1
Now there was a
great outcry of the
people and of their
wives against their
Jewish brothers.
~,hyex]a -l,a h'lw{d.G ~,hyev.n.W ~'['h t;q][;c yih.T;w ? ~yid.Wh.Y;h
2
For
there were those
who said, "We, our
sons and our
daughters are
many; therefore let us
get grain that we may
eat and
live."
.Wn.x;n]a .Wnyet{n.b.W .Wnyen'B ~yir.m{a r,v]a vey.w ? h,y.xin.w h'l.ka{n.w !'g'd h'x.qin.w ~yiB;r
3
There were others
who said, "We are
mortgaging our
fields, our
vineyards and our
houses that we might
get grain because of the
famine."
.WnyeT'b.W .Wnyem'r.k.W .Wnyet{d.f ~yir.m{a r,v]a vey.w ? b'['r'B !'g'd h'x.qin.w ~yib.r{[ .Wn.x;n]a
4
Also
there were those
who said, "We have
borrowed money for the
king's tax on our
fields and our
vineyards.
.$,l,M;h t;Dim.l @,s,k .Wnyiw'l ~yir.m{a r,v]a vey.w ? .Wnyem'r.k.W .Wnyet{d.f
5
"Now our
flesh is like the
flesh of our
brothers, our
children like their
children. Yet
behold, we are
forcing our
sons and our
daughters to be
slaves, and
some of our
daughters are
forced into
bondage already, and we are
helpless * * because our
fields and
vineyards belong to
others."
.Wnyen'B ~,hyen.biK .Wner'f.B .Wnyex;a r;f.biK h'T;[.w ? .Wnyet{n.B -t,a.w .Wnyen'B -t,a ~yiv.b{k .Wn.x;n]a heNih.w ? !yea.w tw{v'B.kin .Wnyet{n.Bim vey.w ~yid'b][;l ? ~yirex]a;l .Wnyem'r.k.W .Wnyet{d.f.W .Wned'y lea.l
6
Then I was
very angry when I had
heard their
outcry and
these words.
~'t'q][;z -t,a yiT.[;m'v r,v]a;K d{a.m yil r;xiY;w ? h,Lea'h ~yir'b.D;h tea.w
7
I
consulted with myself and
contended with the
nobles and the
rulers and
said to them, "You are
exacting usury,
each from his
brother!" Therefore, I
held a
great assembly against them.
~yir{x;h -t,a h'byir'a'w y;l'[ yiBil .$el'MiY;w ? wyix'a.B -vyia ]a'V;m ~,h'l h'r.m{a'w ~yin'g.S;h -t,a.w ? h'lw{d.g h'Lih.q ~,hyel][ !eT,a'w ]myaiv{n ~,T;a
8
I
said to them, "We according to our
ability have
redeemed our
Jewish brothers who were
sold to the
nations; now would you
even sell your
brothers that they may be
sold to us?" Then they were
silent and could not
find a
word to say.
.Wnyex;a -t,a .Wnyin'q .Wn.x;n]a ~,h'l h'r.m{a'w ? ~,T;a -m;g.w .Wn'b yed.K ~Iyw{G;l ~yir'K.miN;h ~yid.Wh.Y;h ? .Wvyir]x;Y;w .Wn'l -.Wr.K.min.w ~,kyex]a -t,a .Wr.K.miT ? r'b'D .Wa.c'm a{l.w
9
Again I
said, "The
thing which you are
doing is not
good; should you not
walk in the
fear of our
God because of the
reproach of the
nations, our
enemies?
~yif{[ ~,T;a -r,v]a r'b'D;h bw{j -a{l r,ma{Y;w ? ~Iyw{G;h t;P.r,xem .WkeleT .Wnyeh{l/a t;a.rIy.B aw{l]h ? .Wnyeb.yw{a
10
"And
likewise I, my
brothers and my
servants are
lending them
money and
grain.
Please, let us
leave off
this usury.
@,s,K ~,h'B ~yiv{n y;r'[.n.W y;x;a yin]a -m;g.w ? h,Z;h a'V;M;h -t,a a'N -h'b.z;[;n !'g'd.w
11
"Please,
give back to them this very
day their
fields, their
vineyards, their
olive groves and their
houses, also the
hundredth part of the
money and of the
grain, the
new wine and the
oil that you are
exacting from them."
