Nehemiah Deals with Oppression
1 And there was a greatoutcry of the people and their wives against theirJewish brethren.
2 For there were those who said, “We, our sons, and our daughtersaremany; therefore let us get grain, that we may eat and live.”
3 There were alsosomewho said, “We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine.”
4 There were also those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s taxonour lands and vineyards.
5 Yet nowour fleshisas the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed weare forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, andsomeof our daughters have been brought into slavery.Itisnot in our powertoredeemthem,for other men have our lands and vineyards.”
6 And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words.
7 After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them,“Each of you is exacting usury from his brother.” So I called a great assembly against them.
8 And I said to them, “According to our ability we haveredeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?”
Then they were silenced and found nothingtosay.
9 Then I said, “What you are doingisnot good. Should you not walkin the fear of our Godbecause of the reproach of the nations, our enemies?
10 I also,withmy brethren and my servants, am lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury!
11 Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them.”
12 So they said, “We will restoreit,and will require nothing from them; we will do as you say.”
# Then I called the priests,and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise.
13 ThenI shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not perform this promise. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.”
# And all the assembly said, “Amen!” and praised theLord.Then the people did according to this promise.
The Generosity of Nehemiah
14 Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth yearuntil the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothersate the governor’s provisions.
15 But the former governors whowerebefore me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, butI did not do so, because of thefear of God.
16 Indeed, I also continued thework on this wall, and we did not buy any land. All my servantsweregathered there for the work.
17 Andat my tablewereone hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to us from the nations around us.
18 Nowthatwhich was prepared dailywasone oxandsix choice sheep. Also fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine. Yet in spite of this Idid not demand the governor’s provisions, because the bondage was heavy on this people.
19 Remember me, my God, for good,accordingtoall that I have done for this people.