Nehemías 5

1 Entonces fue el clamor del pueblo y de sus mujeres grande contra los Judíos sus hermanos.

[Later, ] many of the men and their wives protested loudly about what [some of] the [other] Jews were doing.

2 Y había quien decía: Nuestros hijos, y nuestras hijas, y nosotros, somos muchos: y hemos comprado grano para comer y vivir.

Some/One of them said, “We have many children. So we need a lot of grain to be able to eat and continue to live.”

3 Y había otros que decían: Nuestras tierras, y nuestras viñas, y nuestras casas hemos empeñado, para comprar grano en la hambre.

Others said, “The fields and vineyards and houses that we own, it has been necessary for us to (mortgage them/promise to give them to someone if we do not pay back to him the money he has loaned us) in order to get money to buy grain, during this (famine/time where there is not much food).”

4 Y había otros que decían: Hemos tomado emprestado dinero para el tributo del rey sobre nuestras tierras y nuestras viñas.

Others said, “We have [needed to] borrow money to pay the taxes that the king [commanded us to pay] on our fields and our vineyards.

5 Y ahora como la carne de nuestros hermanos es nuestra carne, como sus hijos son también nuestros hijos: y, he aquí que nosotros sujetamos nuestros hijos y nuestras hijas en servidumbre, y hay algunas de nuestras hijas sujetas, y no hay facultad en nuestras manos para rescatarlas; y nuestras tierras y nuestras viñas son de otros.

We are Jews just like [IDM] they are. Our children are ([just as good as/equal with)] their children. But we have needed to sell some of our children to become slaves [in order to pay what we owe]. We have already sold some of our daughters to become slaves. Our fields and vineyards have been taken away from us, so now we do not have [the money to pay what we owe, and we are forced to sell our children to get money to pay those debts].”

6 Y enojéme en gran manera, cuando oí su clamor y estas palabras.

I was very angry when I heard these things that they were complaining about.

7 Y pensó mi corazón en mí, y reprendí a los principales, y a los magistrados, y díjeles: ¿Usura tomáis cada uno de vuestros hermanos? E hice contra ellos una grande junta,

So I thought about what I could do about it. I told the leaders and officials [who were responsible for this work], “You are charging interest to your own relatives [when they borrow money from you]!” Then I called together a large group of people,

8 Y díjeles: Nosotros rescatamos a nuestros hermanos Judíos, que eran vendidos a las gentes, conforme a la facultad que había en nosotros: ¿y vosotros aun vendéis a vuestros hermanos, y serán vendidos a nosotros? Y callaron, que no tuvieron que responder.

and I said to their [leaders], “Some of our Jewish relatives have been forced to sell themselves to become slaves of people who have come from other countries. As much as we have been able to, we have been buying them back [out of slavery]. But now you are forcing your own relatives to sell themselves to you, their fellow Jews, as slaves!” [When I said that to them, ] they were silent. There was nothing that they could say [because they knew that what I said was true].

9 Y dije: No es bien lo que hacéis: ¿No andaréis en temor de nuestro Dios por la vergüenza de las gentes nuestras enemigas?

Then I said to them, “What you are doing is terrible [EUP]! You certainly ought to [RHQ] obey God and do what is right! If you did that, our enemies who do not revere Yahweh [would see that we are doing what is right and] would not ridicule us.

10 Y también yo, y mis hermanos, y mis criados les habemos prestado dinero y grano: soltémosles ahora esta usura.

My fellow Jews and I and my servants have lent money and grain to people [without charging interest]. So you all should stop charging interest on these loans.

11 Ruégoos que les volváis hoy sus tierras, sus viñas, sus olivares, y sus casas, y la centésima parte del dinero, y del grano, del vino, y del aceite que demandáis de ellos.

Also, you must give back to them their fields, their vineyards, their olive tree orchards, and their houses that you have taken from them. You must also give back to them the interest that you charged them when they borrowed money, grain, wine, and [olive] oil from you, and you must do it today!”

12 Y dijeron: Volveremos, y no les demandaremos: así haremos, como tú dices. Entonces convoqué los sacerdotes, y les juramenté que hiciesen conforme a esto.

The leaders replied, “We will do what you have said. We will return to them everything that we forced them to give to us, and we will not require that they give us anything more.” Then I summoned the priests, and I forced the leaders to vow in front of them that they would do what they had promised to do.

13 Además de esto sacudí mi vestido, y dije: Así sacuda Dios de su casa y de su trabajo a todo varón que no cumpliere esto, y así sea sacudido y vacío. Y respondió toda la congregación: Amén: y alabaron a Jehová: e hizo el pueblo conforme a esto.

I shook out the folds of my robe and said to them, “If you do not do what you have just now promised to do, I hope/desire that God will shake you like I am shaking my robe. He will take away your homes and everything else that you own.” They all replied, “Amen/May it be so!” And they praised Yahweh. Then they did what they had promised to do.

14 También desde el día que me mandó el rey que fuese capitán de ellos en la tierra de Judá, desde el año veinte del rey Artaxerxes hasta el año treinta y dos, doce años, ni yo ni mis hermanos comimos el pan del capitán.

I was appointed to be the governor of Judea in the twentieth year that Artaxerxes was the king [of Persia]. For the next twelve years, until he had been ruling for almost 32 years, neither I nor my officials accepted [the money that we were allowed/entitled to receive to buy] food because of my being the governor.

15 Mas los primeros capitanes que fueron antes de mí, cargaron al pueblo, y tomaron de ellos por el pan y por el vino sobre cuarenta pesos de plata; además de esto, sus criados se enseñoreaban sobre el pueblo; mas yo no hice así a causa del temor de Dios.

The men who were governors before I became the governor had burdened the people by requiring them to pay a lot of taxes. They had forced each person to pay to them 40 silver coins every day, in addition to giving food and wine to them. Even their servants/officials oppressed the people. But I did not do that, because I revered God.

16 Además de esto, en la obra de este muro instauré mi parte, ni compramos heredad: y todos mis criados juntos estaban allí a la obra.

I also continued to work on the wall, and I did not take land from people [who were unable to pay back the money that they had borrowed from me]. All those who worked for me joined me to work on the wall.

17 Ítem, los Judíos y los magistrados, ciento y cincuenta varones, y los que venían a nosotros de las gentes que están en nuestros al derredores, estaban a mi mesa.

Also, every day I was responsible to feed 150 Jewish officials, and also [official] visitors who came from nearby countries.

18 Y lo que se aderezaba para cada día era un buey, y seis ovejas escogidas; y aves también se aparejaban para mí: y cada diez días vino en toda abundancia: y con todo esto nunca busqué el pan del capitán, porque la servidumbre de este pueblo era grave.

Each day I [told my servants to] serve [us the meat from] one ox, six very good sheep, and chickens. And every ten days I gave them a large new supply of wine. But I knew that the people were burdened [by paying lots of taxes], so I did not accept [the money that I was entitled/allowed to receive to buy all this] food because of my being the governor.

19 Acuérdate de mí para bien, Dios mío, y de todo lo que hice a este pueblo.

My God, do not forget me, and reward me because of all that I have done for these people.