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Chapter 5 Nehemiah Helps the Poor 1Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their Jewish brothers.2Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.”3Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.” 4Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards.5Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.” 9So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?10I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let the exacting of usury stop!11Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the usury you are charging them—the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine and oil.” 12“We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.” 14Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.15But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekelsThat is, about 1 pound (about 0.5 kilogram) of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that.16Instead, I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; weMost Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac did not acquire any land. 17Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations.18Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry 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. 19Remember me with favor, O my God, for all I have done for these people.
- There are no shared notes for this verse.
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