Nehemiah 5

The Message

The “Great Protest”

5 ^1-2A great protest was mounted by the people, including the wives, against their fellow Jews. Some said, “We have big families, and we need food just to survive.”

³Others said, “We’re having to mortgage our fields and vineyards and homes to get enough grain to keep from starving.”

^4-5And others said, “We’re having to borrow money to pay the royal tax on our fields and vineyards. Look: We’re the same flesh and blood as our brothers here; our children are just as good as theirs. Yet here we are having to sell our children off as slaves—some of our daughters have already been sold—and we can’t do anything about it because our fields and vineyards are owned by somebody else.”

^6-7I got really angry when I heard their protest and complaints. After thinking it over, I called the nobles and officials on the carpet. I said, “Each one of you is gouging his brother.”

^7-8Then I called a big meeting to deal with them. I told them, “We did everything we could to buy back our Jewish brothers who had to sell themselves as slaves to foreigners. And now you’re selling these same brothers back into debt slavery! Does that mean that we have to buy them back again?”

They said nothing. What could they say?

⁹“What you’re doing is wrong. Is there no fear of God left in you? Don’t you care what the nations around here, our enemies, think of you?

^10-11“I and my brothers and the people working for me have also loaned them money. But this gouging them with interest has to stop. Give them back their foreclosed fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes right now. And forgive your claims on their money, grain, new wine, and olive oil.”

^12-13They said, “We’ll give it all back. We won’t make any more demands on them. We’ll do everything you say.”

Then I called the priests together and made them promise to keep their word. Then I emptied my pockets, turning them inside out, and said, “So may God empty the pockets and house of everyone who doesn’t keep this promise—turned inside out and emptied.”

Everyone gave a wholehearted “Yes, we’ll do it!” and praised God. And the people did what they promised.

“Remember in My Favor, O My God”

^14-16From the time King Artaxerxes appointed me as their governor in the land of Judah—from the twentieth to the thirty-second year of his reign, twelve years—neither I nor my brothers used the governor’s food allowance. Governors who had preceded me had oppressed the people by taxing them forty shekels of silver (about a pound) a day for food and wine while their underlings bullied the people unmercifully. But out of fear of God I did none of that. I had work to do; I worked on this wall. All my men were on the job to do the work. We didn’t have time to line our own pockets.

^17-18I fed 150 Jews and officials at my table in addition to those who showed up from the surrounding nations. One ox, six choice sheep, and some chickens were prepared for me daily, and every ten days a large supply of wine was delivered. Even so, I didn’t use the food allowance provided for the governor—the people had it hard enough as it was.

¹⁹Remember in my favor, O my God,
Everything I’ve done for these people.

Nehemiah 5

New English Translation

Nehemiah Intervenes on behalf of the Oppressed

5 Then there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.^[a] ²There were those who said, “With our sons and daughters, we are many. We must obtain^[b] grain in order to eat and stay alive.” ³There were others who said, “We are putting up our fields, our vineyards, and our houses as collateral in order to obtain grain during the famine.” ⁴Then there were those who said, “We have borrowed money to pay our taxes to the king^[c] on our fields and our vineyards. ⁵And now, though we share the same flesh and blood as our fellow countrymen^[d] and our children are just like their children,^[e] still we have found it necessary to subject our sons and daughters to slavery.^[f] Some of our daughters have been subjected to slavery, while we are powerless to help,^[g] since our fields and vineyards now belong to other people.”^[h]

⁶I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints.^[i] ⁷I considered these things carefully^[j] and then registered a complaint with the wealthy^[k] and the officials. I said to them, “Each one of you is seizing the collateral^[l] from your own countrymen!”^[m] Because of them I called for^[n] a great public assembly. ⁸I said to them, “To the extent possible we have bought back our fellow Jews^[o] who had been sold to the Gentiles. But now you yourselves want to sell your own countrymen,^[p] so that we can then buy them back!” They were utterly silent, and could find nothing to say.

⁹Then I^[q] said, “The thing that you are doing is wrong!^[r] Should you not conduct yourselves^[s] in the fear of our God in order to avoid the reproach of the Gentiles who are our enemies? ¹⁰Even I and my relatives^[t] and my associates^[u] are lending them money and grain. But let us abandon this practice of seizing collateral!^[v] ¹¹This very day return to them their fields, their vineyards, their olive trees, and their houses, along with the interest^[w] that you are exacting from them on the money, the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil.”

¹²They replied, “We will return these things,^[x] and we will no longer demand anything from them. We will do just as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the wealthy and the officials^[y] swear to do what had been promised.^[z] ¹³I also shook out my garment,^[aa] and I said, “In this way may God shake out from his house and his property every person who does not carry out^[ab] this matter. In this way may he be shaken out and emptied!” All the assembly replied, “So be it!” and they praised the Lord. Then the people did as they had promised.^[ac]

¹⁴From the day that I was appointed^[ad] governor^[ae] in the land of Judah, that is, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes—twelve years in all—neither I nor my relatives^[af] ate the food allotted to the governor.^[ag] ¹⁵But the former governors who preceded me had burdened the people and had taken food and wine from them, in addition to^[ah] forty shekels of silver. Their associates were also domineering over the people. But I did not behave in this way, due to my fear of God. ¹⁶I gave myself to the work on this wall, without even purchasing^[ai] a field. All my associates were gathered there for the work.

¹⁷There were 150 Jews and officials who dined with me routinely,^[aj] in addition to those who came to us from the nations^[ak] all around us. ¹⁸Every day one ox, six select sheep, and some birds were prepared for me, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Despite all this I did not require the food allotted to the governor, for the work was demanding on this people.

