King James Version › Nehemiah › 5

Nehemiah

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• 7
• 8
• 9
• 10
• 11
• 12
• 13

1 And there was a great cry of the peo­ple and of their wives against their brethren the Jews. 2 For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daugh­ters, are many: there­fore we take up corn ­for them, that we may eat, and live. 3 Some also there were that said, We have mort­gaged our lands, vine­yards, and hous­es, that we might buy corn, be­cause of the dearth. 4 There were also that said, We have bor­rowed mon­ey for the king's trib­ute, and that upon our lands and vine­yards. 5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our chil­dren as their chil­dren: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daugh­ters to be ser­vants, and some of our daugh­ters are brought unto bondage already: nei­ther is it in our pow­er ­to re­deem them; for oth­er men have our lands and vine­yards. 6 And I was very an­gry when I heard their cry and these words. 7 Then I con­sult­ed with my­self, and I re­buked the no­bles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye ex­act usury, ev­ery one of his broth­er. And I set a great as­sem­bly against them. 8 And I said unto them, We af­ter our abil­i­ty have re­deemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the hea­then; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found noth­ing ­to answer. 9 Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God be­cause of the re­proach of the hea­then our en­e­mies? 10 I like­wise, and my brethren, and my ser­vants, might ex­act of them mon­ey and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury. 11 Re­store, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vine­yards, their olive­yards, and their hous­es, also the hun­dredth part of the mon­ey, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye ex­act of them. 12 Then said they, We will re­store them, and will re­quire noth­ing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do ac­cord­ing to this promise. 13 Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out ev­ery man from his house, and from his labour, that per­formeth not this promise, even thus be he shak­en out, and emp­tied. And all the con­gre­ga­tion said, Amen, and praised the LORD. And the peo­ple did ac­cord­ing to this promise. 14 More­over from the time that I was ap­point­ed to be their gov­er­nor in the land of Ju­dah, from the twen­ti­eth year even unto the two and thir­ti­eth year of Ar­tax­erx­es the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eat­en the bread of the gov­er­nor. 15 But the for­mer gov­er­nors that had been be­fore me were charge­able unto the peo­ple, and had tak­en of them bread and wine, be­side forty shekels of sil­ver; yea, even their ser­vants bare rule over the peo­ple: but so did not I, be­cause of the fear of God. 16 Yea, also I con­tin­ued in the work of this wall, nei­ther bought we any land: and all my ser­vants were gath­ered thith­er unto the work. 17 More­over there were at my table an hun­dred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, be­side those that came unto us from among the hea­then that are about us. 18 Now that which was pre­pared ­for me dai­ly was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were pre­pared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this re­quired not I the bread of the gov­er­nor, be­cause the bondage was heavy upon this peo­ple. 19 Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this peo­ple.