Nehemija 5

1 Tam je bilo veliko vpitje ljudstva in njihovih žena zoper njihove brate Jude.

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

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 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 were saying, Our fields and our vineyards and our houses, are we pledging, —that we may obtain corn in the dearth.

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

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.«

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 Bil sem zelo jezen, ko sem slišal njihovo vpitje in te besede.

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

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.

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 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 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 Prav tako sem rekel: »To ni dobro, kar delate. Ali ne bi morali hoditi v strahu našega Boga zaradi graje poganov, naših sovražnikov?

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 Tudi jaz in moji bratje in moji služabniki bi lahko od njih terjali denar in žito. Prosim vas, prenehajmo s tem oderuštvom.

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 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.«

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 Da, prav tako sem nadaljeval pri delu tega obzidja niti nismo kupili nobene zemlje in vsi moji služabniki so bili zbrani tja k delu.

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 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, 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 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, 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 Misli name, moj Bog, za dobro, glede na vse, kar sem storil za to ljudstvo.

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