尼希米记 5
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
穷人的呼喊
5 那时,民众和他们的妻子大声呼冤,控告自己的同胞犹大人。 2 有些人说:“我们和儿女人口众多,给我们五谷餬口,可以存活。” 3 有些人说:“我们抵押了自己的田地、葡萄园和房屋,为要在饥荒中买到五谷。” 4 有些人说:“我们为了要借钱向王纳税,只好抵押了我们的田地和葡萄园。 5 虽然我们的身体与我们同胞的身体一样,我们的儿女与他们的儿女也相同,可是我们却要强迫自己的儿女去作仆婢,而且我们的女儿有些已经作了奴婢,我们却无能为力,因为我们的田地和葡萄园已经属于别人了。”
尼希米怒斥官长与领袖
6 我听见他们的哀叫和所讲的这些事,就十分忿怒。 7 我心中筹算一番以后,就谴责贵族和官长,对他们说:“你们各人向自己的同胞贷款,竟然索取高利!”于是我召开大会攻击他们。 8 我对他们说:“我们已尽了我们的能力,把那些卖了给外族人的同胞犹大人买赎回来,而你们还想要出卖你们的同胞,好让我们再把他们买回来吗?”他们都默不作声,无话可说。 9 我又说:“你们这事作得不对。你们岂不应怀着敬畏我们 神的心行事为人,免遭我们的仇敌外族人的毁谤吗? 10 现在我和我的兄弟,以及我的仆人要把银钱和五谷借给他们。让我们大家都放弃放债取利吧! 11 请你们今天就把他们的田地、葡萄园、橄榄园、房屋,以及你们向他们索取的利息:百分之一的利钱、五谷、新酒和新油,都归还给他们。” 12 他们就说:“我们必定归还,不再向他们要求利息了,你怎么说,我们愿意照着你说的去行。”我就把祭司们召了来,叫众人起誓必照着这话去行。 13 我抖着胸前的衣襟说:“不履行这话的,愿 神也是这样抖他离开他的家和产业,直到抖空。”全体会众都说:“阿们!”又赞美耶和华。众人都照着这话去行。
尼希米清廉朴实
14 自从我奉命在犹大地作他们省长的日子以来,就是从亚达薛西王二十年,直到三十二年,共十二年,我和我的兄弟都没有吃过省长的俸禄。 15 在我们以先的前任省长,重压人民,每日都向他们索取粮食和酒,以及四百五十六克银子。连他们的仆人也辖制人民,但我因为敬畏 神,就不这样行。 16 我坚持只重修城墙的工程;所以我们不购置田产,我所有的仆人也都聚集在那里工作。 17 在我桌上吃饭的,有一百五十个犹大人和官长,还有那些从我们四围外族来到我们这里的人; 18 每天预备牛一头、肥羊六只,又为我预备一些飞禽;每十天供应大量各类的酒。虽然这样,我仍然没有索取省长的俸禄,因为这些人服役已经负担沉重。 19 “我的 神啊,求你记念我,记念我为这人民所作的一切事,施恩给我。”
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
Nehemiah 5
King James Version
5 And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.
2 For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live.
3 Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth.
4 There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.
5 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.
6 And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
7 Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them.
8 And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answer.
9 Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?
10 I likewise, and my brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury.
11 Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.
12 Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise.
13 Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise.
14 Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.
15 But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.
16 Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work.
17 Moreover there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, beside those that came unto us from among the heathen that are about us.
18 Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.
19 Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.
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