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And other men said, Take we money by borrowing, for usury, into the tributes of the king, and give our fields and vineries. (And still others said, We have borrowed money with interest, against our fields and our vineyards, so we could pay the tributes, or the taxes, to the king.)

And now as the fleshes of our brethren be, so and our fleshes be; and as be the sons of them, so and our sons be; lo! we have made subject our sons and our daughters into servage, and servantesses be (made) of our daughters, and we have not whereof they may be again-bought; and other men have in possession our fields, and our vineries. (And now though our flesh be like the flesh of our kinsmen, and our sons be like their sons; lo! we have subjected our sons and our daughters to servitude, or slavery, and some of our daughters be made slave-girls; and we have not whereof to buy them back, for now others possess our fields, and our vineyards.)

And I was full wroth, when I had heard the cry of them by these words. (And I was very angry, when I had heard their outcry over these matters.)

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Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax(A) on our fields and vineyards. Although we are of the same flesh and blood(B) as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery.(C) Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.”(D)

When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry.

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