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Nexemyaah Oo Caawiyey Masaakiintii

Markaasaa waxaa dadkii iyo afooyinkooda ka kacay qaylo weyn oo ay kaga cabanayeen walaalahooda Yuhuudda ah. Oo waxaa jiray dad yidhi, Annaga iyo wiilashayada iyo gabdhahayagu waannu badan nahay, haddaba aan hadhuudh helno si aannu u cunno oo ugu noolaanno. Oo weliba waxaa kaloo jiray qaar yidhi, Annagu waxaannu rahaamad u dhiibaynaa beerahayaga iyo beerahayaga canabka ah iyo guryahayaga, si aannu u helno hadhuudh abaarta aawadeed. Oo waxaa kaloo jiray kuwo yidhi, Gabbaradii uu boqorku ka doonayay beerahayagii iyo beerahayagii canabka ahaa ayaannu lacag u amaahannay. Haddaba jiidhkayagu waa sida jiidhka walaalahayo, oo carruurtayaduna waa sida carruurtooda oo kale, oo bal eeg, wiilashayadii iyo gabdhahayagii ayaannu u bixinaynaa inay addoommo noqdaan, oo gabdhahayagii qaarkood mar horaa la addoonsaday; oo annana ma lihin itaal aan wax kaga tarno, waayo, dad kalaa wada haysta beerahayagii iyo beerahayagii canabka ahaa oo dhan. Oo anna aad baan u cadhooday markii aan maqlay qayladoodii iyo erayadan. Markaasaan isla arrinsaday, waanan la diriray kuwii gobta ahaa iyo taliyayaashii, oo waxaan ku idhi, Idinka mid waluba wuxuu walaalkiis ka qaataa korsocod. Oo anigu waxaan qabtay shir weyn oo iyaga ka gees ah. Oo waxaan ku idhi, Innagu walaalaheennii Yuhuudda ahaa oo quruumaha laga iibiyey, waan soo furannay intii aan awoodnay oo dhan, haddaba idinku ma waxaad doonaysaan inaad walaalihiin iibisaan? Oo ma annagaa nalaga iibinayaa? Markaasay shib iska yidhaahdeen oo eray ay ku hadlaan way garan waayeen. Oo weliba waxaan idhi, War waxaad samaysaan ma wanaagsana. Sow waajib idinkuma aha inaad ku socotaan ka cabsashada Ilaaheenna cayda quruumaha cadaawayaasheenna ah aawadeed? 10 Oo sidaasoo kale aniga iyo walaalahay iyo midiidinnadayda lacag iyo hadhuudh baan korsocod ku amaahinnaa. Waan idin baryayaaye aan iska dayno korsocodkan. 11 Haddaba waxaan idinka baryayaa inaad maantadan u celisaan beerahoodii, iyo beerahoodii canabka ahaa, iyo beerahoodii saytuunka ahaa, iyo guryahoodii, oo lacagtii, iyo hadhuudhkii, iyo khamrigii, iyo saliiddii aad korsocodka uga qaadateenna boqolkii meelood meel u celiya. 12 Markaasay yidhaahdeen, Waxoodii waan u celinaynaa, oo wax dambena weyddiisan mayno innaba. Waxaannu yeelaynaa sidaad tidhaahdo. Markaasaan u yeedhay wadaaddadii, oo waxaan ku dhaariyey inay ballankan siduu yahay oofiyaan. 13 Markaasaan maradii dhabtayda hurgufay oo waxaan idhi, Ilaahay sidaas ha uga hurgufo gurigiisa iyo hawshiisa nin alla ninkii aan oofin ballankan; sidaas oo kale isaga ha loo hurgufo oo ha loo madhiyo. Markaasaa ururkii oo dhammu waxay yidhaahdeen, Aamiin, Rabbigana way ammaaneen. Oo dadkiina way sameeyeen sidii ballankaasu ahaa. 14 Oo weliba tan iyo waagii la ii doortay inaan taliye u ahaado dalka Yahuudah waagaasoo ahaa boqorkii Artaxshasta sannaddiisii labaatanaad ilaa tan iyo sannaddiisii laba iyo soddonaad inta u dhex leh intaasoo ahayd laba iyo toban sannadood, aniga iyo walaalahay midna ma cunin cuntadii taliyaha. 15 Laakiinse taliyayaashii hore oo iga sii horreeyey dadka culays bay ku hayeen, oo waxay ka qaadan jireen cunto iyo khamri iyo weliba afartan sheqel oo lacag ah, oo xataa midiidinnadoodu dadka way xukumi jireen. Laakiinse anigu saas ma aan yeelin, maxaa yeelay, waxaan ka cabsadaa Ilaah. 16 Oo weliba waxaan hore u sii waday shuqulkii derbigan, oo annagu waxba dhul ma aannu iibsan. Oo midiidinnadaydii oo dhammuna halkaasay shuqulka aawadiis ku soo wada urureen. 17 Oo weliba waxaa miiskayga wax ka cuni jiray boqol iyo konton nin oo ah Yuhuud iyo taliyayaal oo ayan ku jirin kuwii nooga yimid quruumihii hareerahayaga ku wareegsanaa. 18 Haddaba maalintiiba waxaa naloo diyaarin jiray dibi iyo lix neef oo wanaagsan oo ido ah; oo weliba waxaa la ii diyaarin jiray digaag, oo tobankii maalmoodba mar baa naloo keeni jiray cayn kasta oo khamri ah; oo weliba intaas oo dhan anigu marna ma weyddiisan cuntadii taliyaha, maxaa yeelay, addoonnimada dadkan saarnayd aad bay u cuslayd. 19 Ilaahayow, wanaag igu xusuuso wixii aan dadkan u sameeyey oo dhan aawadiis.

Nehemiah Helps the Poor

Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.”

Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields,(A) our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.”(B)

Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax(C) on our fields and vineyards. 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)

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

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

  1. Nehemiah 5:15 That is, about 1 pound or about 460 grams
  2. Nehemiah 5:16 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac I

And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.

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.

Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth.

There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.

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.

And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.

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.

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.

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.