< Nehemiah 5 >

1 Around this time some people and their wives started a tremendous argument with the other Jews.
Te vaengah pilnam neh a yuu rhoek tah a manuca Judah taengah pangngawlnah muep om.
2 They were complaining, “Our families are so large we need more food so we can eat and live.”
Te vaengah, “Ka capa neh ka canu neh ka ping dongah cangpai ka dang uh daengah ni ka caak uh vetih ka hing uh eh,” aka ti om.
3 Others added, “We've had to mortgage our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to buy food during the famine.”
Ka khohmuen, ka misurdum neh ka im khaw ka hol mai vetih khokha vaengah he cangpai ka phil uh mai mako,” aka ti khaw om.
4 Still more said, “We've had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay the king's tax.
“Ka khohmuen neh ka misurdum kah manghai mangmu ham te tangka la ka rhong.
5 Even though we are the same people as our creditors and though our children are the same as their children, yet we going to have to turn our sons and daughters into slaves. In fact some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we can't do anything about it, because our fields and our vineyards are now owned by others.”
Mah manuca kah pumsa khaw mamih kah pumsa banghui coeng ni. Amih ca rhoek khaw mah ca rhoek banghui ni. Te cakhaw mamih loh mah ca tongpa neh mah ca huta rhoek te sal la ka khoh sak aya? Kaimih canu lakah khaw a khoh rhoek om coeng. Tedae mamih kah khohmuen neh mamih kah misurdum a tloe taengla om coeng tih mamih kut he Pathen pum dongah a om moenih,” ti.
6 I became very angry when I heard them protesting their grievances.
Amih kah a pang neh ol he ka yaak vaengah kai taengah muep sai coeng.
7 I thought it over and then I went to argue with the nobles and officials, telling them, “You are charging your own brothers interest!” So I called a large meeting to deal with them.
Tedae ka khuikah ka lungbuei tah a manghai van dongah hlangcoelh rhoek neh ukkung rhoek te ka toel. Te vaengah amih te, “A manuca taengkah a casai aka ca hlang nang loh lai na ba,” ka ti nah tih amih te vangpum duel ka khue thil.
8 There I told them, “We have done as much as we can to buy back our Jewish brothers who were sold to foreigners, but now you are selling your own brothers as slaves! Are you expecting to sell them back to us?” They kept quiet because they couldn't think of anything to say.
Te phoeiah amih te, “Namtom taengla a yoih mah manuca Judah rhoek te mah taengah a coengnah bangla mamih loh n'lai coeng dae nangmih loh na manuca rhoek te na yoih uh dongah mamih taengla koep han yoih uh dongah ngam uh tih ol om voel pawh.
9 “What you're doing isn't right,” I told them. “Don't you think you should respect our God so that enemy nations don't criticize us?
Ka thui cakhaw ol then na vai uh pawt dongah ni ka thui. Mamih kah thunkha namtom kah kokhahnah dong mai ah mamih kah Pathen hinyahnah neh na pongpa uh pawh nama?
10 I, as well as my brothers and my men have been have been lending the people money and food. Please, let's stop this business of charging interest!
Kamah khaw, ka manuca rhoek neh ka ca rhoek khaw, amih taengah tangka neh cangpai aka hlah rhoek loh a casai he tah hnoo uh pawn sih.
11 Give them back right now their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses, along with the one percent interest on the money, grain, new wine, and olive oil that you have been charging them.”
A khohmuen neh a misurdum khaw, olive khaw, a im khaw, amih taengkah casai na caak te tangka yakhat khaw, cangpai misur thai neh situi khaw tihnin kah bangla amih taengah mael uh laeh,” ka ti nah.
12 “We will give it back,” they replied, “and we won't demand anything more from them. We'll do as you say.” So I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials swear an oath that they'd do what they had promised.
Te daengah, “Ka mael uh vetih amih taengah ka suk uh voel mahpawh. Na thui bangla ka vai uh tangloeng bitni,” a ti uh. Te phoeiah khosoih rhoek te ka khue tih he ol bangla saii ham amih te ka toemngam sak.
13 I shook out the folds of my robe and said, “This is how my God will shake you out of your homes and out of your possessions if you don't keep your promise! If you don't, you'll be shaken out and end up with nothing!” Everyone there said, “Amen,” and praised the Lord. The people did what they'd promised.
Ka poehla te ka khong tih, “He ol he aka pai puei pawt hlang boeih te tah Pathen loh he tlam he khong saeh. A im lamkah neh a thaphu lamlong khaw khong saeh lamtah a hong la om van saeh,” ka ti. Te vaengah hlangping boeih loh, “Amen, BOEIPA te thangthen uh pai saeh, pilnam khaw he ol bangla a saii,” a ti uh.
14 In addition to this, from the day King Artaxerxes appointed me as governor in the land of Judah, which was from his twentieth year until his thirty-second year, a total of twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food which was allocated to the governor.
Te pataeng kai he Judah khohmuen ah amih kah rhalboei la om ham n'uen khohnin lamkah te, manghai Artaxerxes kah kum kul lamloh sawmthum kum nit hil, kum hlai nit ka om coeng dae ka manuca rhoek kah rhalboei buh khaw ka caak moenih.
15 But the governors before me had placed a heavy burden on the people, taking forty shekels of silver from them as well as food and wine. Their assistants also extorted the people. But because of my respect for God I didn't act like that.
Tedae rhalboei lamhma rhoek loh ka mikhmuh ah pilnam te a nan tih amih taengkah buh neh misurtui khaw, tangka shekel sawmli khaw a loh uh. A ca rhoek te pilnam soah a taemrhai sak. Tedae kai tah Pathen kah hinyahnah hmai ah te tlam te ka saii moenih.
16 I also made rebuilding the wall my top priority, and I assigned all my workers to help with that. We didn't acquire any land for ourselves.
Te phoeiah vongtung kah bitat ham rhaitat he tah thaa ka huel tih khohmuen ka lai uh moenih. Ka taengkah camoe boeih khaw bitat ham pahoi ka coi.
17 I had 150 Jews and officials eating at my table, as well as visitors from nearby countries.
Te vaengah Judah neh ukkung rhoek te hlang ya sawmnga neh namtom lamkah kaimih taengla aka pawk te ka caboei kah kaimih m'vael uh.
18 Every day I paid for one ox, six good sheep, and poultry. Every ten days I paid for a large supply of all kinds of wine. But I never demanded the governor's food allowance, because the people were already carrying a heavy burden.
Kai ham te hnin at ham he vaito pummat a ngawn tih, boiva pumrhuk a coelh, vaa a tawn a khaw, hnin rha khuiah misurtui cungkuem neh ka kum ham akhaw rhalboei buh he ka hoem moenih, he tah pilnam soah thohtatnah la aka nan rhung ni.
19 Please remember me positively, my God, for all that I've done for this people.
Ka Pathen aw he pilnam ham hnothen la boeih ka saii he kai ham khaw poek van lah.

< Nehemiah 5 >