Nehemia 5

1 Katahi ka nui atu te karanga a te iwi, ratou ko a ratou wahine, he whakahe mo o ratou tuakana, teina, mo nga Hurai.

And the cry of the people and their wives [was] great against their brethren the Jews.

2 I reira hoki etahi e mea ana, Ko matou, ko a matou tama, me a matou tamahine, he tokomaha; tatou ki te hoko witi, kia kai ai tatou, kia ora ai.

And some said, We [are] numerous with our sons and our daughters; so we will take corn, and eat, and live.

3 I reira hoki etahi e ki ana, Kua waiho o matou whenua, a matou mara waina, o matou whare hei taunaha; tatou ki te hoko witi mo te matekai.

And some said, [As to] our fields and vineyards and houses, let us pledge [them], and we will take corn, and eat.

4 Me etahi hoki e ki ana, Kua riro mai he moni tarewa i a matou hei takoha me te kingi; ko o matou whenua, ko a matou mara waina te tarewatanga.

And some said, We have borrowed money for the king's tributes: —our fields, and our vineyards, and houses [are pledged].

5 Na rite tonu o matou kikokiko ki nga kikokiko o o matou tuakana; rite tonu a matou tamariki ki a ratou tamariki: nana, e whakaponongatia ana e matou a matou tama me a matou tamahine, hei pononga, kua oti ano etahi o a matou tamahine te mea hei po nonga, kahore hoki a matou mea hei whakahoki mai; no te mea kei nga tangata ke o matou whenua, a matou mara waina.

And now our flesh [is] as the flesh of our brethren, our children [are] as their children: yet, behold, we are reducing our sons and our daughters to slavery, and some of our daughters are enslaved: and there is no power of our hands, for our fields and our vineyards [belong] to the nobles.

6 Na nui atu toku riri i toku rongonga i ta ratou karanga, i enei kupu.

And I was much grieved as I heard their cry and these words.

7 Katahi ka whakaaroaroa e toku ngakau i roto i ahau, a ka totohe ahau ki nga rangatira me nga tangata rarahi; i ki atu hoki ahau ki a ratou, E tangohia ana e koutou he moni whakatupu i tona teina, i tona teina. Na tu ana i ahau he hui nui hei whak ahe mo ratou.

And my heart took counsel within me, and I contended against the nobles, and the princes, and I said to them, Should every man demand of his brother what you demand? And I appointed against them a great assembly,

8 I mea ano ahau ki a ratou, Kua poto ta matou hei whakahoki mai i o tatou teina, i nga Hurai, kua oti nei te hoko ki nga tauiwi, a ka hokona atu ano ranei e koutou o koutou tuakana, teina? ka hokona ranei ratou ki a tatou? Katahi ka whakarongo kau ratou, kihai hoki i kitea he kupu ma ratou.

and I said to them, We of our free-will have redeemed our brethren the Jews that were sold to the Gentiles; and do you sell your brethren? and shall they be delivered to us? And they were silent, and found no answer.

9 I mea ano ahau, Ehara tena i te mea pai e mea na koutou; kaua ianei koutou e haere i runga i te wehi ki to tatou Atua? kaua ranei e whakaaro ki te tawai mai a o tatou hoariri, a nga tauiwi?

And I said, The thing which you do [is] not good; you will not so walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the Gentiles our enemies.

10 Na, ko ahau, ko oku teina, me aku tangata, e tuku ana he moni, he witi ki a ratou mo te moni whakatupu. Tena ra, kia whakarerea atu e tatou tenei mahi tango i te moni whakatupu.

Both my brethren, and my acquaintances, and I, have lent them money and corn: let us now leave off this exaction.

11 Tena, whakahokia atu ki a ratou i tenei ra nei ano o ratou whenua, a ratou mara waina, mara oriwa, me o ratou whare me te wahi whakarau o te moni, o te witi, o te waina, o te hinu, e tangohia nei e koutou i a ratou.

Restore to them, I pray, as at this day, their fields, and their vineyards, and their olive yards, and their houses, and bring forth to them corn and wine and oil of the money.

12 Katahi ratou ka ki mai, Me whakahoki atu e matou, e kore ano e tonoa e matou he mea i a ratou: ka rite ta matou e mea ai ki tau i ki mai na. Katahi ka karangatia e ahau nga tohunga, a ka meinga e ahau kia oati, mo tenei kupu kia mahia.

And they said, We will restore, and we will not exact of them; we will do thus as you say. Then I called the priests, and bound them by oath to do according to this word.

13 I ruperupea ano e ahau te uma o toku, me taku ki ano, Ko te tangata e kore e whakamana i tenei kupu, kia penei ta Ihowa ruperupe i a ia i roto i tona whare, i tana mahi; kia rite ano ia ki tenei te ruperupe, te takoto kau. A ka ki mai te huihui katoa, Amine; ka whakamoemiti ano ratou ki a Ihowa. Na pera tonu te mahi a te iwi.

And I shook out my garment, and said, So may God shake out every man who shall not keep to this word, from his house, and from his labors, he shall be even thus shaken out, as an outcast and empty. And all the congregation said, Amen, and they praised the Lord: and the people did this thing.

14 No te ra ano i kiia ai ahau hei kawana mo ratou ki te whenua o Hura, no te rua tekau o nga tau, a tae noa ki te toru tekau ma rua o nga tau o Kingi Arataherehe, ara kotahi tekau ma rua tau, kahore ahau, oku teina ranei, i kai i te taro kawana.

From the day that he charged me to be their ruler in the land of Juda, from the twentieth year even to the thirty-second year of Arthasastha, twelve years, I and my brethren ate not [provision] extorted from them.

15 Otiia ko nga kawana o mua, ko era i mua i ahau, he taimaha ta ratou ki te iwi: i tangohia hoki e ratou he taro, he waina, i a ratou, me etahi hekere hiriwa e wha tekau; ae ra, i whakatupu rangatira ano a ratou tangata ki te iwi: kihai ia ahau i pera, i wehi hoki ki te Atua.

But as for the former acts of extortion wherein [those who were] before me oppressed them, they even took of them their last money, forty didrachmas for bread and wine; and the [very] outcasts of them exercised authority over the people: but I did not so, because of the fear of God.

16 I uaua tonu ano ahau ki te mahi i tenei taiepa, kihai hoki matou i hoko whenua mo matou; i huihuia atu ano hoki aku tangata katoa ki reira ki te mahi.

Also in the work of the wall I treated them not with rigor, I bought not land: and all that were gathered together [came] there to the work.

17 Na, kotahi rau e rima tekau i taku tepu, no nga Hurai, no nga rangatira, haunga era atu i haere mai nei ki a matou i roto i nga iwi i tetahi taha o matou, i tetahi taha.

And the Jews, to [the number of] a hundred and fifty men, besides those coming to us from the nations round about, [were] at my table.

18 Na, ko nga mea i taka maku i te ra kotahi, kotahi puru, e ono hipi, he mea pai; i taka ano etahi manu naku, a, kotahi i roto i nga ra kotahi tekau, ko nga tu waina katoa, tona nui; na ahakoa ko tenei katoa kihai ahau i mea ki te taro kawana, no te mea he taimaha rawa te hereherenga o tenei iwi.

And there came [to me] for one day one calf, and I had six choice sheep and a goat; and every ten days wine in abundance of all sorts: yet with these I required not the bread of extortion, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.

19 Kia mahara mai ki ahau, e toku Atua, mo te pai, kia rite ki aku mea katoa i mea ai ahau ki tenei iwi.

Remember me, O God, for good, [in] all that I have done to this people.