Nehemiah 5
1 [Later, ] many of the men and their wives protested loudly about what [some of] the [other] Jews were doing.
Nʼoge ahụ, ụfọdụ ezinaụlọ bidoro itamu ntamu megide ndị Juu ibe ha.
2 Some/One of them said, “We have many children. So we need a lot of grain to be able to eat and continue to live.”
Ụfọdụ na-atamu na-asị, “Anyị na ụmụ anyị dị ukwuu nʼọnụọgụgụ. Ọ bụrụ na anyị ga-eri nri dị ndụ, o kwesikwara ka anyị nwee ike ịzụrụ ọka.”
3 Others said, “The fields and vineyards and houses that we own, it has been necessary for us to (mortgage them/promise to give them to someone if we do not pay back to him the money he has loaned us) in order to get money to buy grain, during this (famine/time where there is not much food).”
Ndị ọzọ na-asịkwa, “Anyị agbaala ubi anyị, ubi vaịnị anyị na ụlọ anyị nʼibe ka anyị nweta mkpụrụ ubi nʼoge ụnwụ.”
4 Others said, “We have [needed to] borrow money to pay the taxes that the king [commanded us to pay] on our fields and our vineyards.
Ma ndị ọzọkwa na-asị, “Lee na anyị gbazitere ego anyị ji tụọ ụtụ isi eze maka ubi anyị na ubi vaịnị anyị.
5 We are Jews just like [IDM] they are. Our children are ([just as good as/equal with)] their children. But we have needed to sell some of our children to become slaves [in order to pay what we owe]. We have already sold some of our daughters to become slaves. Our fields and vineyards have been taken away from us, so now we do not have [the money to pay what we owe, and we are forced to sell our children to get money to pay those debts].”
Nʼagbanyeghị na ọ bụ otu anụ ahụ na ọbara ka anyị na ndị Juu ọzọ nwere, dịka ụmụ ha dị ka ụmụ anyị dịkwa, ma anyị emeela ka ụmụ anyị ndị ikom na ndị inyom bụrụ ndị ohu. Ụfọdụ nʼime ụmụ anyị ndị inyom abụrụlarị ndị ohu, ma anyị enweghị ike nke aka anyị, nʼihi na ndị ọzọ bụ ndị nwezi ala ubi anyị na ubi vaịnị anyị niile.”
6 I was very angry when I heard these things that they were complaining about.
Iwe were m nke ukwuu mgbe m nụrụ mkpu akwa ha na mkpesa ndị a.
7 So I thought about what I could do about it. I told the leaders and officials [who were responsible for this work], “You are charging interest to your own relatives [when they borrow money from you]!” Then I called together a large group of people,
Ya mere, mgbe m chesiri echiche banyere ya, e boro m ndị a na-asọpụrụ na ndị ọchịchị ebubo. A gwara m ha, “Unu na-anara ụmụnna unu ọmụrụnwa ego unu enyere ha.” Ya mere, a kpọrọ m nzukọ ọha mmadụ maka imegide ha.
8 and I said to their [leaders], “Some of our Jewish relatives have been forced to sell themselves to become slaves of people who have come from other countries. As much as we have been able to, we have been buying them back [out of slavery]. But now you are forcing your own relatives to sell themselves to you, their fellow Jews, as slaves!” [When I said that to them, ] they were silent. There was nothing that they could say [because they knew that what I said was true].
Nʼụbọchị nzukọ ahụ, agwara m ha okwu sị, “Ọtụtụ nʼime anyị na-agbalị nʼụzọ niile ịhụ na anyị zụtaghachiri ụmụnna anyị ndị Juu bu ndị e resiri ndị mba ọzọ. Ma unu nọ nʼebe a na-agbalị ime ha ka ha ghọọ ndị ohu unu. Ruo ole mgbe ka anyị ga-anọgide na-agbapụta ha site nʼọnọdụ ibu ohu?” Ma ha niile ekwughị okwu ọbụla, nʼihi na ha enweghị ihe ha ga-ekwu.
9 Then I said to them, “What you are doing is terrible [EUP]! You certainly ought to [RHQ] obey God and do what is right! If you did that, our enemies who do not revere Yahweh [would see that we are doing what is right and] would not ridicule us.
Agwakwara m ha okwu ọzọ sị, “Ihe unu na-eme jọrọ njọ. O kwesighị ka unu tụọ egwu Chineke si otu a gbanarị nkọcha nke ndị iro anyị, bụ ndị mba ọzọ?”
10 My fellow Jews and I and my servants have lent money and grain to people [without charging interest]. So you all should stop charging interest on these loans.
Mụ onwe m na ụmụnna m na ndị na-ejere m ozi na-agbazinye ụmụnne anyị ego na ọka. Ma ka anyị kwụsị ịnara ọmụrụnwa.
