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Nehemiah ran àwọn aláìní lọ́wọ́

Nísinsin yìí àwọn ènìyàn àti àwọn ìyàwó wọn kígbe ńlá sókè sí àwọn Júù arákùnrin wọn. Àwọn kan ń wí pé, “Àwa àti àwọn ọmọkùnrin àti àwọn ọmọbìnrin wa pọ̀; kí àwa kí ó le è jẹ, kí a sì wà láààyè, a gbọdọ̀ rí oúnjẹ.”

Àwọn mìíràn wí pé, “Àwa ti fi oko wa ọgbà àjàrà wa àti ilé wa dógò kí àwa kí ó lè rí oúnjẹ ní àkókò ìyàn.”

Síbẹ̀ àwọn mìíràn wí pé, “Àwa ní láti yá owó láti san ìṣákọ́lẹ̀ fún ọba lórí àwọn oko wa àti àwọn ọgbà àjàrà wa. Bí ó tilẹ̀ jẹ́ pé a jẹ́ ẹran-ara kan àti ẹ̀jẹ̀ kan gẹ́gẹ́ bí àwọn ará ìlú wa tí àwọn ọmọkùnrin wa sì dára bí í tiwọn, síbẹ̀ àwa ní láti fi àwọn ọmọkùnrin àti àwọn ọmọbìnrin wa sí oko ẹrú. Díẹ̀ nínú àwọn ọmọbìnrin wa ti wà lóko ẹrú náà, ṣùgbọ́n àwa kò ní agbára, nítorí àwọn oko àti ọgbà àjàrà wa ti di ti ẹlòmíràn.”

Èmi bínú gidigidi nígbà tí mo gbọ́ igbe wọn àti àwọn ẹ̀sùn wọ̀nyí. Mo rò wọ́n wò ní ọkàn mi mo sì fi ẹ̀sùn kan ọlọ́lá àti àwọn ìjòyè. Mo sọ fún wọn pé, ẹ̀yin ń gba owó èlé lọ́wọ́ àwọn ará ìlú u yín! Nítorí náà mo pe àpéjọ ńlá láti bá wọn wí. Mo sì wí fún wọn pé: “Níbi tí àwa ní agbára mọ, àwa ti ra àwọn Júù arákùnrin wa tí a ti tà fún àwọn tí kì í ṣe Júù padà. Nísinsin yìí ẹ̀yìn ń ta àwọn arákùnrin yín, tí àwa sì tún ní láti rà wọ́n padà!” Wọ́n dákẹ́, nítorí wọn kò rí ohunkóhun sọ.

Nítorí náà, mo tẹ̀síwájú pé, “Ohun tí ẹ̀ ń ṣe kò dára. Kò ha yẹ kí ẹ máa rìn nínú ìbẹ̀rù Ọlọ́run bí, láti yẹra fún ẹ̀gàn àwọn orílẹ̀-èdè mìíràn tí í ṣe ọ̀tá wa? 10 Èmi àti àwọn arákùnrin mi àti àwọn ènìyàn mi, pẹ̀lú ń yá àwọn ènìyàn lówó àti oúnjẹ. Ṣùgbọ́n ẹ jẹ́ kí a dáwọ́ owó èlé gbígbà yìí dúró! 11 Ẹ fún wọn ní oko wọn, ọgbà àjàrà wọn, ọgbà olifi wọn àti ilé e wọn pẹ̀lú owó èlé tí ẹ ti gbà lọ́wọ́ wọn ìdá ọgọ́rùn-ún owó, oúnjẹ, wáìnì tuntun àti òróró tí ẹ ti gbà lọ́wọ́ wọn padà kíákíá.”

12 Wọ́n wí pé, “Àwa yóò dá a padà. Àwa kì yóò sì béèrè ohunkóhun lọ́wọ́ wọn mọ́. Àwa yóò ṣe bí o ti wí.”

Nígbà náà mo pe àwọn àlùfáà, mo sì mú kí àwọn ọlọ́lá àti àwọn ìjòyè búra láti jẹ́ kí wọ́n ṣe ohun tí wọ́n ti ṣe ìlérí. 13 Mo sì gbọn ìṣẹ́tí aṣọ mi, mo wí pé, “Báyìí ni kí Ọlọ́run gbọn olúkúlùkù ènìyàn tí kò bá pa ìlérí yìí mọ́ jáde kúrò ní ilẹ̀ ìní i rẹ̀. Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni kí a gbọn irú ẹni bẹ́ẹ̀ jáde kí ó sì ṣófo!”

