Nehemia 5
1 Na rĩrĩ, andũ amwe na atumia ao nĩmatetire mũno nĩ ũndũ wa ũrĩa maahinyĩrĩirio nĩ Ayahudi arĩa angĩ ariũ a ithe wao.
Then the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews.
2 Amwe moigaga atĩrĩ, “Ithuĩ na aanake aitũ na airĩtu aitũ tũrĩ aingĩ. Na no nginya tũkorwo na irio, nĩguo tũrĩe tũtũũre muoyo.”
For there were some who said, “With our sons and daughters we are many. So let us get grain that we may eat and stay alive.”
3 Angĩ moigaga atĩrĩ, “Tũneanaga ithaka ciitũ na mĩgũnda iitũ ya mĩthabibũ, na mĩciĩ iitũ itũrũgamĩrĩre nĩguo tũheo irio hĩndĩ ya ngʼaragu.”
There were also some who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain during the famine.”
4 O na angĩ moigaga atĩrĩ, “No nginya tũngĩakombire mbeeca nĩguo tũhote kũrĩha igooti rĩa mũthamaki rĩa ithaka ciitũ na mĩgũnda ya mĩthabibũ.
Some also said, “We have borrowed money to pay the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards.
5 O na gũtuĩka tũrĩ a mũthiimo ũmwe na thakame ĩmwe na andũ a bũrũri witũ, na o na gũtuĩka aanake aitũ nĩ ega o ta ao-rĩ, ithuĩ tũtuĩkĩte no nginya tũneane aanake aitũ na airĩtu aitũ matuĩke ngombo. O na rĩu airĩtu aitũ amwe nĩ ngombo, no tũtirĩ na ũhoti wa kũgirĩrĩria ũndũ ũcio tondũ ithaka ciitũ na mĩgũnda iitũ ya mĩthabibũ ĩrĩ moko-inĩ ma andũ angĩ.”
Yet now our flesh and blood is the same as our brothers, and our children are the same as their children. We are forced to sell our sons and our daughters to become slaves. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved. But it is not in our power to help it because other men now own our fields and our vineyards.”
6 Rĩrĩa ndaiguire mateta mao na thitango icio, nĩndarakarire mũno.
I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words.
7 Ngĩĩcũũrania maũndũ macio, na ngĩrũithia andũ arĩa maarĩ igweta na anene, ngĩmeera atĩrĩ, “Nĩmũreetia andũ a bũrũri wanyu uumithio wa mbeeca iria mũmakombithĩtie!” Nĩ ũndũ ũcio ngĩĩtana mũcemanio mũnene wa kũmaciirithia,
Then I thought about this, and brought charges against the nobles and officials. I said to them, “You are exacting interest, each from his own brother.” I held a great assembly against them
8 ngiuga atĩrĩ, “Tũgeretie o ũrĩa tũngĩhota gũkũũra Ayahudi ariũ a ithe witũ arĩa mendeirio ndũrĩrĩ. No inyuĩ nĩ kwendia mũrendia andũ anyu nĩguo tũcooke tũmagũre rĩngĩ!” Andũ acio magĩkira ki tondũ matingĩonire wa kuuga.
and said to them, “We, as much as we are able, have bought back from slavery our Jewish brothers who had been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers and sisters that they may be sold back to us!” They were silent and never found a word to say.
9 Ningĩ ngĩthiĩ na mbere ngiuga atĩrĩ, “Ũrĩa mũreka ti wega. Githĩ mũtiagĩrĩirwo nĩ gũthiiaga mwĩtigĩrĩte Ngai witũ nĩgeetha tũtikanyararwo nĩ ndũrĩrĩ iria irĩ ũthũ na ithuĩ?
Also I said, “What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations that are our enemies?
10 Niĩ, na ariũ a baba, na andũ akwa, o na ithuĩ nĩtũrakombithia andũ mbeeca na irio. No rekei gwĩtia kwa uumithio wa mbeeca iria mũkombanĩire gũthire!
I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. But we must stop charging interest on these loans.
