| Berean Study Bible | English Standard Version |
| 1About that time there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews. | 1Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. |
| 2Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous. We must get grain in order to eat and stay alive.” | 2For there were those who said, “With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive.” |
| 3Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to get grain during the famine.” | 3There were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.” |
| 4Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. | 4And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards. |
| 5We and our children are just like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless to redeem them because our fields and vineyards belong to others.” | 5Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.” |
| 6When I heard their outcry and these complaints, I became extremely angry, | 6I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. |
| 7and after serious thought I rebuked the nobles and officials, saying, “You are exacting usury from your own brothers!” So I called a large assembly against them | 7I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, “You are exacting interest, each from his brother.” And I held a great assembly against them |
| 8and said, “We have done our best to buy back our Jewish brothers who were sold to foreigners, but now you are selling your own brothers, that they may be sold back to us!” But they remained silent, for they could find nothing to say. | 8and said to them, “We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!” They were silent and could not find a word to say. |
| 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 foreign enemies? | 9So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? |
| 10I, as well as my brothers and my servants, have been lending the people money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury. | 10Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. |
| 11Please restore to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses, along with the percentage of the money, grain, new wine, and oil that you have been assessing them.” | 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.” |
| 12“We will restore it,” they replied, “and will require nothing more from them. We will do as you say.” So I summoned the priests and required of the nobles and officials an oath that they would do what they had promised. | 12Then they said, “We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised. |
| 13I also shook out the folds of my robe and said, “May God likewise shake out of His house and possession every man who does not keep this promise. May such a man be shaken out and have nothing!” The whole assembly said, “Amen,” and they praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised. | 13I also shook out the fold 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.” And all the assembly said “Amen” and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised. |
| 14Furthermore, from the day King Artaxerxes appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah, from his twentieth year until his thirty-second year (twelve years total), neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. | 14Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. |
| 15The governors before me had heavily burdened the people, taking from them bread and wine plus forty shekels of silver. Their servants also oppressed the people, but I did not do this because of my fear of God. | 15The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God. |
| 16Instead, I devoted myself to the construction of the wall, and all my servants were gathered there for the work; we did not acquire any land. | 16I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. |
| 17There were 150 Jews and officials at my table, besides the guests from the surrounding nations. | 17Moreover, there were at my table 150 men, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. |
| 18Each day one ox, six choice sheep, and some fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine was provided. But I did not demand the food allotted to the governor, because the burden on the people was so heavy. | 18Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people. |
| 19Remember me favorably, O my God, for all that I have done for this people. | 19Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people. |
| The Berean Bible (Berean Study Bible (BSB) © 2016, 2018 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. | ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. |
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