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.

Then came there to be a great outcry of the people and their wives, —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 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.

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 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.

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 there were others who were saying, We have borrowed silver, for the king’s tribute, —[upon] our lands and our vineyards.

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.

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.

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

And it angered me greatly, —when I heard their outcry, 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.

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;

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 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.

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?

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?

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.

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!

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, 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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;

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.

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.

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.

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.

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, 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.

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.

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.

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 unto me, O my God, for good, —all that I have done for this people.