Gbogbo ìjọ ènìyàn sì wí pé “Àmín,” wọ́n sì fi ìyìn fún Olúwa. Àwọn ènìyàn náà sì ṣe bí wọ́n ti ṣe ìlérí.

14 Síwájú sí í, láti ogún ọdún ọba Artasasta, nígbà tí a ti yàn mí láti jẹ́ baálẹ̀ wọn ní ilẹ̀ Juda, títí di ọdún kejìlélọ́gbọ̀n ìjọba rẹ̀—ọdún méjìlá, èmi àti àwọn arákùnrin mi kò jẹ oúnjẹ baálẹ̀. 15 Ṣùgbọ́n àwọn baálẹ̀ ìṣáájú—tí ó ti wà ṣáájú mi—gbe àjàgà wúwo lé àwọn ènìyàn lórí yàtọ̀ fún oúnjẹ àti wáìnì wọ́n sì tún gba ogójì ṣékélì fàdákà lọ́wọ́ wọn. Kódà àwọn ìránṣẹ́ wọn tún jẹ gàba lórí wọn. Ṣùgbọ́n èmi kò ṣe bẹ́ẹ̀ nítorí ìbẹ̀rù Ọlọ́run. 16 Dípò bẹ́ẹ̀, mo fi ara mi jì fún iṣẹ́ lórí odi yìí. Gbogbo àwọn ènìyàn mi péjọ síbẹ̀ fún iṣẹ́ náà; a kò sì gba ilẹ̀ kankan.

17 Síwájú sí í, àádọ́jọ (150) àwọn Júù àti àwọn ìjòyè jẹun lórí tábìlì mi, àti pẹ̀lú àwọn tí wọ́n wá bá wa láti àwọn orílẹ̀-èdè tí ó yí wa ká. 18 Ní ọjọ́ kọ̀ọ̀kan ni a máa ń pèsè màlúù kan, ààyò àgùntàn mẹ́fà àti adìyẹ fún mi àti lẹ́ẹ̀kan ní ọjọ́ mẹ́wàá ni wọ́n máa ń pèsè onírúurú wáìnì tí ó pọ̀ fún mi. Fún gbogbo èyí, èmi kò béèrè oúnjẹ baálẹ̀, nítorí ohun ti a ń béèrè lọ́wọ́ àwọn ènìyàn wọ̀nyí pọ̀ jọjọ.

19 Rántí mi, Ọlọ́run mi, fún rere, nítorí fún gbogbo ohun tí mo ti ṣe fún àwọn ènìyàn yìí.

Nehemiah Helps the Poor

Now the men and their wives raised a great outcry against their fellow Jews. Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous; in order for us to eat and stay alive, we must get grain.”

Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields,(A) our vineyards and our homes to get grain during the famine.”(B)

Still others were saying, “We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax(C) on our fields and vineyards. Although we are of the same flesh and blood(D) as our fellow Jews and though our children are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery.(E) Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others.”(F)

When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are charging your own people interest!”(G) So I called together a large meeting to deal with them and said: “As far as possible, we have bought(H) back our fellow Jews who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your own people, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.(I)

So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach(J) of our Gentile enemies? 10 I and my brothers and my men are also lending the people money and grain. But let us stop charging interest!(K) 11 Give back to them immediately their fields, vineyards, olive groves and houses, and also the interest(L) you are charging them—one percent of the money, grain, new wine and olive oil.”

12 “We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.”

Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath(M) to do what they had promised. 13 I also shook(N) out the folds of my robe and said, “In this way may God shake out of their house and possessions anyone who does not keep this promise. So may such a person be shaken out and emptied!”

At this the whole assembly said, “Amen,”(O) and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.

14 Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes,(P) when I was appointed to be their governor(Q) in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. 15 But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels[a] of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God(R) I did not act like that. 16 Instead,(S) I devoted myself to the work on this wall. All my men were assembled there for the work; we[b] did not acquire any land.

17 Furthermore, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations. 18 Each day one ox, six choice sheep and some poultry(T) were prepared for me, and every ten days an abundant supply of wine of all kinds. In spite of all this, I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the demands were heavy on these people.

19 Remember(U) me with favor, my God, for all I have done for these people.

Footnotes

  1. Nehemiah 5:15 That is, about 1 pound or about 460 grams
  2. Nehemiah 5:16 Most Hebrew manuscripts; some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac I