Nehemaia 5

1 Pea naʻe lāunga lahi ʻae kakai mo honau ngaahi uaifi ki honau ngaahi kāinga ko e kakai Siu.

Then the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews.

2 He naʻe ai ʻae niʻihi naʻe lea ʻo pehē, “Ko kimautolu, ko homau ngaahi foha, mo homau ngaahi ʻofefine ʻoku mau tokolahi: ko ia ʻoku mau toʻo hake ai ʻae uite maʻanautolu, koeʻuhi ke mau kai, pea moʻui.”

For there were some who said, “With our sons and daughters we are many. So let us get grain that we may eat and stay alive.”

3 Naʻe ai mo e niʻihi naʻa nau lea, [ʻo pehē], “Kuo mau maʻu paʻanga koeʻuhi ko homau ngaahi fonua, mo e ngoue vaine, mo e ngaahi fale, koeʻuhi ke mau fakatau ʻae uite, ko e meʻa ʻi he honge.”

There were also some who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain during the famine.”

4 Pea naʻe ʻi ai ʻae niʻihi foki naʻe pehē, “Kuo mau nō ʻae ngaahi paʻanga maʻae tukuhau ʻae tuʻi, pea fakamoʻua ki ai homau ngaahi fonua mo e ngoue vaine.

Some also said, “We have borrowed money to pay the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards.

5 Ka ko eni ko homau kakano ʻoku tatau mo e kakano ʻo homau kāinga, mo ʻemau fānau ʻoku hangē ko ʻenau fānau: pea vakai, ʻoku mau fakapōpulaʻi homau ngaahi foha, mo homau ngaahi ʻofefine ke hoko ko e kau tamaioʻeiki, pea ko e niʻihi ʻo homau ʻofefine kuo fakahoko ni ki he fakapōpula: pea ʻoku ʻikai temau mafai ke huhuʻi ʻakinautolu; he ko e kau tangata kehe kuo maʻu homau fonua mo ʻemau ngoue vaine.”

Yet now our flesh and blood is the same as our brothers, and our children are the same as their children. We are forced to sell our sons and our daughters to become slaves. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved. But it is not in our power to help it because other men now own our fields and our vineyards.”

6 Pea ne u ʻita lahi ʻi heʻeku fanongo ki heʻenau tangi mo e ngaahi lea ni.

I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words.

7 Pea ne u fakalaulauloto, pea u valoki ʻae ngaahi houʻeiki, mo e kau pule, pea u pehē kiate kinautolu, ʻOku mou maʻu totongi lahi, taki taha mei hono tokoua. Pea ne u fokotuʻu hake ʻae fuʻu tokolahi ke taʻofi kiate kinautolu.

Then I thought about this, and brought charges against the nobles and officials. I said to them, “You are exacting interest, each from his own brother.” I held a great assembly against them

8 Pea ne u pehē kiate kinautolu, “Kuo fai ʻekimautolu ʻo fakatatau mo ʻemau mafai, ʻae huhuʻi ʻo homau kāinga ko e kakai Siu, ʻaia naʻe fakatau ki he kakai hiteni; pea temou fakatau koā ʻa homou ngaahi kāinga? Pe ʻe fakatau koā ʻakinautolu kiate kimautolu?” Pea naʻa nau longo pe, ʻo ʻikai ʻilo ha meʻa ke lea ʻaki.

and said to them, “We, as much as we are able, have bought back from slavery our Jewish brothers who had been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers and sisters that they may be sold back to us!” They were silent and never found a word to say.

9 Pea ne u pehē foki, “Ko ia ʻoku mou fai ʻoku ʻikai lelei: ʻikai ʻoku ngali ke mou ʻalu pe ʻi he manavahē ki hotau ʻOtua telia ʻae manuki ʻoe hiteni ko hotau ngaahi fili?

Also I said, “What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations that are our enemies?

10 ‌ʻE totonu foki ka ne ko au mo hoku kāinga mo ʻeku kau tamaioʻeiki, ke mau tala totongi kiate kinautolu ʻi he paʻanga mo e uite: ʻoku ou kole kiate kimoutolu ketau tuku muʻa ʻae tangi totongi ni.

I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. But we must stop charging interest on these loans.

11 ‌ʻOku ou kole kiate kimoutolu, mou toe ʻatu kiate kinautolu he ʻaho ni, honau fonua, mo ʻenau ngoue vaine, mo ʻenau ngoue ʻolive, mo honau ngaahi fale, mo hono teau ʻoe vahe ʻo ʻenau ngaahi paʻanga, mo e uite, mo e uaine, mo e lolo, ʻaia ʻoku mou tangi ke maʻu mālohi ʻiate kinautolu.”

Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses and the percentage of the money, the grain, the new wine, and the oil that you exacted from them.”

12 Pea naʻa nau pehē mai, “Te mau toe ʻatu, pea ʻe ʻikai te mau tala ha meʻa ʻe taha ki ai; ko ia te mau fai ʻo hangē ko hoʻo lea.” Pea ne u ui ke haʻu ʻae kau taulaʻeiki, pea u fakafuakava ʻakinautolu, koeʻuhi ke nau fai ʻo fakatatau ki he lea papau ni.

Then they said, “We will return what we took from them, and will require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” Then I called the priests, and made them swear to do as they had promised.

13 Pea naʻaku tupetupeʻi hoku kofu foki, ʻo pehē, “Ke tupetupeʻi pehē ʻe he ʻOtua ʻae tangata kotoa pē mei hono fale, pea mei heʻene ngāue, ʻaia ʻoku ʻikai fakamoʻoni ki he lea ni, ʻio, ke tupetupeʻi ia kituʻa, pea liʻaki.” Pea naʻe pehē ʻe he fakataha kotoa pē, “ʻEmeni,” mo nau fakafetaʻi kia Sihova. Pea naʻe fai ʻe he kakai ʻo fakatatau ki he lea ni.

I shook out the fold of my robe and said, “So may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep his promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” All the assembly said, “Amen,” and they praised Yahweh and the people did as they had promised.

14 Pea ko eni foki, talu ʻae kuonga ko ia naʻe fakanofo au ko honau pule ʻi he fonua ʻo Siuta, mei he taʻu ʻe uofulu ʻo hoko ki he taʻu ʻe tolungofulu ma ua ʻo ʻAtakisekisi ko e tuʻi, ʻaia ko e taʻu ʻe hongofulu ma ua, ko au mo hoku kāinga naʻe ʻikai te mau kai ʻae meʻakai ʻae pule.

So from the time I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food provided for the governor.

15 Ka ko e ngaahi pule naʻe ʻi muʻa ʻiate au naʻe moʻua ki ai ʻae kakai, pea naʻa nau maʻu ʻiate kinautolu ʻae mā mo e uaine, mo e sikeli siliva ʻe fāngofulu; ʻio, ko ʻenau kau tamaioʻeiki naʻa nau pule ki he kakai: ka naʻe ʻikai te u pehē, ko e meʻa ʻi he manavahē ki he ʻOtua.

But the former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people, and took from them forty shekels of silver for their daily food and wine. Even their servants oppressed the people. But I did not do so because of the fear of God.

16 Ko e moʻoni ne u fai maʻu pe ʻi he ngāue ʻae ʻā maka ni, pea naʻe ʻikai te mau fakatau ha potu fonua: pea naʻe tānaki fakataha ʻa ʻeku kau tamaioʻeiki kotoa pē ʻi ai ki he ngāue.

I also continued to work on the wall, and we bought no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work.

17 Pea naʻe ʻi heʻeku keinangaʻanga foki ʻae kau Siu ʻe toko teau mo e nimangofulu, mo e kau pule, kaeʻumaʻā ʻakinautolu naʻe haʻu kiate kimautolu mei he hiteni ʻoku tuʻu takatakai ʻiate kimautolu.

At my table were the Jews and the officials, 150 men, besides those who came to us from among the nations who were around us.

18 Pea ko eni ko e meʻa naʻe teu kiate au ʻi he ʻaho kotoa pē, ko e pulu ʻe taha mo e sipi lelei ʻe ono; pea mo e fanga moa naʻe teuʻi kiate au, pea tuʻo taha ʻi he ʻaho ʻe hongofulu naʻe ʻomi ʻae tokonaki ʻoe ngaahi uaine kehekehe: pea neongo ʻae meʻa lahi ni kotoa pē, naʻe ʻikai te u maʻu ʻae mangisi ʻae pule, koeʻuhi naʻe māfasia lahi ʻae kakai ni.

Now what was prepared each day was one ox, six choice sheep, and also birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance, yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the demands were too heavy on the people.

19 ‌ʻE hoku ʻOtua, ke ke manatuʻi au ke u lelei ai, ʻo fakatatau ki he meʻa kotoa pē naʻaku fai mā ʻae kakai ni.

Call me to mind, my God, for good, because of all that I have done for this people.