11 Cookeriai andũ ithaka ciao narua, na mĩgũnda yao ya mĩthabibũ na ya mĩtamaiyũ, na nyũmba ciao, o na uumithio ũcio mũmarĩhagia wa gĩcunjĩ kĩa igana kĩa mbeeca, na ngano, na ndibei ya mũhihano, na kĩa maguta.”
Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses and the percentage of the money, the grain, the new wine, and the oil that you exacted from them.”
12 Nao makiuga atĩrĩ, “Nĩtũkũmacookeria. Na tũtikũmetia kĩndũ kĩngĩ. Tũgwĩka o ta ũrĩa ũkuuga.” Ningĩ ngĩtũmanĩra athĩnjĩri-Ngai ngĩĩra andũ arĩa maarĩ igweta na arĩa anene mehĩte atĩ nĩmakahingia ũrĩa meranĩire.
Then they said, “We will return what we took from them, and will require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” Then I called the priests, and made them swear to do as they had promised.
13 O na niĩ ngĩribariba icũrĩ cia nguo yakwa ya igũrũ, ngiuga atĩrĩ, “O ta ũguo-rĩ, mũndũ o wothe ũtakahingia kĩrĩkanĩro gĩkĩ, Ngai aromũribariba kuuma nyũmba yake na kuuma kũrĩ indo ciake. Nĩ ũndũ ũcio mũndũ ta ũcio aroribaribwo, atigwo atarĩ kĩndũ!” Mũingĩ wothe ũkiuga, “Ameni,” na ũkĩgooca Jehova. Nao andũ othe magĩĩka o ta ũrĩa meeranĩire.
I shook out the fold of my robe and said, “So may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep his promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” All the assembly said, “Amen,” and they praised Yahweh and the people did as they had promised.
14 Ningĩ kuuma mwaka wa mĩrongo ĩĩrĩ wa Mũthamaki Aritashashita, rĩrĩa ndathuurirwo nduĩke barũthi wao bũrũri wa Juda, nginyagia mwaka wa mĩrongo ĩtatũ na ĩĩrĩ, mĩaka ikũmi na ĩĩrĩ-rĩ, niĩ o na kana ariũ a baba, tũtiarĩire irio iria ciagayagĩrwo barũthi.
So from the time I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food provided for the governor.
15 No rĩrĩ, abarũthi arĩa maarĩ mbere yakwa nĩmahatagĩrĩria andũ mũno na makametia cekeri cia betha mĩrongo ĩna, hamwe na irio na ndibei. Ateithĩrĩria ao nao no mahatagĩrĩria andũ. No niĩ tondũ wa gwĩtigĩra Ngai ndiekire ũguo.
But the former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people, and took from them forty shekels of silver for their daily food and wine. Even their servants oppressed the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God.
16 Handũ ha gwĩka ũguo-rĩ, niĩ ndeheanire gwaka rũthingo rũrũ. Andũ akwa othe moonganĩte hau nĩ ũndũ wa wĩra; na tũtiigana kũgũra ithaka.
I also continued to work on the wall, and we bought no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work.
17 Ningĩ-rĩ, Ayahudi igana rĩa mĩrongo ĩtano, o hamwe na anene maarĩĩaga gwakwa, hamwe na arĩa mookaga kuuma ndũrĩrĩ-inĩ iria ciatũthiũrũrũkĩirie.
At my table were the Jews and the officials, 150 men, besides those who came to us from among the nations who were around us.
18 O mũthenya indo iria ciahaaragĩrio cia kũrĩĩo ciarĩ ndegwa ĩmwe, na ngʼondu ithathatũ noru, na ngũkũ, na o mĩthenya ikũmi yathira ndaarehagĩrwo ndibei nyingĩ mũno ya mĩthemba yothe. O na kũrĩ ũguo-rĩ, ndietagia irio iria ciagayagĩrwo barũthi, tondũ maruta macio nĩmaritũhĩire andũ.
Now what was prepared each day was one ox, six choice sheep, and also birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance, yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the demands were too heavy on the people.
19 Wee Ngai wakwa, ndirikana, ũnjĩke wega nĩ ũndũ wa maũndũ marĩa mothe njĩkĩire andũ aya.
Call me to mind, my God, for good, because of all that I have done for this people.