~,hyem.r;K ~,hyet{d.f ~w{Y;h.K ~,h'l a'n .Wbyiv'h ? vw{ryiT;h !'g'D;h.w @,s,K;h t;a.m.W ~,hyeT'b.W ~,hyetyez ? ~,h'B ~yiv{n ~,T;a r,v]a r'h.ciY;h.w
12
Then they
said, "We will
give it
back and will
require nothing from them; we will
do exactly as you
say." So I
called the
priests and
took an
oath from them that they would
do according to
this promise.
h,f][;n !eK veQ;b.n a{l ~,hem.W byiv'n .Wr.ma{Y;w ? ~yin]h{K;h -t,a a'r.q,a'w remw{a h'T;a r,v]a;K ? h,Z;h r'b'D;K tw{f][;l ~e[yiB.v;a'w
13
I
also shook out the
front of my
garment and
said,
"Thus may
God shake out
every man from his
house and from his
possessions who does not
fulfill this promise; even
thus may he be
shaken out and
emptied." And
all the
assembly said,
"Amen!" And they
praised the
LORD. Then the
people did according to
this promise.
~yih{l/a'h re[;n.y h'k'K h'r.m{a'w yiT.r;['n yin.c'x -m;G ? r'b'D;h -t,a ~yiq'y -a{l r,v]a vyia'h -l'K -t,a ? r.W['n h,y.hIy h'k'k.w w{[yigyim.W w{tyeBim h,Z;h ? .Wl.l;h.y;w !em'a l'h'Q;h -l'k .Wr.ma{Y;w qer'w ? h,Z;h r'b'D;K ~'['h f;[;Y;w h'wh.y -t,a
14
Moreover, from the
day that I was
appointed to be their
governor in the
land of
Judah, from the
twentieth year to the
thirty-second * year of
King Artaxerxes, for
twelve * years,
neither I
nor my
kinsmen have
eaten the
governor's food allowance.
~'x,P tw{y.hil yit{a h\Wic -r,v]a ~w{Yim ~;G ? ~yiv{l.v t;n.v d;[.w ~yir.f,[ t;n.Vim h'd.Wh.y #,r,a.B ? ~yeT.v ~yin'v .$,l,M;h a.T.s;v.x;T.r;a.l ~Iy;T.v.W ? yiT.l;k'a a{l h'x,P;h ~,x,l y;x;a.w yin]a her.f,[
15
But the
former governors who were
before me
laid burdens on the
people and
took from them
bread and
wine besides forty shekels of
silver;
even their
servants domineered the
people. But I did not
do so because * of the
fear of
God.
.WdyiB.kih y;n'p.l -r,v]a ~yin{vair'h tw{x;P;h.w ? r;x;a !Iy;y'w ~,x,l.B ~,hem .Wx.qiY;w ~'['h -l;[ ? .Wj.l'v ~,hyer][;n ~;G ~yi['B.r;a ~yil'q.v -p,s,K ? yen.Pim !ek yityif'[ -a{l yin]a;w ~'['h -l;[ ? ~yih{l/a t;a.rIy
16
I
also applied myself to the
work on
this wall; we did not
buy any
land, and
all my
servants were
gathered there for the
work.
yiT.q;z/x,h ta{Z;h h'mw{x;h t,ka,l.miB ~;g.w ? h'ka'l.M;h -l;[ ~'v ~yic.Wb.q y;r'[.n -l'k.w .Wnyin'q a{l h,d'f.w
17
Moreover, there were at my
table one
hundred and
fifty Jews and
officials, besides those who
came to us from the
nations that were
around us.
vyia ~yiVim]x;w h'aem ~yin'g.S;h.w ~yid.Wh.Y;h.w ? .Wnyet{byib.s -r,v]a ~Iyw{G;h -nim .Wnyelea ~yia'B;h.w ? yin'x.lUv -l;[
18
Now that
which was
prepared for each
day was
one ox and
six choice sheep, also
birds were
prepared for me; and
once in
ten days all sorts of
wine were furnished in
abundance. Yet for all
this I did not
demand the
governor's food allowance,
because the
servitude was
heavy on
this people.
d'x,a rw{v d'x,a ~w{y.l h,f][;n h'y'h r,v]a;w ? !yeb.W yil -.Wf][;n ~yir\Pic.w tw{rUr.B -vev !a{c ? h,z -mi[.w heB.r;h.l !Iy;y -l'k.B ~yim'y t,r,f][ ? h'd{b]['h h'd.b'k -yiK yiT.v;Qib a{l h'x,P;h ~,x,l ? h,Z;h ~'['h -l;[
19
Remember me, O my
God, for
good, according to
all that I have
done for
this people.
yityif'[ -r,v]a l{K h'bw{j.l y;h{l/a yiL -h'r.k'z ? h,Z;h ~'['h -l;[