Nehemiah 5
1 Around this time some people and their wives started a tremendous argument with the other Jews.
Velika se vika digla među ljudima i ženama protiv njihove braće Židova.
2 They were complaining, “Our families are so large we need more food so we can eat and live.”
Jedni su govorili: “Zalažemo svoje sinove i kćeri da bismo mogli nabaviti pšenice te jesti i živjeti.”
3 Others added, “We've had to mortgage our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to buy food during the famine.”
Drugi su govorili: “Zalažemo svoja polja, vinograde svoje i kuće svoje da bismo mogli nabaviti pšenice za vrijeme gladi.”
4 Still more said, “We've had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay the king's tax.
Drugi su opet govorili: “Moramo uzaimati novac na polja svoja i vinograde da bismo mogli isplatiti kraljeve namete.
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.”
Tijelo je naše kao tijelo braće naše, sinovi su naši kao i njihovi, a mi moramo predavati u ropstvo svoje sinove i kćeri; među našim kćerima neke su već robinje! A mi ne možemo ništa jer polja naša i vinograde drže drugi.”
6 I became very angry when I heard them protesting their grievances.
Razljutio sam se veoma kad sam čuo njihovu viku i te riječi.
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.
Pošto sam u sebi promislio, prekorio sam velikaše i odličnike riječima: “Vi namećete teret svojoj braći!” I sazvao sam protiv njih velik zbor.
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.
I rekao sam: “Mi smo, koliko smo mogli, otkupili svoju židovsku braću koja bijahu prodana poganima. A sada vi prodajete svoju braću da bismo ih otkupili!” Svi su šutjeli i nitko nije odgovorio.
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?
Nastavio sam: “Nije dobro to što činite. Ne treba li da hodite u strahu Boga našega da se tako uklonimo ruglu neprijateljskih naroda?
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!
I ja, i moja braća, i moji momci davali smo im novaca i žita. Ali smo im dug oprostili.
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.”
Vratite im i vi još danas njihova polja, vinograde, maslinike i kuće njihove i oprostite im postotak u novcu, u žitu, u vinu, u ulju, što ste im ga nametnuli.”
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.
A oni odgovoriše: “Vratit ćemo; nećemo od njih ništa tražiti. Učinit ćemo kako si rekao.” Tada pozvah svećenike i naredih neka se zakunu da će učiniti kako su obećali.
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.
Zatim istresoh skute svoje odjeće govoreći: “Neka Bog ovako istrese iz vlastite kuće i imanja svakog čovjeka koji se ne bude držao ovog obećanja! Tako bio istresen i ispražnjen!” A sav zbor odgovori “Amen!” hvaleći Jahvu. I narod je učinio prema ovom dogovoru.
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.
I od dana kad mi je kralj naredio da budem upravitelj u zemlji Judinoj, od dvadesete do trideset i druge godine kraljevanja Artakserksa, za dvanaest godina ja i moja braća nismo nikada jeli upraviteljskog kruha.
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.
Ali prijašnji upravitelji, moji prethodnici, ugnjetavahu narod: svakoga su dana od njega uzimali četrdeset šekela srebra za kruh; i njihove su sluge ugnjetavale narod. A ja nisam nikada tako činio, zbog straha Božjega.
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.
Čak sam se jednako držao posla oko zida i nisam kupio ni jedne njive! Svi su moji momci bili ondje okupljeni na poslu.
17 I had 150 Jews and officials eating at my table, as well as visitors from nearby countries.
Za mojim su stolom jeli Židovi i odličnici, njih stotinu i pedeset na broju, osim onih koji su k nama dolazili iz okolnih naroda.
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.
Svakoga se dana o mom trošku pripremalo jedno goveče, šest biranih ovaca i peradi; svakih deset dana donosilo se obilje vina za sve. A opet nisam nikada tražio upraviteljskog poreza na kruh, jer je narod već bio teško opterećen.
19 Please remember me positively, my God, for all that I've done for this people.
Spomeni se, Bože moj, za moje dobro svega što sam učinio ovome narodu!
