Nehemiah Defends the Oppressed 1 UDB Later, many of the men and their wives cried out for justice because of what some of the other Jews were doing. BSB BSB: About that time there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.
2 UDB Some of them said, "We have many children. So we need a lot of grain to be able to eat and stay alive." BSB BSB: Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous. We must get grain in order to eat and stay alive.”
3 UDB Others said, "it has been necessary for us to mortgage the fields and vineyards and houses that we own so that we may get grain to eat during this famine." BSB BSB: Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to get grain during the famine.”
4 UDB Others said, "We have needed to borrow money to pay the taxes we owe the king for our fields and our vineyards. BSB BSB: Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.
5 UDB We are Jews just like the other Jews. Our children are just as important to us as their children are to them. But we have been forced to sell our children to become slaves in order to pay what we owe. We have already sold some of our daughters to become slaves. Our fields and vineyards have been taken away from us, so now we do not have the money to pay what we owe." BSB BSB: We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless to redeem them because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”
6 UDB I was very angry when I heard these things about which they were so concerned. BSB BSB: When I heard their outcry and these complaints, I became extremely angry,
7 UDB So I thought about what I could do about it. I told the leaders and officials, "You are charging interest to your own relatives when they borrow money from you. You know that is wrong!" Then I called together a large group of people to bring charges against them. BSB BSB: and after serious thought I rebuked the nobles and officials, saying, “You are exacting usury from your own brothers!” So I called a large assembly against them
8 UDB I said to them, "Some of our Jewish relatives have been forced to sell themselves to become slaves of the nations. As much as we have been able, we have been buying them back. But now you are even selling your own relatives so that they might be sold back to us, their fellow Jews!" When I said that to them, they were silent. They did not answer with even a single word. BSB BSB: and said, “We have done our best to buy back our Jewish brothers who were sold to foreigners, but now you are selling your own brothers, that they may be sold back to us!” But they remained silent, for they could find nothing to say.
9 UDB Then I said to them, "What you are doing is terrible. Should you not obey God and do what is right? If you did, you would prevent our enemies from treating us with disrepect. BSB BSB: 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 foreign enemies?
10 UDB I and my fellow Jews and my servants have lent money and grain to people. But let us all stop charging interest on any of these loans. BSB BSB: I, as well as my brothers and my servants, have been lending the people money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury.
11 UDB Also, you must give back to them their fields, their vineyards, their olive tree orchards, and their houses that you have taken from them. You must also give back to them the interest that you charged them when they borrowed money, grain, wine, and olive oil from you. You must do this today!" BSB BSB: Please restore to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses, along with the percentage of the money, grain, new wine, and oil that you have been assessing them.”
12 UDB The leaders replied, "We will do what you have said. We will return to them everything that we forced them to give to us, and we will not require that they give us anything more." Then I summoned the priests, and I made them give an oath that they would do what they promised. BSB BSB: “We will restore it,” they replied, “and will require nothing more from them. We will do as you say.” So I summoned the priests and required of the nobles and officials an oath that they would do what they had promised.
13 UDB I shook out the folds of my robe and said to them, "If you do not do what you have just now promised to do, I hope that God will shake you like I am shaking my robe." They all replied, "Amen, let it be so!" And they praised Yahweh. Then they did what they had promised to do. BSB BSB: I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “May God likewise shake out of his house and possessions every man who does not keep this promise. May such a man be shaken out and have nothing!” The whole assembly said, “Amen,” and they praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.
Nehemiah’s Generosity 14 UDB I was appointed to be the governor of Judea in the twentieth year that Artaxerxes was the king of Persia. From that time until the thirty-second year, during those twelve years neither I nor my officials accepted the money that we were allowed to receive to buy food because of my being the governor. BSB BSB: Furthermore, from the day King Artaxerxes appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah, from his twentieth year until his thirty-second year (twelve years total), neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.
15 UDB The men who were governors before me had burdened the people by requiring them forty silver coins each day for their food and wine. Even their servants oppressed the people. But I did not do that, because I wanted to give honor and respect to God. BSB BSB: The governors before me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them bread and wine plus forty shekels of silver. Their servants also oppressed the people. But I did not do this, because of my fear of God.
16 UDB I also continued to work on this wall, and we did not buy any land from the people. All those who worked for me joined me to work on the wall. BSB BSB: Instead, I devoted myself to the construction of the wall, and all my servants were gathered there for the work; we did not acquire any land.
17 UDB Also, every day I was responsible to feed at our table the Jews and the officials, one hundred and fifty people; and we also fed the visitors who came from other countries around us. BSB BSB: There were 150 Jews and officials at my table, besides the guests from the surrounding nations.
18 UDB Each day I told my servants to serve us the meat from one ox, six very good sheep, and birds. And every ten days I gave them a large new supply of wine. But I knew that the people were burdened by paying a great deal of money for taxes, so I did not accept the money that I was entitled to as governor. BSB BSB: Each day one ox, six choice sheep, and some fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine was provided. But I did not demand the food allotted to the governor, because the burden on the people was so heavy.
19 UDB My God, think of me, and reward me for all that I have done for this people. BSB BSB: Remember me favorably, O my God, for all that I have done for this people.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.