Nehemiah 5

1 Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their countrymen the Jews.

καὶ ἦν κραυγὴ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ γυναικῶν αὐτῶν μεγάλη πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτῶν τοὺς Ιουδαίους

2 For there were some who said, We, our sons and our daughters, are a great number: let us get grain, so that we may have food for our needs.

καὶ ἦσάν τινες λέγοντες ἐν υἱοῖς ἡμῶν καὶ ἐν θυγατράσιν ἡμῶν ἡμεῖς πολλοί καὶ λημψόμεθα σῖτον καὶ φαγόμεθα καὶ ζησόμεθα

3 And there were some who said, We are giving our fields and our vine-gardens and our houses for debt: let us get grain because we are in need.

καὶ εἰσίν τινες λέγοντες ἀγροὶ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀμπελῶνες ἡμῶν καὶ οἰκίαι ἡμῶν ἡμεῖς διεγγυῶμεν καὶ λημψόμεθα σῖτον καὶ φαγόμεθα

4 And there were others who said, We have given up our fields and our vine-gardens to get money for the king's taxes.

καὶ εἰσίν τινες λέγοντες ἐδανεισάμεθα ἀργύριον εἰς φόρους τοῦ βασιλέως ἀγροὶ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀμπελῶνες ἡμῶν καὶ οἰκίαι ἡμῶν

5 But our flesh is the same as the flesh of our countrymen, and our children as their children: and now we are giving our sons and daughters into the hands of others, to be their servants, and some of our daughters are servants even now: and we have no power to put a stop to it; for other men have our fields and our vine-gardens.

καὶ νῦν ὡς σὰρξ ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν σὰρξ ἡμῶν ὡς υἱοὶ αὐτῶν υἱοὶ ἡμῶν καὶ ἰδοὺ ἡμεῖς καταδυναστεύομεν τοὺς υἱοὺς ἡμῶν καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας ἡμῶν εἰς δούλους καὶ εἰσὶν ἀπὸ θυγατέρων ἡμῶν καταδυναστευόμεναι καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν δύναμις χειρῶν ἡμῶν καὶ ἀγροὶ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀμπελῶνες ἡμῶν τοῖς ἐντίμοις

6 And on hearing their outcry and what they said I was very angry.

καὶ ἐλυπήθην σφόδρα καθὼς ἤκουσα τὴν κραυγὴν αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς λόγους τούτους

7 And after turning it over in my mind, I made a protest to the chiefs and the rulers, and said to them, Every one of you is taking interest from his countryman. And I got together a great meeting of protest.

καὶ ἐβουλεύσατο καρδία μου ἐπ’ ἐμέ καὶ ἐμαχεσάμην πρὸς τοὺς ἐντίμους καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ εἶπα αὐτοῖς ἀπαιτήσει ἀνὴρ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ὑμεῖς ἀπαιτεῖτε καὶ ἔδωκα ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ἐκκλησίαν μεγάλην

8 And I said to them, We have given whatever we were able to give, to make our brothers the Jews free, who were servants and prisoners of the nations: and would you now give up your brothers for a price, and are they to become our property? Then they said nothing, answering not a word.

καὶ εἶπα αὐτοῖς ἡμεῖς κεκτήμεθα τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἡμῶν τοὺς Ιουδαίους τοὺς πωλουμένους τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐν ἑκουσίῳ ἡμῶν καὶ ὑμεῖς πωλεῖτε τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ὑμῶν καὶ ἡσύχασαν καὶ οὐχ εὕροσαν λόγον

9 And I said, What you are doing is not good: is it not the more necessary for you to go in the fear of our God, because of the shame which the nations may put on us?

καὶ εἶπα οὐκ ἀγαθὸς ὁ λόγος ὃν ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε οὐχ οὕτως ἐν φόβῳ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἀπελεύσεσθε ἀπὸ ὀνειδισμοῦ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἡμῶν

10 Even I and my servants have been taking interest for the money and the grain we have let them have. So now, let us give up this thing.

καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί μου καὶ οἱ γνωστοί μου καὶ ἐγὼ ἐθήκαμεν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀργύριον καὶ σῖτον ἐγκαταλίπωμεν δὴ τὴν ἀπαίτησιν ταύτην

11 Give back to them this very day their fields, their vine-gardens, their olive-gardens, and their houses, as well as a hundredth part of the money and the grain and the wine and the oil which you have taken from them.

