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Still others were saying “We’ve borrowed money against our fields and vineyards to pay the king’s taxes. Now our bodies are no different than the bodies of our relatives, and our children are like their children. Nevertheless, we’re about to force our sons and daughters into slavery, and some of our daughters are already in bondage. It’s beyond our power to do anything about it, because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”

I became very livid when I heard their complaining and these charges.

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Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax(A) on our fields and vineyards. Although we are of the same flesh and blood(B) as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery.(C) Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.”(D)

When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.

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There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.

Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards.

And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.

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