Nehemiah 5
Nehemiah Defends the Oppressed
5We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless to redeem them because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”
5And now as the flesh of our brothers is our flesh; as their sons are our sons. And behold, we are putting into bondage our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into bondage, and in our hands is no power, and our fields and our vineyards are unto others.”
7and after serious thought I rebuked the nobles and officials, saying, “You are exacting usury from your own brothers!”
So I called a large assembly against them
7And my heart reigned over me, and I rebuked the nobles and the prefects and said to them, “You are exacting usury on one another.” And I called a great assembly against them,
8and said, “We have done our best to buy back our Jewish brothers who were sold to foreigners, but now you are selling your own brothers, that they may be sold back to us!”
But they remained silent, for they could find nothing to say.
8and I said to them, “We have redeemed our brothers the Jews, who were sold to the nations, according to our ability. And you indeed are selling your brothers, that they may be sold back to us!” And they were silenced, and they found not a word.
9So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our foreign enemies?
9And I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Is it not in the fear of our God that you should walk, because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies?
11Please restore to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses, along with the percentage of the money, grain, new wine, and oil that you have been assessing them.”
11Restore now to them even this day their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, and the hundredth of the silver, and the grain, the new wine, and the oil that you have charged to them.”
12“We will restore it,” they replied, “and will require nothing more from them. We will do as you say.”
So I summoned the priests and required of the nobles and officials an oath that they would do what they had promised.
12And they said, “We will restore it, and from them will require nothing. Thus we will do as you say.” And I called the priests, and caused them to swear to do according to this word.
13I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “May God likewise shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep this promise. May such a man be shaken out and have nothing!”
The whole assembly said, “Amen,” and they praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.
13Then I shook out my lap and said, “So may God shake out every man who does not perform this word from his house and from his property; even thus is he shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said, “Amen,” and they praised YHWH, and the people did according to this word.
Nehemiah’s Generosity
14Furthermore, from the day King Artaxerxes appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah, from his twentieth year until his thirty-second year (twelve years total), neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.
14Also from the day that 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), I and my brothers did not eat the bread of the governor.
15The governors before me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them bread and wine plus forty shekels of silver.a Their servants also oppressed the people. But I did not do this, because of my fear of God.
15And the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and they took from them bread and wine, besides silver, forty shekels. Also their servants ruled over the people, and I did not do so because of the fear of God.
18Each day one ox, six choice sheep, and some fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine was provided. But I did not demand the food allotted to the governor, because the burden on the people was so heavy.
18And that which was prepared for one day was one ox, and six choice sheep, and fowl prepared for me, and once every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. And with this, the bread of the governor I did not demand, because the bondage was heavy on this people.