ἐπιστρέψατε δὴ αὐτοῖς ὡς σήμερον ἀγροὺς αὐτῶν ἀμπελῶνας αὐτῶν ἐλαίας αὐτῶν καὶ οἰκίας αὐτῶν καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀργυρίου τὸν σῖτον καὶ τὸν οἶνον καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον ἐξενέγκατε αὐτοῖς

12 Then they said, We will give them back, and take nothing for them; we will do as you say. Then I sent for the priests and made them take an oath that they would keep this agreement.

καὶ εἶπαν ἀποδώσομεν καὶ παρ’ αὐτῶν οὐ ζητήσομεν οὕτως ποιήσομεν καθὼς σὺ λέγεις καὶ ἐκάλεσα τοὺς ἱερεῖς καὶ ὥρκισα αὐτοὺς ποιῆσαι ὡς τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο

13 And shaking out the folds of my robe, I said, So may God send out from his house and his work every man who does not keep this agreement; even so let him be sent out and made as nothing. And all the meeting of the people said, So be it, and gave praise to the Lord. And the people did as they had said.

καὶ τὴν ἀναβολήν μου ἐξετίναξα καὶ εἶπα οὕτως ἐκτινάξαι ὁ θεὸς πάντα ἄνδρα ὃς οὐ στήσει τὸν λόγον τοῦτον ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκ κόπου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔσται οὕτως ἐκτετιναγμένος καὶ κενός καὶ εἶπεν πᾶσα ἡ ἐκκλησία αμην καὶ ᾔνεσαν τὸν κύριον καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ λαὸς τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο

14 Now from the time when I was made ruler of the people in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year till the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, for twelve years, I and my servants have never taken the food which was the right of the ruler.

ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ἧς ἐνετείλατό μοι εἶναι εἰς ἄρχοντα αὐτῶν ἐν γῇ Ιουδα ἀπὸ ἔτους εἰκοστοῦ καὶ ἕως ἔτους τριακοστοῦ καὶ δευτέρου τῷ Αρθασασθα ἔτη δώδεκα ἐγὼ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί μου βίαν αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔφαγον

15 But earlier rulers who were before me made the people responsible for their upkeep, and took from them bread and wine at the rate of forty shekels of silver; and even their servants were lords over the people: but I did not do so, because of the fear of God.

καὶ τὰς βίας τὰς πρώτας ἃς πρὸ ἐμοῦ ἐβάρυναν ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐλάβοσαν παρ’ αὐτῶν ἐν ἄρτοις καὶ ἐν οἴνῳ ἔσχατον ἀργύριον δίδραχμα τεσσαράκοντα καὶ οἱ ἐκτετιναγμένοι αὐτῶν ἐξουσιάζονται ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν καὶ ἐγὼ οὐκ ἐποίησα οὕτως ἀπὸ προσώπου φόβου θεοῦ

16 And I kept on with the work of this wall, and we got no land for ourselves: and all my servants were helping with the work.

καὶ ἐν ἔργῳ τοῦ τείχους τούτων οὐκ ἐκράτησα ἀγρὸν οὐκ ἐκτησάμην καὶ πάντες οἱ συνηγμένοι ἐκεῖ ἐπὶ τὸ ἔργον

17 And more than this, a hundred and fifty of the Jews and the rulers were guests at my table, in addition to those who came to us from the nations round about us.

καὶ οἱ Ιουδαῖοι ἑκατὸν καὶ πεντήκοντα ἄνδρες καὶ οἱ ἐρχόμενοι πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν κύκλῳ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τράπεζάν μου

18 Now the food made ready for one day was one ox and six fat sheep, as well as fowls; and once in ten days a store of all sorts of wine: but all the same, I did not take the food to which the ruler had a right, because the people were crushed under a hard yoke.

καὶ ἦν γινόμενον εἰς ἡμέραν μίαν μόσχος εἷς καὶ πρόβατα ἓξ ἐκλεκτὰ καὶ χίμαρος ἐγίνοντό μοι καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον δέκα ἡμερῶν ἐν πᾶσιν οἶνος τῷ πλήθει καὶ σὺν τούτοις ἄρτους τῆς βίας οὐκ ἐζήτησα ὅτι βαρεῖα ἡ δουλεία ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον

19 Keep in mind, O my God, for my good, all I have done for this people.

μνήσθητί μου ὁ θεός εἰς ἀγαθὸν πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησα τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