Nehemiah 5
1 Then came there to be a great outcry of the people and their wives, —against their brethren the Jews.
About that time there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.
2 And there were some who were saying, Our sons and our daughters, are we pledging, —that we may obtain corn, and eat, and keep ourselves alive.
Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous. We must get grain in order to eat and stay alive.”
3 And there were some who were saying, Our fields and our vineyards and our houses, are we pledging, —that we may obtain corn in the dearth.
Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to get grain during the famine.”
4 And there were others who were saying, We have borrowed silver, for the king’s tribute, —[upon] our lands and our vineyards.
Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.
5 Now, therefore, as is the flesh of our brethren, so is our flesh, as are their children, so are our children. Yet lo! we are putting in subjection our sons and our daughters, for bondservants, yea there are some of our daughters already trodden down, and we are powerless, and, our fields and our vineyards, belong to others.
We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless to redeem them because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”
6 And it angered me greatly, —when I heard their outcry, and these words.
When I heard their outcry and these complaints, I became extremely angry,
7 So my heart took counsel unto me and I contended with the nobles and with the deputies, and said to them, A loan on interest—every man to his brother, are ye making, —So I appointed over them a great assembly;
and after serious thought I rebuked the nobles and officials, saying, “You are exacting usury from your own brothers!” So I called a large assembly against them
8 and I said unto them, We, have bought our brethren the Jews, who had sold themselves unto the nations, according to our ability, and will, ye, even sell your brethren, or shall they sell themselves unto us? And they were silent, and found no answer.
and said, “We have done our best to buy back our Jewish brothers who were sold to foreigners, but now you are selling your own brothers, that they may be sold back to us!” But they remained silent, for they could find nothing to say.
9 Then said I, Not good, is the thing which ye are doing, —ought ye not, in the fear of God, to walk, because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies?
So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our foreign enemies?
10 I too, then, my brethren and my young men, might be lending unto them on interest silver and corn! I pray you, let us leave off this lending on interest!
I, as well as my brothers and my servants, have been lending the people money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury.
11 Restore, I pray you, unto them this very day, their fields, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, —also the hundredth of silver and corn, new wine and oil, for which ye have been lending to them.
Please restore to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses, along with the percentage of the money, grain, new wine, and oil that you have been assessing them.”
12 And they said, We will restore them, and, from them, will we require nothing, so, will we do, as thou, art saying. Then called I the priests, and put them on oath, to do according to this promise.
“We will restore it,” they replied, “and will require nothing more from them. We will do as you say.” So I summoned the priests and required of the nobles and officials an oath that they would do what they had promised.
13 Also, my lap, shook I out, and said—Thus and thus, may God shake out every man who shall not confirm this promise, out of his house and out of his labour, yea, thus and thus, let him be shaken out and empty, —And all the convocation said, Amen! and praised Yahweh, and the people did according to this promise.
I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “May God likewise shake out of His house and possession every man who does not keep this promise. May such a man be shaken out and have nothing!” The whole assembly said, “Amen,” and they praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.
14 Moreover, from the day I was commanded to become their pasha in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year, even unto the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, I and my brethren, pasha’s bread, have not eaten;
Furthermore, from the day King Artaxerxes appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah, from his twentieth year until his thirty-second year (twelve years total), neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.
15 whereas, the former pashas, who were before me, suffered themselves to be a burden upon the people, and took from them in bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver, even, their young men, bare rule over the people, —but, I, did not so, because of the fear of God.
The governors before me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them bread and wine plus forty shekels of silver. Their servants also oppressed the people, but I did not do this because of my fear of God.
16 Moreover also, in this work of the wall, I repaired, and, no field, did we buy, —though, all my young men, were gathered thither unto the work.
Instead, I devoted myself to the construction of the wall, and all my servants were gathered there for the work; we did not acquire any land.
17 And, Jews and deputies, a hundred and fifty men, and they who were coming in unto us from among the nations which were round about us, [depended] upon my table.
There were 150 Jews and officials at my table, besides the guests from the surrounding nations.
18 Now, that which was prepared for a single day, was—one ox, six choice sheep, also, fowls, were prepared for me, and, apportioned unto ten days, of every sort of wine, in abundance, —yet, in spite of this, the bread of the pasha, demanded I not, because heavy was the bondage upon this people.
Each day one ox, six choice sheep, and some fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine was provided. But I did not demand the food allotted to the governor, because the burden on the people was so heavy.
19 Remember unto me, O my God, for good, —all that I have done for this people.
Remember me favorably, O my God, for all that I have done for this people.
