Nehemiah 5
1 Around this time some people and their wives started a tremendous argument with the other Jews.
Yon lè, moun pèp Izrayèl yo ansanm ak tout madanm yo konmanse plenyen sou do kèk chèf jwif parèy yo.
2 They were complaining, “Our families are so large we need more food so we can eat and live.”
Genyen ki t'ap di: Nou gen anpil moun nan fanmi nou, anpil pitit gason ak anpil pitit fi. Nou bezwen manje pou n' manje pou n' pa mouri grangou.
3 Others added, “We've had to mortgage our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to buy food during the famine.”
Gen lòt ki t'ap di: Nou te gen yon sèl grangou ki t'ap bat nou, nou setoblije pran potèk sou jaden nou, sou pye rezen nou yo, sou kay nou pou n' ka jwenn manje pou n' manje.
4 Still more said, “We've had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay the king's tax.
Gen lòt ankò ki t'ap di: Pou n' te ka peye taks kontribisyon pou wa a, nou te setoblije prete lajan sou jaden ak pye rezen nou yo.
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.”
Nou menm ras ak lòt jwif yo. Pitit nou yo pa pi mal pase pa yo. Men, nou setoblije bay pitit fi nou ak pitit gason nou yo sèvi domestik lakay yo. Nou menm rive gen pitit fi nou k'ap fè restavèk! Nou pa ka fè anyen kont sa, paske jaden nou yo ak pye rezen nou yo pa pou nou ankò.
6 I became very angry when I heard them protesting their grievances.
Lè mwen menm, Neemi, mwen tande tout plent sa yo, tout pawòl sa yo, mwen te fache anpil.
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.
Lè m' fin kalkile bagay la byen nan kè m', mwen fè lide pa dòmi sou sa. Mwen denonse chèf yo, grannèg yo ak majistra yo. Mwen di yo se esplwate y'ap esplwate frè parèy yo. Mwen fè reyini tout moun pou diskite pwoblèm lan.
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.
Epi mwen di: -Nou fè sa nou te kapab pou nou te rachte frè jwif parèy nou yo ki te vann tèt yo bay moun lòt nasyon pou sèvi yo esklav. Koulye a, se nou menm jwif k'ap fòse jwif parèy nou vann tèt yo bay jwif parèy yo! Tout moun rete bouch pe, yo pa t' gen anyen pou reponn nan sa.
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?
Mwen di yo ankò: -Sa n'ap fè la a pa bon, tande! Se pou n' mache avèk krentif pou Bondye, pou nou pa bay moun lòt nasyon yo, lènmi nou yo, okazyon pase nou nan betiz.
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!
Moun lakay mwen yo ansanm ak moun pa m' yo tou, ak mwen menm tou, nou te prete yo lajan ak ble. Nou p'ap mande yo pou yo renmèt nou sa yo dwe nou.
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.”
Renmèt yo jaden yo, pye rezen yo, pye oliv yo ak kay yo touswit. Kite tou sa yo dwe nou pou yo, kit se lajan, kit se ble, kit se diven, kit se lwil.
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.
Chèf yo reponn: -Wi! N'ap fè jan ou di l' la. N'ap renmèt yo tou sa yo te ban nou kenbe pou dèt yo. Nou p'ap mande yo pou yo peye nou sa yo dwe nou. Lè sa a, mwen fè rele prèt yo, epi mwen fè chèf yo sèmante y'ap fè sa yo sot pwomèt la.
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.
Apre sa, mwen pran ti sak ki te mare nan ren mwen an, mwen vire l' tèt anba, mwen souke l', epi mwen di: -Se pou Bondye pran nenpòt nan nou ki pa kenbe pwomès li, pou l' souke l' konsa tou. Bondye ap pran kay li ak tout lòt byen li genyen, l'ap kite l' san anyen. Tout moun ki te la yo reponn: -Amèn! Se sa menm! Se sa menm! Apre sa, yo fè lwanj Seyè a. Se konsa tout pèp la te kenbe pwomès yo te fè a.
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.
Pandan tout douzan mwen pase gouvènè nan peyi Jida a, depi jou wa Atagzèsès te nonmen m' nan pòs sa a, lè sa a li t'ap mache sou ventan depi li te wa, rive sou tranndezan depi li t'ap gouvènen an, ni mwen ni ankenn moun lakay mwen, nou pa janm manyen lajan yo te dwe peye gouvènè a.
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.
Gouvènè ki te la anvan m' yo te konn ap peze pèp la: chak jou yo te konn pran karant pyès an ajan pou pen ak diven. Ata moun ki t'ap travay avèk yo te konn ap peze pèp la tou. Men mwen menm, mwen pa t' fè sa, paske mwen te gen krentif Bondye.
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.
Mwen te mete men nan travay ranpa a tankou tout moun, mwen pa achte ankenn tè, epi tout moun ki t'ap travay avè m' yo te la tou nan travay miray la.
17 I had 150 Jews and officials eating at my table, as well as visitors from nearby countries.
Chak jou mwen te gen sansenkant (150) moun ap manje sou menm tab avè m' lakay mwen: se te chèf yo ak majistra yo, san konte tout lòt moun ki te vin lakay mwen soti nan lòt peyi nan vwazinaj la.
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.
Chak jou mwen te fè yo kwit pou mwen yon bèf, sis bon mouton byen gra ak anpil bèt volay. Se mwen menm ki te peye pou tout bagay sa yo ak lajan nan pòch mwen. Chak dis jou mwen fè yon pwovizyon diven fre. Men, malgre sa, mwen pa janm mande pou yo ban mwen sa pou yo bay gouvènè a pou manje l', paske pèp la te gen kont chay sou do li deja.
19 Please remember me positively, my God, for all that I've done for this people.
Bondye mwen, tanpri, pa bliye anyen nan tou sa mwen fè pou pèp sa a. Make sa yon kote pou mwen!
