Neh 5 | EngLXX | STEP | And the cry of the people and their wives was great against their brethren the Jews.

Nehemiah 5

1 And the cry of the people and their wiveswas great against their brethren the Jews. 2 And some said, Weare numerous with our sons and our daughters; so we will take corn, and eat, and live. 3 And some said,As to our fields and vineyards and houses, let us pledgethem, and we will take corn, and eat. 4 And some said, We have borrowed money for the king's tributes:—our fields, and our vineyards,and housesare pledged. 5 And now our fleshis as the flesh of our brethren, our childrenare as their children: yet, behold, we are reducing our sons and our daughters to slavery,and some of our daughters are enslaved: and there is no power of our hands, for our fields and our vineyardsbelong to the nobles. 6 And I was much grieved as I heard their cry and these words. 7 And my heart took counsel within me, and I contended against the nobles, and the princes,and I said to them, Should every man demand of his brother what you⌃ demand? And I appointed against thema great assembly, 8 and I said to them, We of our free-will have redeemed our brethren the Jews that weresold to the Gentiles; and do you⌃ sell your brethren? and shall they be delivered to us? And they weresilent, and found no answer. 9 And I said, The thing which you⌃ dois not good; you⌃ will not so walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the Gentilesour enemies. 10 Both my brethren, and my acquaintances, and I, have lent them money and corn: let usnow leave off this exaction. 11 Restore to them, I pray, as at this day, their fields, and their vineyards, and theirolive yards, and their houses, and bring forth to them corn and wine and oil of the money. 12 And they said, We will restore, and we will not exact of them; we will do thus as yousay. Then I called the priests, and bound them by oath to do according to this word. 13 And I shook out my garment, and said, So may God shake out every man who shall not keepto this word, from his house, and from his labors, he shall be even thus shaken out, as an outcast andempty. And all the congregation said, Amen, and they praised the Lord: and the people did this thing. 14 From the day that he charged me to be their ruler in the land of Juda, from the twentiethyear even to the thirty-second year of Arthasastha, twelve years, I and my brethren ate notprovision extorted from them. 15 But as for the former acts of extortion whereinthose who were before me oppressed them, they even took of them their last money, forty didrachmasfor bread and wine; and thevery outcasts of them exercised authority over the people: but I did not so, because of thefear of God. 16 Also in the work of the wall I treated them not with rigor, I bought not land: and allthat were gathered togethercame there to the work. 17 And the Jews, tothe number of a hundred and fifty men, besides those coming to us from the nations round about,were at my table. 18 And there cameto me for one day one calf, and I had six choice sheep and a goat; and every ten days winein abundance of all sorts: yet with these I required not the bread of extortion, because the bondage washeavy upon this people. 19 Remember me, O God, for good,in all that I have done to this people.