| Berean Study Bible | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1About that time there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews. | 1Now there was 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, "We, our sons and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain that we may eat and live." |
| 3Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to get grain during the famine.” | 3There were others who said, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our houses that we might 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. | 4Also 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.” | 5"Now our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our children like their children. Yet behold, we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters are forced into bondage already, and we are helpless because our fields and vineyards belong to others." |
| 6When I heard their outcry and these complaints, I became extremely angry, | 6Then I was very angry when I had 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 consulted with myself and contended with the nobles and the rulers and said to them, "You are exacting usury, each from his brother!" Therefore, 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. | 8I said to them, "We according to our ability have redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?" Then 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? | 9Again I said, "The thing which you are doing is not good; should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach 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. | 10"And likewise I, my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Please, let us leave off this usury. |
| 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.” | 11"Please, give back to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money and of the grain, the new wine and the oil that you are 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 give it back and will require nothing from them; we will do exactly as you say." So I called the priests and took an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. |
| 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 front of my garment and said, "Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied." And all the assembly said, "Amen!" And they praised the LORD. Then the people did according to this promise. |
| 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 day that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my kinsmen have eaten the governor's food allowance. |
| 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. | 15But the former governors who were before me 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 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 applied myself to the work on this wall; we did not buy any 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 one hundred and fifty 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 that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep, also birds were prepared for me; and once in ten days all sorts of wine were furnished in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the governor's food allowance, because the servitude was heavy on this people. |
| 19Remember me favorably, O my God, for all that I have done for this people. | 19Remember me, O my God, for good, according to 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. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
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