The Book of Nehemiah

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- Chapter 5 -

Nehemiah deals with oppression

Later, many of the men and their wives cried out for justice because of what some of the other Jews were doing.

Some of them said, “We have many children. So we need a lot of grain to be able to eat and stay alive.”

Others said, “It has been necessary for us to mortgage the fields and vineyards and houses that we own so that we may get grain to eat during this famine.”

Others said, “We have needed to borrow money to pay the taxes we owe the king for our fields and our vineyards.

We are Jews just like the other Jews. Our children are just as important to us as their children are to them. But we have been forced to sell our children to become slaves in order to pay what we owe. We have already sold some of our daughters to become slaves. Our fields and vineyards have been taken away from us, so now we do not have the money to pay what we owe.”

I was very angry when I heard these things about which they were so concerned.

So I thought about what I could do about it. I told the leaders and officials, “You are charging interest to your own relatives when they borrow money from you. You know that is wrong!” Then I called together a large group of people to bring charges against them.

I said to them, “Some of our Jewish relatives have been forced to sell themselves to become slaves of the nations. As much as we have been able, we have been buying them back. But now you are even selling your own relatives so that they might be sold back to us, their fellow Jews!” When I said that to them, they were silent. They did not answer with even a single word.

Then I said to them, “What you are doing is terrible. Should you not obey God and do what is right? If you did, you would prevent our enemies from treating us with disrespect.

I and my fellow Jews and my servants have lent money and grain to people. But let us all stop charging interest on any of these loans.

Also, you must give back to them their fields, their vineyards, their olive tree orchards, and their houses that you have taken from them. You must also give back to them the interest that you charged them when they borrowed money, grain, wine, and olive oil from you. You must do this today!”

The leaders replied, “We will do what you have said. We will return to them everything that we forced them to give to us, and we will not require that they give us anything more.” Then I summoned the priests, and I made them give an oath that they would do what they promised.

I shook out the folds of my robe and said to them, “If you do not do what you have just now promised to do, I hope that God will shake you like I am shaking my robe.” They all replied, “Amen, let it be so!” And they praised Yahweh. Then they did what they had promised to do.

The generosity of Nehemiah

I was appointed to be the governor of Judea in the twentieth year that Artaxerxes was the king of Persia. From that time until the thirty-second year, during those twelve years neither I nor my officials accepted the money that we were allowed to receive to buy food because of my being the governor.

The men who were governors before me had burdened the people by requiring of them forty silver coins each day for their food and wine. Even their servants oppressed the people. But I did not do that, because I wanted to give honor and respect to God.

I also continued to work on this wall, and we did not buy any land from the people. All those who worked for me joined me to work on the wall.

Also, every day I was responsible to feed at our table the Jews and the officials, one hundred and fifty people; and we also fed the visitors who came from other countries around us.

Each day I told my servants to serve us the meat from one ox, six very good sheep, and birds. And every ten days I gave them a large new supply of wine. But I knew that the people were burdened by paying a great deal of money for taxes, so I did not accept the money that I was entitled to as governor.

My God, think of me, and reward me for all that I have done for this people.

Nehemiah deals with oppression

Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brothers the Jews.

For there were some who said, “We, our sons and our daughters, are many. Let us get grain, that we may eat and live.”

There were also some who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses. Let us get grain, because of the famine.”

There were also some who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute using our fields and our vineyards as collateral.

Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children as their children. Behold,(a) we bring our sons and our daughters into bondage to be servants, and some of our daughters have been brought into bondage. It is also not in our power to help it, because other men have our fields and our vineyards.”

I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.

Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers, and said to them, “You exact usury, everyone of his brother.” I held a great assembly against them.

I said to them, “We, after our ability, have redeemed our brothers the Jews that were sold to the nations; and would you even sell your brothers, and should they be sold to us?” Then they held their peace, and found not a word to say.

Also I said, “The thing that you do is not good. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies?

I likewise, my brothers and my servants, lend them money and grain. Please let us stop this usury.

Please restore to them, even today, their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, that you are charging them.”

Then they said, “We will restore them, and will require nothing of them. We will do so, even as you say.” Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they would do according to this promise.

Also I shook out my lap, and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that doesn’t perform this promise; even may he be shaken out and emptied like this.” All the assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the LORD. The people did according to this promise.

The generosity of Nehemiah

Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brothers have not eaten the bread of the governor.

But the former governors who were before me were supported by the people, and took bread and wine from them, plus forty shekels

(b)

of silver; yes, even their servants ruled over the people, but I didn’t do so, because of the fear of God.

Yes, I also continued in the work of this wall. We didn’t buy any land. All my servants were gathered there to the work.

Moreover there were at my table, of the Jews and the rulers, one hundred fifty men, in addition to those who came to us from among the nations that were around us.

Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days a store of all sorts of wine. Yet for all this, I didn’t demand the governor’s pay, because the bondage was heavy on this people.

Remember me, my God, for all the good that I have done for this people.

Footnotes

(a)5:5 “Behold”, from “הִנֵּה”, means look at, take notice, observe, see, or gaze at. It is often used as an interjection.

(b)5:15 A shekel is about 10 grams or about 0.35 ounces.