Nehemiah 5

1 Now there was a great cry of the people, and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.

Pea naʻe lāunga lahi ʻae kakai mo honau ngaahi uaifi ki honau ngaahi kāinga ko e kakai Siu.

2 And there were some that said: Our sons and our daughters are very many: Yet us take up corn for the price of them, and let us eat and live.

He naʻe ai ʻae niʻihi naʻe lea ʻo pehē, “Ko kimautolu, ko homau ngaahi foha, mo homau ngaahi ʻofefine ʻoku mau tokolahi: ko ia ʻoku mau toʻo hake ai ʻae uite maʻanautolu, koeʻuhi ke mau kai, pea moʻui.”

3 And there were some that said: Let us mortgage our lands, and our vineyards, and our houses, and let us take corn because of the famine.

Naʻe ai mo e niʻihi naʻa nau lea, [ʻo pehē], “Kuo mau maʻu paʻanga koeʻuhi ko homau ngaahi fonua, mo e ngoue vaine, mo e ngaahi fale, koeʻuhi ke mau fakatau ʻae uite, ko e meʻa ʻi he honge.”

4 And others said: Let us borrow money for the king’s tribute, and let us give up our fields and vineyards:

Pea naʻe ʻi ai ʻae niʻihi foki naʻe pehē, “Kuo mau nō ʻae ngaahi paʻanga maʻae tukuhau ʻae tuʻi, pea fakamoʻua ki ai homau ngaahi fonua mo e ngoue vaine.

5 And now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren: and our children as their children. Behold we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters, and some of our daughters are bondwomen already, neither have we wherewith to redeem them, and our fields and our vineyards other men possess.

Ka ko eni ko homau kakano ʻoku tatau mo e kakano ʻo homau kāinga, mo ʻemau fānau ʻoku hangē ko ʻenau fānau: pea vakai, ʻoku mau fakapōpulaʻi homau ngaahi foha, mo homau ngaahi ʻofefine ke hoko ko e kau tamaioʻeiki, pea ko e niʻihi ʻo homau ʻofefine kuo fakahoko ni ki he fakapōpula: pea ʻoku ʻikai temau mafai ke huhuʻi ʻakinautolu; he ko e kau tangata kehe kuo maʻu homau fonua mo ʻemau ngoue vaine.”

6 And I was exceedingly angry when I heard their cry according to these words.

Pea ne u ʻita lahi ʻi heʻeku fanongo ki heʻenau tangi mo e ngaahi lea ni.

7 And my heart thought with myself: and I rebuked the nobles and magistrates, and said to them: Do you every one exact usury of your brethren? And I gathered together a great assembly against them,

Pea ne u fakalaulauloto, pea u valoki ʻae ngaahi houʻeiki, mo e kau pule, pea u pehē kiate kinautolu, ʻOku mou maʻu totongi lahi, taki taha mei hono tokoua. Pea ne u fokotuʻu hake ʻae fuʻu tokolahi ke taʻofi kiate kinautolu.

8 And I said to them: We, as you know, have redeemed according to our ability our brethren the Jews, that were sold to the Gentiles: and will you then sell your brethren, for us to redeem them? And they held their peace, and found not what to answer.

Pea ne u pehē kiate kinautolu, “Kuo fai ʻekimautolu ʻo fakatatau mo ʻemau mafai, ʻae huhuʻi ʻo homau kāinga ko e kakai Siu, ʻaia naʻe fakatau ki he kakai hiteni; pea temou fakatau koā ʻa homou ngaahi kāinga? Pe ʻe fakatau koā ʻakinautolu kiate kimautolu?” Pea naʻa nau longo pe, ʻo ʻikai ʻilo ha meʻa ke lea ʻaki.

9 And I said to them: The thing you do is not good: why walk you not in the fear of our God, that we be not exposed to the reproaches of the Gentiles our enemies?

Pea ne u pehē foki, “Ko ia ʻoku mou fai ʻoku ʻikai lelei: ʻikai ʻoku ngali ke mou ʻalu pe ʻi he manavahē ki hotau ʻOtua telia ʻae manuki ʻoe hiteni ko hotau ngaahi fili?

10 Both I and my brethren, and my servants, have lent money and corn to many: let us all agree not to call for it again; let us forgive the debt that is owing to us.

‌ʻE totonu foki ka ne ko au mo hoku kāinga mo ʻeku kau tamaioʻeiki, ke mau tala totongi kiate kinautolu ʻi he paʻanga mo e uite: ʻoku ou kole kiate kimoutolu ketau tuku muʻa ʻae tangi totongi ni.

11 Restore ye to them this day their fields, and their vineyards, and their oliveyards, and their houses: and the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, which you mere wont to exact of them, give it rather for them.

