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Nehemiah 5
1599 Geneva Bible
Nehemiah 5
1599 Geneva Bible
5 1 The people are oppressed and in necessity. 6 Nehemiah remedieth it. 14 He took not the portion of others that had ruled before, lest he should grieve the people.
1 Now there was a great cry of the people, and of their wives [a]against their brethren the Jews.
2 For there were that said, We, our sons and our daughters are many, therefore we take up [b]corn, that we may eat and live.
3 And there were that said, We must gage our lands, and our vineyards, and our houses, and take up corn for the famine.
4 There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king’s [c]tribute upon our lands and our vineyards.
5 And now our flesh is as [d]the flesh of our brethren, and our sons as their sons: and lo, we bring into subjection our sons and our daughters, as servants, and there be of our daughters now in subjection, and there is no power [e]in our hands: for other men have our lands and our vineyards.
6 Then was I very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
7 And I thought in my mind, and I rebuked the princes, and the rulers, and said unto them, You lay [f]burdens every one upon his brethren: and I set a great [g]assembly against them,
8 And I said unto them, We (according to our ability) have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen: and will you sell your brethren again, or shall they be [h]sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and could not answer.
9 [i]I said also, That which ye do, is not good. Ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God, for the [j]reproach of the heathen our enemies?
10 For even I, my brethren, and my servants do lend them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this [k]burden.
11 Restore, I pray you, unto them this day their lands, their vineyards, their olives, and their houses, and remit the hundredth part of the silver and of the corn, of the wine, and of the oil [l]that ye exact of them.
12 Then said they, We will restore it, and will not require it of them: we will do as thou hast said. Then I called the Priests and caused them to swear, that they should do according to this promise.
13 So I shook my lap, and said, So let God shake out every man that will not perform this promise, from his house, and from his labor: even thus let him be shaken out and emptied. And all the Congregation said, Amen, and praised the Lord: and the people did according to this promise.
14 And from the time that the King gave me charge to be governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year, even unto the two and thirtieth year of King Artaxerxes, that is, twelve years, I, and my brethren have not eaten the [m]bread of the governor.
15 For the former governors that were before me, had been chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver: yea, and their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.
16 But rather I fortified a portion in the work of this wall, and we bought no land, and all my servants came thither together unto the work.
17 Moreover there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews, and rulers, which came unto us from among the heathen that are about us.
18 And there was prepared daily an ox, and six chosen sheep, and birds were prepared for me, and [n]within ten days wine for all [o]in abundance. Yet for all this I required not the bread of the governor: for the bondage was grievous unto this people.
19 Remember me, O my God, in goodness, according to all that I have done for this people.
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 5:1 Against the rich which oppressed them.
- Nehemiah 5:2 This is the complaint of the people, showing to what extremity they were brought unto.
- Nehemiah 5:4 To pay our tribute to the king of the Persians, which was exacted yearly of us.
- Nehemiah 5:5 By nature the rich is no better than the poor.
- Nehemiah 5:5 We are not able to redeem them, but for poverty are constrained to hire them to others.
- Nehemiah 5:7 You press them with usury, and seek how to bring all things into your hands.
- Nehemiah 5:7 Both because they should be moved with pity, seeing how many were by them oppressed, and also hear the judgment of others, which should be as it were witnesses of their dealings toward their brethren.
- Nehemiah 5:8 Seeing God hath once delivered them from the bondage of the heathen, shall we make them our slaves?
- Nehemiah 5:9 Meaning, Nehemiah.
- Nehemiah 5:9 Who by this occasion will blaspheme the Name of God, seeing that our acts are no better than theirs.
- Nehemiah 5:10 Or, usury.
- Nehemiah 5:11 Which ye take of them for the loan.
- Nehemiah 5:14 I received not that portion and diet, which the governors that were before me exacted, wherein he declareth that he rather sought the wealth of the people than his own commodity.
- Nehemiah 5:18 Or, once in ten days.
- Nehemiah 5:18 Whereas at other times they had by measure, at this time they had most liberally.
Nehemiah 5
New International Version
Nehemiah 5
New International Version
Nehemiah Helps the Poor
5 Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. 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.”
3 Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields,(A) our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.”(B)
4 Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax(C) on our fields and vineyards. 5 Although we are of the same flesh and blood(D) as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery.(E) Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.”(F)
6 When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. 7 I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are charging your own people interest!”(G) So I called together a large meeting to deal with them 8 and said: “As far as possible, we have bought(H) back our fellow Jews who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your own people, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.(I)
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(J) of our Gentile enemies? 10 I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest!(K) 11 Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the interest(L) you are charging them—one percent of the money, grain, new wine and olive oil.”
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(M) to do what they had promised. 13 I also shook(N) out the folds of my robe and said, “In this way may God shake out of their house and possessions anyone who does not keep this promise. So may such a person be shaken out and emptied!”
At this the whole assembly said, “Amen,”(O) and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.
14 Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes,(P) when I was appointed to be their governor(Q) in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. 15 But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels[a] of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God(R) I did not act like that. 16 Instead,(S) I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we[b] did not acquire any land.
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. 18 Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry(T) 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.
19 Remember(U) me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people.
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 5:15 That is, about 1 pound or about 460 grams
- Nehemiah 5:16 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac I
1599 Geneva Bible (GNV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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