11 Also, you must give back to them their fields, their vineyards, their olive tree orchards, and their houses that you have taken from them. You must also give back to them the interest that you charged them when they borrowed money, grain, wine, and [olive] oil from you, and you must do it today!”
Nyeghachinụ ha ala ubi ha niile ngwangwa, ma ubi vaịnị ha niile, ubi oliv ha niile, ụlọ ha niile na ọmụrụnwa nke unu na-anara ha nke bụ otu ụzọ nʼime narị nke ego, ọka, mmanya ọhụrụ na mmanụ.
12 The leaders replied, “We will do what you have said. We will return to them everything that we forced them to give to us, and we will not require that they give us anything more.” Then I summoned the priests, and I forced the leaders to vow in front of them that they would do what they had promised to do.
Ha sịrị, “Anyị ga-enyeghachi ha. Anyị agakwaghị anara ha ihe ọzọ. Anyị ga-emezu ihe i kwuru.” Mgbe ahụ, akpọkọtara m ndị nchụaja, mee ka ndị ndu na ndịisi ozi ṅụọ iyi imezu nkwa ha.
13 I shook out the folds of my robe and said to them, “If you do not do what you have just now promised to do, I hope/desire that God will shake you like I am shaking my robe. He will take away your homes and everything else that you own.” They all replied, “Amen/May it be so!” And they praised Yahweh. Then they did what they had promised to do.
Ayọgharịrị m ọnụ ọnụ uwe mwụda m sị, “Otu a ka Chineke ga-esi yọchapụ site nʼụlọ ha na ihe nweta ha onye ọbụla nke na-agaghị edebezu nkwa a.” Ndị niile zukọrọ kwere sị, “Amen.” Ha tokwara Onyenwe anyị: Ha niile mekwara ihe ha kwere na nkwa.
14 I was appointed to be the governor of Judea in the twentieth year that Artaxerxes was the king [of Persia]. For the next twelve years, until he had been ruling for almost 32 years, neither I nor my officials accepted [the money that we were allowed/entitled to receive to buy] food because of my being the governor.
Ọzọ, nʼime afọ iri na abụọ ahụ a họpụtara m ị bụ onyeisi ọchịchị na Juda, site nʼiri afọ abụọ nke ịbụ eze Ataksekses ruo nʼafọ iri atọ na abụọ ya, mụ na ụmụnne m esiteghị na nri a na-atụkọrọ onyeisi ọchịchị were ihe oriri ọbụla.
15 The men who were governors before I became the governor had burdened the people by requiring them to pay a lot of taxes. They had forced each person to pay to them 40 silver coins every day, in addition to giving food and wine to them. Even their servants/officials oppressed the people. But I did not do that, because I revered God.
Ma ọ bụghị otu a ka o si dị na mbụ, nʼihi na ndịisi ọchịchị niile buru m ụzọ chịa boro ndị ahụ ibu arọ dị ukwuu. Ha na-anakọta site nʼaka onye ọbụla iri mkpụrụ ọlaọcha anọ, tinyere ihe oriri na mmanya ha na-ewebatakwa. Ọbụladị ndị na-enyere ha aka mekpakwara ndị mmadụ ahụ. Ma emeghị m otu a, nʼihi ịtụ egwu Chineke.
16 I also continued to work on the wall, and I did not take land from people [who were unable to pay back the money that they had borrowed from me]. All those who worked for me joined me to work on the wall.
Kama, anọgidesiri m ike nʼọrụ iwugharị mgbidi ahụ, achịkọtara ndị ikom m niile nʼebe ahụ nʼihi ije ozi a. Ọ dịghịkwa ala anyị zụrụ.
17 Also, every day I was responsible to feed 150 Jewish officials, and also [official] visitors who came from nearby countries.
Ma otu ọ dị, ndịisi Juu ọnụọgụgụ ha dị otu narị na iri na ise na-eri nri na tebul m, tinyere ndị na-abịakwute anyị site na mba ndị dị anyị gburugburu.
18 Each day I [told my servants to] serve [us the meat from] one ox, six very good sheep, and chickens. And every ten days I gave them a large new supply of wine. But I knew that the people were burdened [by paying lots of taxes], so I did not accept [the money that I was entitled/allowed to receive to buy all this] food because of my being the governor.
Ihe na-ezu nri a na-eri nʼụlọ m kwa ụbọchị bụ otu ehi na atụrụ isii gbara abụba, na ọtụtụ ọkụkụ, na ụdị mmanya dị iche iche a na-ebubata kwa ụbọchị iri ọbụla. Nʼagbanyeghị nke a, ọ dịghị mgbe ọbụla m nara site nʼaka ha ụtụ ihe oriri nke onye na-achị ala kwesiri inweta, nʼihi na ha onwe ha nọ na mkpa dị ukwuu.
19 My God, do not forget me, and reward me because of all that I have done for these people.
Chineke m biko, echefula ihe m meere ndị a, gọzie m nʼụzọ nke gị.
