Nehemiah Defends the Oppressed

1And a cry of the people and their wives will be great against their brethren the Jews. 2And there is which saying, Our sons and our daughters, we being many: and we will take grain and we will eat and live. 3And there are those saying, Our fields and our vineyards and our houses we pledge, and we will take grain in the famine. 4And there are those saying, We borrowed silver for the king's tribute, our fields and our vineyards. 5And now according to the flesh of our brethren, our flesh; as their sons, our sons: and behold, we subdue our sons and our daughters for servants, and there is from our daughters being subdued: and not to the strength of our hand and our fields and our vineyards to others.

6And it will kindle to me greatly as I heard their cry and these words. 7And my heart will take counsel to me, and I shall contend with the nobles and the prefects, and say to them, Ye impose a debt each upon his brother. And I shall give a great convocation against them. 8And saying to them, We bought off our brethren the Jews, being sold to the nations; according to the sufficiency in us and also will ye sell your brethren? and were they sold to us? And they will be silent, and they found not a word. 9And it will be said, Not good the word which ye do: will ye not go in the fear of our God from the reproach of the nations our enemies? 10And also I, my brethren and my young men exacting upon them silver and grain: we will leave off now this debt. 11Turn back now to them according to this day, their fields, their vineyards, their olive trees, and their houses, and the hundredth of the silver and the grain, the new wine and the new oil which ye impose upon them. 12And they will say, We will turn back, and we will not seek from them; thus will we do as thou sayest And I shall call the priests and shall cause them to swear to do according to this word. 13Also I shook out my arm, and said, Thus God will shake out every man who will not raise up this word from his house and from his labor; so shall he be shaken out and emptied. And all the convocation will say, Amen, and praise Jehovah. And the people did according to this word.

Nehemiah’s Generosity

14Also from the day which it was commanded me to be their prefect in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year and even to the thirty and second year to Arthasatha the king, twelve years I and my brethren ate not the bread of the prefect. 15And the former prefects that were before me made heavy upon the people, and they will take from them in bread and wine, the last silver forty shekels; also their young men ruled over the people: and I did not thus from the face of the fear of God. 16And also I held fast upon the work of this wall, and we bought not a field: and all my young men being gathered there for the work. 17And the Jews and prefects a hundred and fifty men, and they coming to us from the nations that were round about us; to my table. 18And what was done for one day, one ox, six choice sheep; and birds were done for me, and within ten days with every wine for abundance: and with this, the bread of the prefect I sought not for the servitude was heavy upon this people. 19Remember to me, my God, for good, all that I did for this people.