| New King James Version | New Living Translation |
| 1And there was a great outcry of the people and their wives against their Jewish brethren. | 1About this time some of the men and their wives raised a cry of protest against their fellow Jews. |
| 2For there were those who said, “We, our sons, and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain, that we may eat and live.” | 2They were saying, “We have such large families. We need more food to survive.” |
| 3There were also some who said, “We have mortgaged our lands and vineyards and houses, that we might buy grain because of the famine.” | 3Others said, “We have mortgaged our fields, vineyards, and homes to get food during the famine.” |
| 4There were also those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our lands and vineyards. | 4And others said, “We have had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay our taxes. |
| 5Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children; and indeed we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been brought into slavery. It is not in our power to redeem them, for other men have our lands and vineyards.” | 5We belong to the same family as those who are wealthy, and our children are just like theirs. Yet we must sell our children into slavery just to get enough money to live. We have already sold some of our daughters, and we are helpless to do anything about it, for our fields and vineyards are already mortgaged to others.” |
| 6And I became very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. | 6When I heard their complaints, I was very angry. |
| 7After serious thought, I rebuked the nobles and rulers, and said to them, “Each of you is exacting usury from his brother.” So I called a great assembly against them. | 7After thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, “You are hurting your own relatives by charging interest when they borrow money!” Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem. |
| 8And I said to them, “According to our ability we have redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?” Then they were silenced and found nothing to say. | 8At the meeting I said to them, “We are doing all we can to redeem our Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem them?” And they had nothing to say in their defense. |
| 9Then I said, “What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies? | 9Then I pressed further, “What you are doing is not right! Should you not walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations? |
| 10I also, with my brethren and my servants, am lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop this usury! | 10I myself, as well as my brothers and my workers, have been lending the people money and grain, but now let us stop this business of charging interest. |
| 11Restore now to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also a hundredth of the money and the grain, the new wine and the oil, that you have charged them.” | 11You must restore their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes to them this very day. And repay the interest you charged when you lent them money, grain, new wine, and olive oil.” |
| 12So they said, “We will restore it, and will require nothing from them; we will do as you say.” Then I called the priests, and required an oath from them that they would do according to this promise. | 12They replied, “We will give back everything and demand nothing more from the people. We will do as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the nobles and officials swear to do what they had promised. |
| 13Then I shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out each man from his house, and from his property, who does not perform this promise. Even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said, “Amen!” and praised the LORD. Then the people did according to this promise. | 13I shook out the folds of my robe and said, “If you fail to keep your promise, may God shake you like this from your homes and from your property!” The whole assembly responded, “Amen,” and they praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised. |
| 14Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the governor’s provisions. | 14For the entire twelve years that I was governor of Judah—from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of the reign of King Artaxerxes —neither I nor my officials drew on our official food allowance. |
| 15But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God. | 15The former governors, in contrast, had laid heavy burdens on the people, demanding a daily ration of food and wine, besides forty pieces of silver. Even their assistants took advantage of the people. But because I feared God, I did not act that way. |
| 16Indeed, I also continued the work on this wall, and we did not buy any land. All my servants were gathered there for the work. | 16I also devoted myself to working on the wall and refused to acquire any land. And I required all my servants to spend time working on the wall. |
| 17And at my table were one hundred and fifty Jews and rulers, besides those who came to us from the nations around us. | 17I asked for nothing, even though I regularly fed 150 Jewish officials at my table, besides all the visitors from other lands! |
| 18Now that which was prepared daily was one ox and six choice sheep. Also fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine. Yet in spite of this I did not demand the governor’s provisions, because the bondage was heavy on this people. | 18The provisions I paid for each day included one ox, six choice sheep or goats, and a large number of poultry. And every ten days we needed a large supply of all kinds of wine. Yet I refused to claim the governor’s food allowance because the people already carried a heavy burden. |
| 19Remember me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people. | 19Remember, O my God, all that I have done for these people, and bless me for it. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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