Nehemiah 5
5
Nehemiah Helps Some Poor People
1Some men and their wives cried out against their Jewish brothers and sisters. 2Some of them were saying, “There are now many of us. We have many sons and daughters. We have to get some grain so we can eat and stay alive.”
3Others were saying, “We’re being forced to sell our fields, vineyards and homes. We have to do it to buy grain. There isn’t enough food for everyone.”
4Still others were saying, “We’ve had to borrow money. We needed it to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. 5We belong to the same family lines as the rest of our people. Our children are as good as theirs. But we’ve had to sell them off as slaves. Some of our daughters have already been made slaves. But we can’t do anything about it. That’s because our fields and vineyards now belong to others.”
6I heard them when they cried out. And I was very angry when I heard what they were saying. 7I thought it over for a while. Then I accused the nobles and officials of breaking the law. I told them, “You are charging your own people interest!” So I called together a large group of people to handle the matter. 8I said, “Our Jewish brothers and sisters were sold to other nations. We’ve done everything we could to buy them back and bring them home. But look at what you are doing! You are actually selling your own people! Now we’ll have to buy them back too!” The people kept quiet. They couldn’t think of anything to say.
9So I continued, “What you are doing isn’t right. Shouldn’t you show respect for our God? Shouldn’t you live in a way that will keep our enemies from saying bad things about us? 10I’m lending the people money and grain. So are my relatives and my men. But we must stop charging interest! 11Give the people’s fields back to them. Give them back their vineyards, olive groves and houses. Do it right away. Give everything back to them. Also give them back the one percent on the money, grain, fresh wine and olive oil you have charged them.”
12“We’ll give it back,” they said. “And we won’t require anything more from them. We’ll do exactly as you say.”
Then I sent for the priests. I made the nobles and officials promise to do what they had said. 13I also shook out my pockets and emptied them. I said, “Someone might decide not to keep this promise they have made. If that happens, may God shake them out of their house! May he empty them of everything they own!”
The whole community said, “Amen.” They praised the Lord. And the leaders did what they had promised to do.
14And that’s not all. I was appointed as governor of Judah in the 20th year that Artaxerxes was king of Persia. I remained in that position until his 32nd year. During those 12 years, I and my relatives didn’t eat the food that was provided for my table. 15But there had been governors before me. They had put a heavy load on the people. They had taken a pound of silver from each of them. They had also taken food and wine from them. Their officials had acted like high and mighty rulers over them. But because of my great respect for God, I didn’t act like that. 16Instead, I spent all my time working on this wall. All my men were gathered there to work on it too. We didn’t receive any land for ourselves.
17Many people ate at my table. They included 150 Jews and officials. They also included leaders who came to us from the nations that were around us. 18Each day one ox, six of the best sheep and some birds were prepared for me. Every ten days plenty of wine of all kinds was brought in as well. In spite of all that, I never asked for the food that was provided for my table. That’s because the people were already paying too many taxes.
19You are my God. Please remember me and help me. Keep in mind everything I’ve done for these people.
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Nehemiah 5: NIrV
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Nehemiah 5
5
Internal unrest
1Then there was a great protest of the people and their wives against their fellow Jews. 2Some said, “With our sons and daughters we are many, and we all need grain to eat and stay alive.”
3Others said, “We have to mortgage our fields, our vineyards, and our houses in order to get grain during the famine.”
4Still others said, “We have had to borrow money against our fields and vineyards in order to pay the king’s tax.”
5“We are of the same flesh and blood as our kin, and our children are the same as theirs. Yet we are just about to force our sons and daughters into slavery, and some of our daughters are already slaves! There is nothing we can do since our fields and vineyards now belong to others.”
6I was very angry when I heard their protest and these complaints. 7After thinking it over, I brought charges against the officials and the officers. I told them, “You are all taking interest from your own people!” I also called for a large assembly in order to deal with them. 8“To the best of our ability,” I said to them, “we have bought back our Jewish kin who had been sold to other nations. But now you are selling your own kin, who must then be bought back by us!” At this they were silent, unable to offer a response.
9So I continued, “What you are doing isn’t good! Why don’t you walk in the fear of our God? This will prevent the taunts of the nations that are our enemies! 10I myself, along with my family and my servants, am lending them money and grain. But let’s stop charging this interest! 11Give it back to them, right now. Return their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses. And give back the interest on money, grain, wine, and oil that you are charging them.”
12They replied, “We’ll return everything, and we won’t charge anything else.#5.12 Heb lacks everything…anything else. We’ll do what you’ve asked.”
So I called the priests and made them swear to do what they had promised. 13I also shook out the fold of my robe, saying, “So may God shake out everyone from their house and property if they don’t keep this promise. So may they be shaken out and emptied!”
The whole assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.
Generous Governor Nehemiah
14In addition, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah (that is, from the twentieth to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes for a total of twelve years), neither I nor my family ate from the governor’s food allowance. 15The earlier governors who had come before me laid heavy burdens on the people. They took food and wine from them as well as#5.15 Heb uncertain forty shekels of silver. Even their servants oppressed the people. But because I was God-fearing, I didn’t behave in this way.
16Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. We acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. 17One hundred fifty Jews and officials, along with those who came to us from the surrounding nations, gathered around my table. 18One ox, six choice sheep, and birds were prepared each day. Every ten days there was a large amount of wine. Yet even with this I didn’t ask for the governor’s food allowance because of the heavy burden the people had to carry.
19Remember in my favor, my God, all that I’ve done for this people!
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