尼希米记 5
Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation (Simplified)
民因贫苦呼号嗟怨
5 百姓和他们的妻大大呼号，埋怨他们的弟兄犹大人。 2 有的说：“我们和儿女人口众多，要去得粮食度命。” 3 有的说：“我们典了田地、葡萄园、房屋，要得粮食充饥。” 4 有的说：“我们已经指着田地、葡萄园借了钱，给王纳税。 5 我们的身体与我们弟兄的身体一样，我们的儿女与他们的儿女一般，现在我们将要使儿女做人的仆婢，我们的女儿已有为婢的。我们并无力拯救，因为我们的田地、葡萄园已经归了别人。”
尼希米闻民怨则怒
6 我听见他们呼号说这些话，便甚发怒。 7 我心里筹划，就斥责贵胄和官长说：“你们各人向弟兄取利！”于是我招聚大会攻击他们。 8 我对他们说：“我们尽力赎回我们弟兄，就是卖于外邦的犹大人，你们还要卖弟兄，使我们赎回来吗？”他们就静默不语，无话可答。 9 我又说：“你们所行的不善。你们行事不当敬畏我们的神吗？不然，难免我们的仇敌外邦人毁谤我们。 10 我和我的弟兄与仆人也将银钱、粮食借给百姓，我们大家都当免去利息。
劝众悉反其质
11 “如今，我劝你们将他们的田地、葡萄园、橄榄园、房屋，并向他们所取的银钱、粮食、新酒和油百分之一的利息都归还他们。” 12 众人说：“我们必归还，不再向他们索要，必照你的话行。”我就召了祭司来，叫众人起誓，必照着所应许的而行。 13 我也抖着胸前的衣襟，说：“凡不成就这应许的，愿神照样抖他离开家产和他劳碌得来的，直到抖空了。”会众都说：“阿门！”又赞美耶和华。百姓就照着所应许的去行。
14 自从我奉派做犹大地的省长，就是从亚达薛西王二十年直到三十二年，共十二年之久，我与我弟兄都没有吃省长的俸禄。 15 在我以前的省长加重百姓的担子，每日索要粮食和酒并银子四十舍客勒，就是他们的仆人也辖制百姓，但我因敬畏神不这样行。 16 并且我恒心修造城墙，并没有置买田地，我的仆人也都聚集在那里做工。 17 除了从四围外邦中来的犹大人以外，有犹大平民和官长一百五十人在我席上吃饭。 18 每日预备一只公牛、六只肥羊，又预备些飞禽；每十日一次，多预备各样的酒。虽然如此，我并不要省长的俸禄，因为百姓服役甚重。 19 我的神啊，求你记念我为这百姓所行的一切事，施恩于我。
Nehemiah 5
English Standard Version Anglicised
Nehemiah Stops Oppression of the Poor
5 Now there arose (A)a great outcry of the people and of their wives (B)against their Jewish brothers. 2 For there were those who said, “With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive.” 3 There were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.” 4 And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for (C)the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards. 5 Now (D)our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet (E)we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.”
6 I was very angry when I heard (F)their outcry and these words. 7 I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, (G)“You are exacting interest, each from his brother.” And I held a great assembly against them 8 and said to them, “We, as far as we are able, (H)have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!” They were silent and could not find a word to say. 9 So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk (I)in the fear of our God (J)to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? 10 Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. 11 Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.” 12 Then they said, “We will restore these and (K)require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and (L)made them swear (M)to do as they had promised. 13 (N)I also shook out the fold[a] of my garment and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labour who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” (O)And all the assembly said “Amen” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.
Nehemiah's Generosity
14 Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from (P)the twentieth year to (Q)the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, (R)neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. 15 The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration[b] forty shekels[c] of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, (S)because of the fear of God. 16 I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. 17 Moreover, there were (T)at my table 150 men, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. 18 (U)Now what was prepared at my expense[d] for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this (V)I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people. 19 (W)Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 5:13 Hebrew bosom
- Nehemiah 5:15 Compare Vulgate; Hebrew took from them with food and wine afterward
- Nehemiah 5:15 A shekel was about 2/5 of an ounce or 11 grams
- Nehemiah 5:18 Or prepared for me
Nehemiah 5
Living Bible
5 About this time there was a great outcry of protest from parents against some of the rich Jews who were profiteering on them. 2-4 What was happening was that families who ran out of money for food had to sell their children or mortgage their fields, vineyards, and homes to these rich men; and some couldn’t even do that, for they already had borrowed to the limit to pay their taxes.
5 “We are their brothers, and our children are just like theirs,” the people protested. “Yet we must sell our children into slavery to get enough money to live. We have already sold some of our daughters, and we are helpless to redeem them, for our fields, too, are mortgaged to these men.”
6 I was very angry when I heard this; 7 so after thinking about it I spoke out against these rich government officials.
“What is this you are doing?” I demanded. “How dare you demand a mortgage as a condition for helping another Israelite!”
Then I called a public trial to deal with them.
8 At the trial I shouted at them, “The rest of us are doing all we can to help our Jewish brothers who have returned from exile as slaves in distant lands, but you are forcing them right back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?”
And they had nothing to say in their own defense.
9 Then I pressed further. “What you are doing is very evil,” I exclaimed. “Should you not walk in the fear of our God? Don’t we have enough enemies among the nations around us who are trying to destroy us? 10 The rest of us are lending money and grain to our fellow Jews without any interest. I beg you, gentlemen, stop this business of usury. 11 Restore their fields, vineyards, olive yards, and homes to them this very day and drop your claims against them.”
12 So they agreed to do it and said that they would assist their brothers without requiring them to mortgage their lands and sell them their children. Then I summoned the priests and made these men formally vow to carry out their promises. 13 And I invoked the curse of God upon any of them who refused.[a]
“May God destroy your homes and livelihood if you fail to keep this promise,” I declared.
And all the people shouted, “Amen,” and praised the Lord. And the rich men did as they had promised.
14 I would like to mention that for the entire twelve years that I was governor of Judah—from the twentieth until the thirty-second year of the reign of King Artaxerxes—my aides and I accepted no salaries or other assistance from the people of Israel. 15 This was quite a contrast to the former governors who had demanded food and wine and $100 a day in cash, and had put the population at the mercy of their aides who tyrannized them; but I obeyed God and did not act that way. 16 I stayed at work on the wall and refused to speculate in land; I also required my officials to spend time on the wall. 17 All this despite the fact that I regularly fed 150 Jewish officials at my table, besides visitors from other countries! 18 The provisions required for each day were one ox, six fat sheep, and a large number of domestic fowls; and we needed a huge supply of all kinds of wines every ten days. Yet I refused to make a special levy against the people, for they were already having a difficult time. 19 O my God, please keep in mind all that I’ve done for these people and bless me for it.
Footnotes
- Nehemiah 5:13 I invoked the curse of God upon any of them who refused, literally, “Then I shook out the lap of my gown.”
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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.