Nehemias 5

1 Der lød nu højrøstede Klager fra Folket og deres Kvinder mod deres Brødre, Jøderne.

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

2 Nogle sagde: »Vore Sønner og Døtre maa vi give i Pant for at faa Korn til Livets Ophold!«

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 Andre sagde: »Vore Marker, Vingaarde og Huse maa vi give i Pant for at faa Korn under Hungersnøden!«

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

4 Atter andre sagde: »Vi har maattet laane paa vore Marker og Vingaarde for at kunne udrede de kongelige Skatter!

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

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!«

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 Da jeg hørte deres Klager og disse deres Ord, blussede Vreden heftigt op i mig;

I was very angry when I heard their outcry 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

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 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 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 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?

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 Ogsaa jeg og mine Brødre og mine Folk har laant dem Penge og Korn; men lad os nu eftergive dem, hvad de skylder!

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

11 Giv dem straks deres Marker, Vingaarde, Oliventræer og Huse tilbage og eftergiv dem Pengene, Kornet, Mosten og Olien, som I har laant 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 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.

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 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.

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 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,

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 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 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 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.

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

17 Og Jøderne, baade Forstanderne, 150 Mand, og de, der kom til os fra de omboende Hedningefolk, spiste 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 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.

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 Kom i Hu alt, hvad jeg har gjort for dette Folk, og regn mig det til gode, min Gud!

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