Nehemiah’s Example

¹⁴ Furthermore, since the day that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from ^(A)the twentieth year to the ^(B)thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my kinsmen have eaten the governor’s food allowance. ¹⁵ But the previous governors who were before me ^[a]laid burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their servants domineered the people. But I did not do so ^(C)because of my fear of God. ¹⁶ I also ^[b]applied myself to the work on this wall; we did not buy any land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. ¹⁷ Moreover, ^(D)there were at my table 150 Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. ¹⁸ Now ^(E)that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep; also birds were prepared for me, and every ten days all sorts of wine were provided in abundance. Yet for all this ^(F)I did not request the governor’s food allowance, because the forced labor was heavy on this people. ^19 (G)Remember me, my God, for good, in return for all that I have done for this people.