‌ʻOku ou kole kiate kimoutolu, mou toe ʻatu kiate kinautolu he ʻaho ni, honau fonua, mo ʻenau ngoue vaine, mo ʻenau ngoue ʻolive, mo honau ngaahi fale, mo hono teau ʻoe vahe ʻo ʻenau ngaahi paʻanga, mo e uite, mo e uaine, mo e lolo, ʻaia ʻoku mou tangi ke maʻu mālohi ʻiate kinautolu.”

12 And they said: We will restore, and we will require nothing of them: and we will do as thou sayest. And I called the priests and took an oath of them, to do according to what I had said.

Pea naʻa nau pehē mai, “Te mau toe ʻatu, pea ʻe ʻikai te mau tala ha meʻa ʻe taha ki ai; ko ia te mau fai ʻo hangē ko hoʻo lea.” Pea ne u ui ke haʻu ʻae kau taulaʻeiki, pea u fakafuakava ʻakinautolu, koeʻuhi ke nau fai ʻo fakatatau ki he lea papau ni.

13 Moreover I shook my lap, and said: So may God shake every man that shall not accomplish this word, out of his house, and out of his labours, thus may he be shaken out, and become empty. And all the multitude said: Amen. And they praised God. And the people did according to what was said.

Pea naʻaku tupetupeʻi hoku kofu foki, ʻo pehē, “Ke tupetupeʻi pehē ʻe he ʻOtua ʻae tangata kotoa pē mei hono fale, pea mei heʻene ngāue, ʻaia ʻoku ʻikai fakamoʻoni ki he lea ni, ʻio, ke tupetupeʻi ia kituʻa, pea liʻaki.” Pea naʻe pehē ʻe he fakataha kotoa pē, “ʻEmeni,” mo nau fakafetaʻi kia Sihova. Pea naʻe fai ʻe he kakai ʻo fakatatau ki he lea ni.

14 And from the day, in which the king commanded me to be governor in the land of Juda, from the twentieth year even to the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, for twelve years, I and my brethren did not eat the yearly allowance that was due to the governors.

Pea ko eni foki, talu ʻae kuonga ko ia naʻe fakanofo au ko honau pule ʻi he fonua ʻo Siuta, mei he taʻu ʻe uofulu ʻo hoko ki he taʻu ʻe tolungofulu ma ua ʻo ʻAtakisekisi ko e tuʻi, ʻaia ko e taʻu ʻe hongofulu ma ua, ko au mo hoku kāinga naʻe ʻikai te mau kai ʻae meʻakai ʻae pule.

15 But the former governors that had been before me, were chargeable to the people, and took of them in bread, and wine, and in money every day forty sides: and their officers also oppressed the people. But I did not so for the fear of God.

Ka ko e ngaahi pule naʻe ʻi muʻa ʻiate au naʻe moʻua ki ai ʻae kakai, pea naʻa nau maʻu ʻiate kinautolu ʻae mā mo e uaine, mo e sikeli siliva ʻe fāngofulu; ʻio, ko ʻenau kau tamaioʻeiki naʻa nau pule ki he kakai: ka naʻe ʻikai te u pehē, ko e meʻa ʻi he manavahē ki he ʻOtua.

16 Moreover I built in the work of the wall, and I bought no land, and all my servants were gathered together to the work.

Ko e moʻoni ne u fai maʻu pe ʻi he ngāue ʻae ʻā maka ni, pea naʻe ʻikai te mau fakatau ha potu fonua: pea naʻe tānaki fakataha ʻa ʻeku kau tamaioʻeiki kotoa pē ʻi ai ki he ngāue.

17 The Jews also and the magistrates to the number of one hundred and fifty men, were at my table, besides them that came to us from among the nations that were round about us.

Pea naʻe ʻi heʻeku keinangaʻanga foki ʻae kau Siu ʻe toko teau mo e nimangofulu, mo e kau pule, kaeʻumaʻā ʻakinautolu naʻe haʻu kiate kimautolu mei he hiteni ʻoku tuʻu takatakai ʻiate kimautolu.

18 And there was prepared for me day by day one ox, and six choice rams, besides fowls, and once in ten days I gave store of divers wines, and many other things: yet I did not require my yearly allowance as governor: for the people were very much impoverished.

Pea ko eni ko e meʻa naʻe teu kiate au ʻi he ʻaho kotoa pē, ko e pulu ʻe taha mo e sipi lelei ʻe ono; pea mo e fanga moa naʻe teuʻi kiate au, pea tuʻo taha ʻi he ʻaho ʻe hongofulu naʻe ʻomi ʻae tokonaki ʻoe ngaahi uaine kehekehe: pea neongo ʻae meʻa lahi ni kotoa pē, naʻe ʻikai te u maʻu ʻae mangisi ʻae pule, koeʻuhi naʻe māfasia lahi ʻae kakai ni.

19 Remember me, O my God, for good according to all that I have done for this people.

‌ʻE hoku ʻOtua, ke ke manatuʻi au ke u lelei ai, ʻo fakatatau ki he meʻa kotoa pē naʻaku fai mā ʻae kakai ni.