Nehemja 5

1 Och sig upphof ett stort rop af folket, och deras hustrur, emot sina bröder Judarna.

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

2 Och voro somlige, som sade: Våre söner och döttrar äro allt för månge; låt oss taga säd, och äta, att vi måge lefva.

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 Och somlige sade: Låt oss utsätta våra åkrar, vingårdar och hus, och taga säd i denna hårda tiden.

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 Somlige sade: Låt oss låna penningar på ränto till Konungen, på våra åkrar och vingårdar.

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 Ty våra bröders kropp är såsom vår kropp, och deras barn såsom vår barn; eljest gifve vi våra söner och döttrar i träldom, och äre allaredo våra döttrar somliga undergifna, och ingen magt är i våra händer; komma också våra åkrar och vingårdar androm tillhanda.

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 Då jag nu deras rop och dessa orden hörde, vardt jag ganska vred.

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

7 Och mitt hjerta fick till råds, att jag straffade rådherrarna och öfverstarna, och sade till dem: Viljen I drifva ocker, den ene på den andra? Och jag hade tillhopa emot dem en stor församling;

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 Och sade till dem: Vi hafve igenköpt våra bröder Judarna, som Hedningomen sålde voro, efter våra förmågo; och I viljen också sälja edra bröder, de vi till oss köpt hafve? Då tego de, och funno intet till att svara.

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 Och jag sade: Det är icke godt, som I gören. Skullen I icke vandra i Gudsfruktan, för Hedningarnas försmädelses skull, våra fiendars?

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 Jag och mine bröder, och mine tjenare, hafvom ock fått dem penningar och säd; men ockret vilje vi låta blifva tillbaka.

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 Så får dem nu i denna dag igen sina åkrar, vingårdar, oljogårdar och hus, och hundradedelen af penningomen för säd, vin och oljo, som I på dem ockrat hafven.

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 Då sade de: Vi vilje få dem det igen, och vilje intet äska af dem; och vilje göra såsom du sagt hafver. Och jag kallade Presterna, och tog en ed af dem, att de så göra skulle.

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 Och jag skuddade mitt sköte ut, och sade: Så skudde Gud hvar och en af sitt hus, och ifrå hans arbete, den icke blifver vid detta ord, så att han blifve utskuddad och blottad. Och hela församlingen sade Amen; och lofvade Herran. Och folket gjorde så.

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 Desslikes, ifrå den tiden, då mig vardt befaldt att vara landshöfding i Juda land, nämliga ifrå tjugonde årena, allt intill annat och tretionde året Konungs Arthahsasta, det är i tolf år, höll jag mig och mina bröder intet af höfdingakoste.

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 Förty de förre landshöfdingar, som för mig varit hade, hade besvärat folket, och hade tagit af dem bröd och vin, och dertill fyratio siklar silfver, och deras tjenare hade haft sig väldeliga med folket; men jag gjorde icke så, för Gudsfruktans skull.

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 Arbetade jag ock på murarbetet, och köpte ingen åker; och alle mine tjenare måste der komma samman till arbetes.

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 Dertill voro ock af Judarna och Förstarna hundrade och femtio vid mitt bord, som till mig komne voro ifrå Hedningarna, som kringom oss äro.

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

18 Och man måste beställa mig om dagen en oxa, och sex utvald får, och foglar, och ju i tio dagar allahanda vin tillfyllest. Likväl äskade jag intet höfdingakosten; förty tungen var svår på folkena.

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 Min Gud, betänk mig till godo allt det jag desso folkena gjorde.

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