Nehemiah 5:10-15

English Standard Version

¹⁰Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. ¹¹Return 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.” ¹²Then they said, “We will restore these and ^(A)require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and ^(B)made them swear ^(C)to do as they had promised. ¹³^(D)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 labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” ^(E)And all the assembly said “Amen” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.

Nehemiah's Generosity

¹⁴Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from ^(F)the twentieth year to ^(G)the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, ^(H)neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. ¹⁵The 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, ^(I)because of the fear of God.