Nehemiah 5
Christian Standard Bible
Social Injustice
5 There was a widespread outcry from the people and their wives against their Jewish countrymen. 2 Some were saying, “We, our sons, and our daughters are numerous. Let us get grain so that we can eat and live.” 3 Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, vineyards, and homes to get grain during the famine.”(A) 4 Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax(B) on our fields and vineyards.(C) 5 We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery.(D) Some of our daughters are already enslaved,(E) but we are powerless[a] because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”
6 I became extremely angry(F) when I heard their outcry and these complaints. 7 After seriously considering the matter, I accused the nobles and officials, saying to them, “Each of you is charging his countrymen interest.”(G) So I called a large assembly against them 8 and said, “We have done our best to buy back our Jewish countrymen who were sold to foreigners, but now you sell your own countrymen, and we have to buy them back.”(H) They remained silent and could not say a word.(I) 9 Then I said, “What you are doing isn’t right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God(J) and not invite the reproach of our foreign enemies?(K) 10 Even I, as well as my brothers and my servants, have been lending them money and grain. Please, let’s stop charging this interest.[b] 11 Return their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses to them immediately, along with the percentage[c] of the money, grain, new wine, and fresh oil(L) that you have been assessing them.”
12 They responded, “We will return these things and require nothing more from them.(M) We will do as you say.”
So I summoned the priests and made everyone take an oath(N) to do this. 13 I also shook the folds of my robe and said, “May God likewise shake from his house and property everyone who doesn’t keep this promise. May he be shaken out(O) and have nothing!”
The whole assembly said, “Amen,” and they praised the Lord. Then the people did as they had promised.(P)
Good and Bad Governors
14 Furthermore, from the day King Artaxerxes(Q) appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah—from the twentieth year until his thirty-second year, twelve years(R)—I and my associates never ate from the food allotted to the governor. 15 The governors(S) who preceded me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them food and wine as well as a pound[d] of silver. Their subordinates also oppressed the people, but because of the fear of God, I didn’t do this.(T) 16 Instead, I devoted myself to the construction of this wall,(U) and all my subordinates were gathered there for the work. We didn’t buy any land.(V)
17 There were 150 Jews and officials, as well as guests from the surrounding nations at my table.(W) 18 Each[e] day, one ox, six choice sheep, and some fowl were prepared for me. An abundance of all kinds of wine was provided every ten days.(X) But I didn’t demand the food allotted to the governor, because the burden on the people was so heavy.
19 Remember me favorably, my God, for all that I have done for this people.(Y)
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] 2 There were those who said, “With our sons and daughters, we are many. We must obtain[b] grain in order to eat and stay alive.” 3 There 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.” 4 Then there were those who said, “We have borrowed money to pay our taxes to the king[c] on our fields and our vineyards. 5 And 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]
6 I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints.[i] 7 I 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. 8 I 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.
9 Then 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? 10 Even 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] 11 This 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.”
12 They 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] 13 I 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]
14 From 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] 15 But 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. 16 I gave myself to the work on this wall, without even purchasing[ai] a field. All my associates were gathered there for the work.
17 There 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. 18 Every 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.
19 Please 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 (umeʾat, “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.
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