וַתְּהִי צַעֲקַת הָעָם וּנְשֵׁיהֶם גְּדוֹלָה אֶל אֲחֵיהֶם הַיְּהוּדִים

The cry of the people and their wives was great about the actions of their brethren, the wealthier Judeans.

וְיֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר אֹמְרִים בָּנֵינוּ וּבְנֹתֵינוּ אֲנַחְנוּ רַבִּים וְנִקְחָה דָגָן וְנֹאכְלָה וְנִחְיֶה

There were some among those who cried out who were saying: Our sons, our daughters, are numerous; alternatively: We are trying to raise our children; we must acquire grain that we may eat and live, as we must feed our families. Some commentaries explain: We are forced to hand over our children to creditors to pay the interest they imposed on us when we borrowed money to buy food.

וְיֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר אֹמְרִים שְׂדֹתֵינוּ וּכְרָמֵינוּ וּבָתֵּינוּ אֲנַחְנוּ עֹרְבִים וְנִקְחָה דָגָן בָּרָעָב

There were some who were saying: We have mortgaged our fields, our vineyards, and our houses that we may buy grain for our hunger.

וְיֵשׁ אֲשֶׁר אֹמְרִים לָוִינוּ כֶסֶף לְמִדַּת הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׂדֹתֵינוּ וּכְרָמֵינוּ

There were some who were saying: We borrowed silver for the king’s tax, to pay the royal property tax, and to do so we mortgaged our fields and our vineyards.

וְעַתָּה כִּבְשַׂר אַחֵינוּ בְּשָׂרֵנוּ כִּבְנֵיהֶם בָּנֵינוּ וְהִנֵּה אֲנַחְנוּ כֹבְשִׁים אֶת־בָּנֵינוּ וְאֶת־בְּנֹתֵינוּ לַעֲבָדִים וְיֵשׁ מִבְּנֹתֵינוּ נִכְבָּשׁוֹת וְאֵין לְאֵל יָדֵנוּ וּשְׂדֹתֵנוּ וּכְרָמֵינוּ לַאֲחֵרִים

Now our flesh is like the flesh of our wealthier brethren, our children like their children, and nevertheless, behold, we are forcing our sons and our daughters into servitude, and some of our daughters are being forced to serve as maidservants; and we are powerless, we cannot do anything, and our fields and our vineyards are for others. The wealthy lent money to the poor and then took advantage of their debts in order to take over the borrowers’ property and to enslave their children.

וַיִּחַר לִי מְאֹד כַּאֲשֶׁר שָׁמַעְתִּי אֶת־זַעֲקָתָם וְאֵת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה

I was greatly incensed when I heard their outcry and these words.

וַיִּמָּלֵךְ לִבִּי עָלַי וָאָרִיבָה אֶת־הַחֹרִים וְאֶת־הַסְּגָנִים וָאֹמְרָה לָהֶם מַשָּׁא אִישׁ־בְּאָחִיו אַתֶּם נֹשִׁים וָאֶתֵּן עֲלֵיהֶם קְהִלָּה גְדוֹלָה

I pondered in my heart, I thought about the problem, and argued with the nobles and the prefects, the wealthy individuals in positions of power, and said to them: Is each of you claiming a debt from his brethren? How dare you act as creditors toward your brethren and oppress them. This violates the command of the Torah: “If you shall lend silver to My people, to the poor who is with you, you shall not be as a creditor to him.” I set against them a great assembly to protest their actions.

וָאֹמְרָה לָהֶם אֲנַחְנוּ קָנִינוּ אֶת־אַחֵינוּ הַיְּהוּדִים הַנִּמְכָּרִים לַגּוֹיִם כְּדֵי בָנוּ וְגַם־אַתֶּם תִּמְכְּרוּ אֶת־אֲחֵיכֶם וְנִמְכְּרוּ־לָנוּ וַיַּחֲרִישׁוּ וְלֹא מָצְאוּ דָּבָר

Nehemiah delivered a severely critical speech to the assembly: I said to them: When we were in exile, we purchased our brethren the Judeans, who were sold to the nations, according to our means; we always made every effort to redeem our captive brothers from gentiles. As for you, will you sell your brethren, that they will be sold to us? Will you now enslave your brothers who are among us here, and force us to have to redeem them in the same manner? They were silent and could not find a word. They had no answer.

