| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1About that time there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews. | 1About this time some of the men and their wives raised a cry of protest against their fellow Jews. |
| 2Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous. We must get grain in order to eat and stay alive.” | 2They were saying, “We have such large families. We need more food to survive.” |
| 3Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to get grain during the famine.” | 3Others said, “We have mortgaged our fields, vineyards, and homes to get food during the famine.” |
| 4Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards. | 4And others said, “We have had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay our taxes. |
| 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.” | 5We belong to the same family as those who are wealthy, and our children are just like theirs. Yet we must sell our children into slavery just to get enough money to live. We have already sold some of our daughters, and we are helpless to do anything about it, for our fields and vineyards are already mortgaged to others.” |
| 6When I heard their outcry and these complaints, I became extremely angry, | 6When I heard their complaints, I was very angry. |
| 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 | 7After thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, “You are hurting your own relatives by charging interest when they borrow money!” Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem. |
| 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. | 8At the meeting I said to them, “We are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?” And they had nothing to say in their defense. |
| 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? | 9Then I pressed further, “What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations? |
| 10I, as well as my brothers and my servants, have been lending the people money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury. | 10I myself, as well as my brothers and my workers, have been lending the people money and grain, but now let us stop this business of charging 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.” | 11You must restore their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes to them this very day. And repay the interest you charged when you lent them money, grain, new wine, and olive oil.” |
| 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. | 12They replied, “We will give back everything and demand nothing more from the people. We will do as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the nobles and officials swear to do what 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 shook out the folds of my robe and said, “If you fail to keep your promise, may God shake you like this from your homes and from your property!” The whole assembly responded, “Amen,” and they 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. | 14For the entire twelve years that I was governor of Judah—from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of the reign of King Artaxerxes —neither I nor my officials drew on our official 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. | 15The former governors, in contrast, had laid heavy burdens on the people, demanding a daily ration of food and wine, besides forty pieces of silver. Even their assistants took advantage of the people. But because I feared God, I did not act that way. |
| 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 devoted myself to working on the wall and refused to acquire any land. And I required all my servants to spend time working on the wall. |
| 17There were 150 Jews and officials at my table, besides the guests from the surrounding nations. | 17I asked for nothing, even though I regularly fed 150 Jewish officials at my table, besides all the visitors from other lands! |
| 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. | 18The provisions I paid for each day included one ox, six choice sheep or goats, and a large number of poultry. And every ten days we needed a large supply of all kinds of wine. Yet I refused to claim the governor’s food allowance because the people already carried a heavy burden. |
| 19Remember me favorably, O my God, for all that I have done for this people. | 19Remember, O my God, all that I have done for these people, and bless me for it. |
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