twelve years, I and my brethren ate not [provision] extorted from them.
15 medens mine Forgængere, de tidligere Statholdere, lagde Tynge paa Folket og for Brød og Vin daglig afkrævede dem fyrretyve Sekel Sølv, ligesom ogsaa deres Tjenere optraadte som Folkets Herrer. Det undlod jeg at gøre af Frygt for Gud.
But as for the former acts of extortion wherein [those who were] before me oppressed them, they even took of them their last money, forty didrachmas for bread and wine; and the [very] outcasts of them exercised authority over the people: but I did not so, because of the fear of God.
16 Og desuden tog jeg selv fat ved Arbejdet paa denne Mur, skønt vi ingen Mark havde købt, og alle mine Folk var samlet der ved Arbejdet.
Also in the work of the wall I treated them not with rigor, I bought not land: and all that were gathered together [came] there to the work.
17 Og Jøderne, baade Forstanderne, 150 Mand, og de, der kom til os fra de omboende Hedningefolk, spiste ved mit Bord;
And the Jews, to [the number of] a hundred and fifty men, besides those coming to us from the nations round about, [were] at my table.
18 og hvad der daglig lavedes til, et Stykke Hornkvæg, seks udsøgte Faar og Fjerkræ, afholdt jeg Udgifterne til; dertil kom hver tiende Dag en Masse Vin af alle Sorter. Men alligevel krævede jeg ikke det Brød, der tilkom Statholderen, fordi Arbejdet tyngede haardt paa Folket.
And there came [to me] for one day one calf, and I had six choice sheep and a goat; and every ten days wine in abundance of all sorts: yet with these I required not the bread of extortion, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.
19 Kom i Hu alt, hvad jeg har gjort for dette Folk, og regn mig det til gode, min Gud!
Remember me, O God, for good, [in] all that I have done to this people.
