Nehemiah 5
5
Nehemiah Deals with Oppression
1And there was a great #Lev. 25:35–37; Neh. 5:7, 8outcry of the people and their wives against their #Deut. 15:7Jewish brethren. 2For there were those who said, “We, our sons, and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain, that we may eat and live.”
3There were also some who said, “We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine.”
4There were also those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our lands and vineyards. 5Yet now #Is. 58:7our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we #Ex. 21:7; (Lev. 25:39)are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.”
6And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, #(Ex. 22:25; Lev. 25:36; Deut. 23:19, 20); Ezek. 22:12“Each of you is exacting usury from his brother.” So I called a great assembly against them. 8And I said to them, “According to our ability we have #Lev. 25:48redeemed 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 nothing to say. 9Then I said, “What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk #Lev. 25:36in the fear of our God #2 Sam. 12:14; Rom. 2:24; (1 Pet. 2:12)because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? 10I also, with my brethren and my servants, am lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury! 11Restore 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.”
12So they said, “We will restore it, and will require nothing from them; we will do as you say.”
Then I called the priests, #Ezra 10:5; Jer. 34:8, 9and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. 13Then #Matt. 10:14; Acts 13:51; 18:6I 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 the Lord. #2 Kin. 23:3Then the people did according to this promise.
The Generosity of Nehemiah
14Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year #Neh. 2:1; 13:6until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers #(1 Cor. 9:4–15)ate the governor’s provisions. 15But the former governors who were before 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, but #2 Cor. 11:9; 12:13I did not do so, because of the #Neh. 5:9fear of God. 16Indeed, I also continued the #Neh. 4:1; 6:1work on this wall, and we did not buy any land. All my servants were gathered there for the work.
17And #2 Sam. 9:7; 1 Kin. 18:19at my table were one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to us from the nations around us. 18Now that #1 Kin. 4:22which was prepared daily was one ox and six 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 I #Neh. 5:14, 15did not demand the governor’s provisions, because the bondage was heavy on this people.
19#2 Kin. 20:3; Neh. 13:14, 22, 31Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.
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Nehemiah 5: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
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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