¹⁹Please remember me for good, O my God, for all that I have done for this people.

Footnotes

Nehemiah 5:1 tn Heb “their brothers the Jews.”
Nehemiah 5:2 tn Heb “take” (so also in v. 3).
Nehemiah 5:4 tn Heb “for the tax of the king.”
Nehemiah 5:5 tn Heb “according to the flesh of our brothers is our flesh.”
Nehemiah 5:5 tn Heb “like their children, our children.”
Nehemiah 5:5 tn Heb “to become slaves” (also later in this verse).
Nehemiah 5:5 tn Heb “there is not power for our hand.” The Hebrew expression used here is rather difficult.
Nehemiah 5:5 sn The poor among the returned exiles were being exploited by their rich countrymen. Moneylenders were loaning large amounts of money, and not only collecting interest on loans which was illegal (Lev 25:36-37; Deut 23:19-20), but also seizing pledges as collateral (Neh 5:3) which was allowed (Deut 24:10). When the debtors missed a payment, the moneylenders would seize their collateral: their fields, vineyards and homes. With no other means of income, the debtors were forced to sell their children into slavery, a common practice at this time (Neh 5:5). Nehemiah himself was one of the moneylenders (Neh 5:10), but he insisted that seizure of collateral from fellow Jewish countrymen was ethically wrong (Neh 5:9).
Nehemiah 5:6 tn Heb “words.”
Nehemiah 5:7 tn Heb “my heart was advised upon me.”
Nehemiah 5:7 tn Heb “nobles.”
Nehemiah 5:7 tn Heb “taking a creditor’s debt.” The Hebrew noun מַשָּׁא (mashaʾ) means “interest; debt” and probably refers to the collateral (pledge) collected by a creditor (HALOT 641-42 s.v.). This particular noun form appears only in Nehemiah (5:7, 10; 10:32); however, it is related to מַשָּׁאָה (mashaʾah, “contractual loan; debt; collateral”) which appears elsewhere (Deut 24:10; Prov 22:26; cf. Neh 5:11). See the note on the word “people” at the end of v. 5. The BHS editors suggest emending the MT to מָשָׂא (masaʾ, “burden”), following several medieval Hebrew mss; however, the result is not entirely clear: “you are bearing a burden, a man with his brothers.”
Nehemiah 5:7 tn Heb “his brothers.”
Nehemiah 5:7 tn Heb “I gave.”
Nehemiah 5:8 tn Heb “our brothers, the Jews.”
Nehemiah 5:8 tn Heb “your brothers.”
Nehemiah 5:9 tc The translation reads with the Qere and the ancient versions וָאוֹמַר (vaʾomar, “and I said”) rather than the MT Kethib, וַיֹּאמֶר (vayyoʾmer, “and he said”).
Nehemiah 5:9 tn Heb “not good.” The statement “The thing…is not good” is an example of tapeinosis, a figurative expression which emphasizes the intended point (“The thing…is wrong!”) by negating its opposite.
Nehemiah 5:9 tn Heb “[should you not] walk.”
Nehemiah 5:10 tn Heb “brothers.”
Nehemiah 5:10 tn Heb “servants.”
Nehemiah 5:10 tn Heb “this debt.” This expression is a metonymy of association: “debt” refers to the seizure of the collateral of the debt.
Nehemiah 5:11 tc The MT reads וּמְאַת (um^eʾat, “and the hundredth”) which is somewhat enigmatic. The BHS editors suggest emending to וּמַשַּׁאת (umashaʾt, “and the debt”) which refers to the interest or collateral (pledge) seized by a creditor (Deut 24:10; Prov 22:26; see HALOT 641-42 s.v. מַשָּׁא). The term מַשַּׁאת (mashaʾt) is related to the noun מָשָּׁא (mashaʾ, “debt”) in 5:7, 10.
Nehemiah 5:12 tn The words “these things” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.
Nehemiah 5:12 tn Heb “took an oath from them”; the referents (the wealthy and the officials, cf. v. 7) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
Nehemiah 5:12 tn Heb “according to this word.”
Nehemiah 5:13 tn Heb “my bosom.”
Nehemiah 5:13 tn Heb “cause to stand.”
Nehemiah 5:13 tn Heb “according to this word.”
Nehemiah 5:14 tc The BHS editors suggest reading צֻוֵּאתִי (tsuvveʾti, “and I was appointed”) rather than the reading of the MT, אֹתִי צִוָּה (tsivvah ʾoti, “he appointed me”).
Nehemiah 5:14 tc The translation reads with one medieval Hebrew ms פֶּחָה (pekhah, “governor”) rather than פֶּחָם (pekham, “their governor”) of the MT. One would expect the form with pronominal suffix to have a tav (ת) before the suffix.
Nehemiah 5:14 tn Heb “brothers.”
Nehemiah 5:14 tn Heb “the food of the governor.” Cf. v. 18.
Nehemiah 5:15 tc The Hebrew term אַחַר (ʾakhar) is difficult here. It normally means “after,” but that makes no sense here. Some scholars emend it to אַחַד (ʾakhad) and supply the word “day,” which yields the sense “daily.” Cf. TEV “40 silver coins a day for food and wine.”
Nehemiah 5:16 tn Heb “we did not purchase.”
Nehemiah 5:17 tn Heb “officials at my table.”
Nehemiah 5:17 tn Or “from the Gentiles.” The same Hebrew word can refer to “the Gentiles” or “the nations.” Cf. the phrase in 6:16.

The Message (MSG)

New English Translation (NET)