< Nehemija 5 >
1 Tam je bilo veliko vpitje ljudstva in njihovih žena zoper njihove brate Jude.
Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their countrymen the Jews.
2 Kajti tam so bili, ki so rekli: »Nas, naših sinov in naših hčera je mnogo. Zato zanje zbiramo žito, da bomo lahko jedli in živeli.«
For there were some who said, We, our sons and our daughters, are a great number: let us get grain, so that we may have food for our needs.
3 Tam so bili tudi nekateri, ki so rekli: »Zaradi pomanjkanja smo zastavili svoje dežele, vinograde in hiše, da bi lahko kupili žito.«
And there were some who said, We are giving our fields and our vine-gardens and our houses for debt: let us get grain because we are in need.
4 Tam so bili tudi, ki so rekli: »Izposodili smo si denar za kraljevi davek in to [za ceno] naših dežel in vinogradov.
And there were others who said, We have given up our fields and our vine-gardens to get money for the king's taxes.
5 Vendar je sedaj naše meso kakor meso naših bratov, naši otroci kakor njihovi otroci. Glej, svoje sinove prinašamo v sužnost in svoje hčere, da bodo služabnice in nekatere izmed naših hčera so že privedene v sužnost. Niti to ni v naši moči, da jih odkupimo, kajti drugi možje imajo naše dežele in vinograde.«
But our flesh is the same as the flesh of our countrymen, and our children as their children: and now we are giving our sons and daughters into the hands of others, to be their servants, and some of our daughters are servants even now: and we have no power to put a stop to it; for other men have our fields and our vine-gardens.
6 Bil sem zelo jezen, ko sem slišal njihovo vpitje in te besede.
And on hearing their outcry and what they said I was very angry.
7 Potem sem se posvetoval s seboj in oštel plemiče in vladarje ter jim rekel: »Vi terjate obresti, vsakdo od svojega brata.« In zoper njih sem postavil velik zbor.
And after turning it over in my mind, I made a protest to the chiefs and the rulers, and said to them, Every one of you is taking interest from his countryman. And I got together a great meeting of protest.
8 Rekel sem jim: »Po svoji zmožnosti smo odkupili svoje brate Jude, ki so bili prodani poganom. Vi pa boste celo prodajali svoje brate? Ali naj bi bili oni prodani nam?« Potem so ohranili svoj mir in nič niso našli, da bi odgovorili.
And I said to them, We have given whatever we were able to give, to make our brothers the Jews free, who were servants and prisoners of the nations: and would you now give up your brothers for a price, and are they to become our property? Then they said nothing, answering not a word.
9 Prav tako sem rekel: »To ni dobro, kar delate. Ali ne bi morali hoditi v strahu našega Boga zaradi graje poganov, naših sovražnikov?
And I said, What you are doing is not good: is it not the more necessary for you to go in the fear of our God, because of the shame which the nations may put on us?
10 Tudi jaz in moji bratje in moji služabniki bi lahko od njih terjali denar in žito. Prosim vas, prenehajmo s tem oderuštvom.
Even I and my servants have been taking interest for the money and the grain we have let them have. So now, let us give up this thing.
11 Povrnite jim, prosim vas, celo ta dan, njihove dežele, njihove vinograde, njihove oljčne nasade in njihove hiše, tudi stoti del denarja in od žita, vina in olja, ki ste jih vzeli od njih.«
Give back to them this very day their fields, their vine-gardens, their olive-gardens, and their houses, as well as a hundredth part of the money and the grain and the wine and the oil which you have taken from them.
12 Potem so rekli: »Povrnili jim bomo in ničesar ne bomo zahtevali od njih. Storili bomo tako, kakor praviš.« Potem sem poklical duhovnike in od njih vzel prisego, da bi storili glede na to obljubo.
Then they said, We will give them back, and take nothing for them; we will do as you say. Then I sent for the priests and made them take an oath that they would keep this agreement.
13 Prav tako sem stresel svoje naročje in rekel: »Tako naj Bog iztrese vsakega človeka iz njegove hiše in od njegovega truda, ki ne izpolni te obljube, celo tako bo iztresen in izpraznjen.« In vsa skupnost je rekla: »Amen« in hvalili so Gospoda. In ljudstvo je storilo glede na to obljubo.
And shaking out the folds of my robe, I said, So may God send out from his house and his work every man who does not keep this agreement; even so let him be sent out and made as nothing. And all the meeting of the people said, So be it, and gave praise to the Lord. And the people did as they had said.
14 Poleg tega od časa, ko sem bil določen, da bi bil njihov voditelj v Judovi deželi, od dvajsetega leta, celo do dvaintridesetega leta kralja Artakserksa, to je dvanajst let, jaz in moji bratje nismo jedli kruha od voditelja.
Now from the time when I was made ruler of the people in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year till the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, for twelve years, I and my servants have never taken the food which was the right of the ruler.
15 Toda prejšnji voditelji, ki so bili pred menoj, so bili v breme ljudstvu in so od njih jemali kruh in vino, poleg štiridesetih šeklov srebra. Da, celo njihovi služabniki so vladali nad ljudstvom. Toda zaradi Božjega strahu jaz nisem tako storil.
But earlier rulers who were before me made the people responsible for their upkeep, and took from them bread and wine at the rate of forty shekels of silver; and even their servants were lords over the people: but I did not do so, because of the fear of God.
16 Da, prav tako sem nadaljeval pri delu tega obzidja niti nismo kupili nobene zemlje in vsi moji služabniki so bili zbrani tja k delu.
And I kept on with the work of this wall, and we got no land for ourselves: and all my servants were helping with the work.
17 Poleg tega jih je bilo pri moji mizi sto petdeset izmed Judov in vladarjev, poleg tistih, ki so prišli k nam izmed poganov, ki so okoli nas.
And more than this, a hundred and fifty of the Jews and the rulers were guests at my table, in addition to those who came to us from the nations round about us.
18 Torej tega, kar je bilo dnevno pripravljeno zame, je bilo: en vol in šest izbranih ovc. Tudi perjad je bila pripravljena zame in enkrat na deset dni izbor vseh vrst vina. Vendar za vse to nisem zahteval kruha od voditelja, ker je bilo suženjstvo težko nad tem ljudstvom.
Now the food made ready for one day was one ox and six fat sheep, as well as fowls; and once in ten days a store of all sorts of wine: but all the same, I did not take the food to which the ruler had a right, because the people were crushed under a hard yoke.
19 Misli name, moj Bog, za dobro, glede na vse, kar sem storil za to ljudstvo.
Keep in mind, O my God, for my good, all I have done for this people.