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New International Version (NIV) |
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1 About this time some of the men and their wives raised a cry of protest against their fellow Jews.
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1 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers.
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2 They were saying, "We have such large families. We need more money just so we can buy the food we need to survive."
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2 Some were saying, "We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain."
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3 Others said, "We have mortgaged our fields, vineyards, and homes to get food during the famine."
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3 Others were saying, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine."
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4 And others said, "We have already borrowed to the limit on our fields and vineyards to pay our taxes.
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4 Still others were saying, "We have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards.
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5 We belong to the same family, and our children are just like theirs. Yet we must sell our children into slavery just to get enough money to live. We have already sold some of our daughters, and we are helpless to do anything about it, for our fields and vineyards are already mortgaged to others."
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5 Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others."
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6 When I heard their complaints, I was very angry.
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6 When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.
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7 After thinking about the situation, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, "You are oppressing your own relatives by charging them interest when they borrow money!" Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem.
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7 I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, "You are exacting usury from your own countrymen!" So I called together a large meeting to deal with them
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8 At the meeting I said to them, "The rest of us are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?" And they had nothing to say in their defense.
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8 and said: "As far as possible, we have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your brothers, only for them to be sold back to us!" They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.
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9 Then I pressed further, "What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations?
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9 So 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 Gentile enemies?
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10 I myself, as well as my brothers and my workers, have been lending the people money and grain, but now let us stop this business of loans.
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10 I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop!
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11 You must restore their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes to them this very day. Repay the interest you charged on their money, grain, wine, and olive oil."
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11 Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them--the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil."
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12 Then they replied, "We will give back everything and demand nothing more from the people. We will do as you say." Then I called the priests and made the nobles and officials formally vow to do what they had promised.
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12 "We will give it back," they said. "And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say." Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised.
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13 I shook out the fold of my robe and said, "If you fail to keep your promise, may God shake you from your homes and from your property!"The whole assembly responded, "Amen," and they praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.
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13 I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, "In this way may God shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep this promise. So may such a man be shaken out and emptied!" At this the whole assembly said, "Amen," and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.
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14 I would like to mention that for the entire twelve years that I was governor of Judah -- from the twentieth until the thirty-second year of the reign of King Artaxerxes -- neither I nor my officials drew on our official food allowance.
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14 Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year--twelve years--neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.
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15 This was quite a contrast to the former governors who had laid heavy burdens on the people, demanding a daily ration of food and wine, besides a pound of silver. Even their assistants took advantage of the people. But because of my fear of God, I did not act that way.
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15 But the earlier governors--those preceding me--placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that.
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16 I devoted myself to working on the wall and refused to acquire any land. And I required all my officials to spend time working on the wall.
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16 Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we did not acquire any land.
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17 I asked for nothing, even though I regularly fed 150 Jewish officials at my table, besides all the visitors from other lands!
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17 Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations.
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18 The provisions required at my expense for each day were one ox, six fat sheep, and a large number of domestic fowl. And every ten days we needed a large supply of all kinds of wine. Yet I refused to claim the governor's food allowance because the people were already having a difficult time.
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18 Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry were prepared for me, and every ten days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people.
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19 Remember, O my God, all that I have done for these people, and bless me for it.
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19 Remember me with favor, O my God, for all I have done for these people.
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| Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. (New Living Translation - The Bible Online) |
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online) |
