5
1 And then it happened that the outcry of the people and their wives was great against their brother Jews.
2 And there were those who said, “Our sons and our daughters— we are many. And let us get grain and we will eat and we will stay alive.”
3 And there were those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields and our vineyards and our houses so we can get grain during the famine.”
4 And there were those who said, “We have borrowed silver for the tax of the king on our fields and our vineyards.
5 And now, as the flesh of our brothers is, so is our flesh; as their sons are, so are our sons. And look— we are the ones subjecting our sons and our daughters as slaves. And there are those of our daughters who have been enslaved. And there is nothing in our hand to fix it, for our fields and our vineyards belong to others.”
6 Then a great heat of anger came over me when I heard their outcry and these words.
7 And I brought my heart under control in myself, and I contested with the nobles and with the officials. And I said to them, “Collateral is held, each man from his own brother. You are the ones lending!” And I made a great assembly against them
8 and said to them, “We ourselves, as we were able, bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations. In complete contrast, you yourselves are selling your brothers, to be sold back to us!” And they were silent and they could not find a word.
9 And I said, “It is not good, the thing that you are doing. Should you not walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the nations opposing us?
10 However, I, my brothers, and my servants loaned to them silver and grain. Let us please forsake this holding of collateral!
11 Please return to them today their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses and the hundredth percent of the silver and the grain, the new wine, and the purified oil that you hold from them as collateral.”
12 And they said, “We will return it, and we will seek nothing from them. In this way we will do according to what you say.” I also called the priests, and I made them swear to do according to this word.
13 Furthermore, I shook out my garment and I said, “In this way may God shake from his house and work every man who does not keep this promise. So may he become shaken out and empty.” Then all the assembly said, “Amen!” and they praised Yahweh and the people did according to this word.
14 Moreover from the day that he appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the year thirty- two of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, I and my brothers did not eat the bread of the governor.
15 But the former governors who were in my presence, they burdened the people, and took from them bread and wine, in addition to forty silver shekels. Moreover their servants ruled over the people. But I myself did not do so because of the presence of the fear of God.
16 And moreover I kept to this work of the wall, and we bought no field, and all my servants were assembling there for the work.
17 And the Judeans and the officials, a hundred and fifty men, and those coming to us from the nations which surrounded us, were at my table.
18 And that which was provided for one day: one bull, six pure sheep, and birds. They were provided by me. And every ten days, all kinds of wine in abundance. Furthermore, I did not seek the bread of the governor, because the service was heavy on these people.
19 Remember me, my God, for all the good that I have done for this people.
The Book of Nehemiah