Nehemiah 5

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1. 1Around this time, a loud outcry arose from the common people and their wives against their fellow Jews.
2. 2Some were saying, "We have large families — sons and daughters to feed. We need grain just to eat and stay alive."
3. 3Others said, "We've had to mortgage our fields, vineyards, and homes just to buy grain during this famine."
4. 4Still others said, "We've had to borrow money against our fields and vineyards just to pay the king's taxes."
5. 5Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children as their children: and, look, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought into bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards.
6. 6When I heard their outcry and these complaints, I was furious.
7. 7After thinking it over carefully, I confronted the nobles and officials. "You are charging interest to your own people!" I told them. Then I called a large public assembly to deal with the matter.
8. 8And I said to them, We after our ability have redeemed our brothers the Jews, who were sold to the heathen; and will you even sell your brothers? or shall they be sold to us? Then they held their peace, and found nothing to answer.
9. 9Then I continued, "What you're doing is wrong. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of our enemies among the nations?"
10. 10"Even I, along with my relatives and my servants, have been lending the people money and grain. But let's stop charging interest on these loans."
11. 11I ask you to return to them today their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes, along with the hundredth part of the money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been charging them.
12. 12They answered, "We'll give it all back and demand nothing more from them. We'll do exactly what you say." So I called the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath in front of them to keep this promise.
13. 13Then I shook out the folds of my robe and said, "May God shake out and empty every person from their home and livelihood if they don't keep this promise — shaken out and left with nothing, just like this." The whole assembly said, "Amen," and praised the LORD. And the people followed through on the promise.
14. 14From the day I was appointed governor of Judah — from the 20th year to the 32nd year of King Artaxerxes, a total of 12 years — neither I nor my relatives ever collected the food allowance that was owed to the governor.
15. 15The governors before me had been a heavy burden on the people, taking food and wine from them plus 40 shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I refused to do any of that, because of the fear of God.
16. 16Indeed, I also continued working on the wall, and we did not buy any land. All my servants were gathered there for the work.
17. 17On top of that, 150 Jews and rulers ate at my table, besides those who came to us from the surrounding nations.
18. 18Every day, 1 ox and 6 prime sheep were prepared at my expense, along with poultry. Every 10 days, a fresh supply of all kinds of wine was brought in. Yet despite all this cost, I never demanded the governor's food allowance, because the people were already struggling under a heavy burden.
19. 19Remember me favorably, my God, for everything I have done for this people.