Nehemiah Defends His Oppressed Brothers
The threat this time is inside: famine and taxes have driven families to mortgage fields and sell their children, while Jewish nobles collect interest from their own brothers. Nehemiah's anger, and the fear of our Father, forces restitution, and he refuses the governor's food allowance twelve years.
5 1Now there arose a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews. 2Some said, "We, our sons and daughters, are many; let us get grain to eat and live." 3Others said, "We're mortgaging our fields, vineyards, and houses to get grain in the famine." 4Others said, "We've borrowed money for the king's tax on our fields and vineyards. 5We are flesh of our own brothers, our children like theirs—yet we're forcing our sons and daughters into slavery. Some daughters are already enslaved, and we're powerless: our fields and vineyards belong to others."
6I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7I thought it over, then confronted the nobles and officials: "Each of you is charging interest on loans to your own brothers!" So I called a great assembly against them. 8I told them, "We've done what we could to buy back our Jewish brothers sold to other nations. Now you're selling your own brothers, only for them to be sold back to us!" They fell silent, with nothing to say. 9So I said, "What you're doing is not good. Shouldn't you walk in fear of our Father, to avoid the taunts of our enemy nations? 10My brothers, my servants, and I also lend them money and grain. Let's stop this interest. 11Return their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses today, plus the interest you've charged them on money, grain, new wine, and oil."
12They replied, "We will return it and demand nothing more from them. We will do as you say." So I summoned the priests and made the nobles swear to keep this promise.
13I also shook out the fold of my robe and said, "May our Father shake out, from his house and property, every man who fails to keep this promise—shaken out and left empty." The whole assembly said, "Amen," and praised our Father. And the people did as promised.
14From the day I was appointed governor of Judah—from King Artaxerxes' twentieth year to his thirty-second, twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the governor's food allowance. 15But the earlier governors before me burdened the people, taking food and wine from them, besides about a pound of silver. Even their servants ruled over the people. But I did not do that, because I feared our Father. 16I also held to the work on this wall; we bought no land. All my servants gathered there for the work. 17150 Jews and officials also ate at my table, besides those from the surrounding nations. 18Each day's provisions: one ox, six choice sheep, and birds—all prepared at my expense; every ten days, wine of every kind in plenty. Even so, I did not claim the governor's food allowance, since the labor weighed heavily on this people. 19Remember me for good, my Father, for all that I have done for this people.