וָאֹמַר לֹא־טוֹב הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר־אַתֶּם עֹשִׂים הֲלוֹא בְּיִרְאַת אֱלֹהֵינוּ תֵּלֵכוּ מֵחֶרְפַּת הַגּוֹיִם אוֹיְבֵינוּ

I said: The thing that you are doing is no good; truly, you should walk in, act with, the fear of our God. Don’t you seek to avoid the disgrace of the nations, our enemies, when they see us oppressing our own people?

וגַם־אֲנִי אַחַי וּנְעָרַי נֹשִׁים בָּהֶם כֶּסֶף וְדָגָן נַעַזְבָה־נָּא אֶת־הַמַּשָּׁא הַזֶּה

You are not the only ones to whom money is owed, as I, my brethren, and my lads also have a claim of silver and grain from them. I too lent them money. Let us now abandon this debt. We should all nullify these debts.

הָשִׁיבוּ נָא לָהֶם כְּהַיּוֹם שְׂדֹתֵיהֶם כַּרְמֵיהֶם זֵיתֵיהֶם וּבָתֵּיהֶם ומְאַת הַכֶּסֶף וְהַדָּגָן הַתִּירוֹשׁ וְהַיִּצְהָר אֲשֶׁר אַתֶּם נֹשִׁים בָּהֶם

Restore to them now, as of today, their fields, their vineyards, their olive trees, and their houses, also the hundred pieces of silver, or the great sums of money, and the grain, the wine, and the oil that you are claiming from them.

וַיֹּאמְרוּ נָשִׁיב וּמֵהֶם לֹא נְבַקֵּשׁ כֵּן נַעֲשֶׂה כַּאֲשֶׁר אַתָּה אוֹמֵר וָאֶקְרָא אֶת־הַכֹּהֲנִים וָאַשְׁבִּיעֵם לַעֲשׂוֹת כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה

They, his audience, who were shocked by his harsh statements, said: We will restore everything belonging to our debtors that is in our possession, and we will not seek; we will no longer seek to collect the debts; so will we do, as you say. I called the priests and administered an oath to them, the community, by means of the priests, to act in this manner.

גַּם חָצְנִי נָעַרְתִּי וָאֹמְרָה כָּכָה יְנַעֵר הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת־כָּל־הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָקִים אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה מִבֵּיתוֹ וּמִיגִיעוֹ וְכָכָה יִהְיֶה נָעוּר וָרֵק וַיֹּאמְרוּ כָל־הַקָּהָל אָמֵן וַיְהַלְלוּ אֶת־ה' וַיַּעַשׂ הָעָם כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה

I also shook out the corner of my garment, so that everything was spilled out as a symbolic act, and said: So may God shake every man who does not fulfill this matter from his house and from his earnings, his wealth; so shall he be shaken and emptied. He will forfeit all his property and be left with nothing. The entire congregation said to the oath: Amen, and they praised the Lord and the people acted in this manner. Despite the difficulties such a move entailed, they agreed to relinquish their debts, and they praised God for the opportunity to help the downtrodden live in dignity.

גַּם מִיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּה אוֹתִי לִהְיוֹת פֶּחָם בְּאֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה מִשְּׁנַת עֶשְׂרִים וְעַד שְׁנַת שְׁלֹשִׁים וּשְׁתַּיִם לְאַרְתַּחְשַׁסְתְּא הַמֶּלֶךְ שָׁנִים שְׁתֵּים עֶשְׂרֵה אֲנִי וְאַחַי לֶחֶם הַפֶּחָה לֹא אָכַלְתִּי

When writing the book, Nehemiah added a comment here: Moreover, from the day that he had commanded, appointed, me to be governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of Artahshasta the king, for twelve years, I and my brethren, my colleagues who accompanied me to the Land of Israel, did not eat the food of the governor. Although I was entitled to various payments and provisions from the people while serving as ruler, the king’s representative, I did not take anything.

וְהַפַּחוֹת הָרִאשֹׁנִים אֲשֶׁר־לְפָנַי הִכְבִּידוּ עַל־הָעָם וַיִּקְחוּ מֵהֶם בְּלֶחֶם וָיַיִן אַחַר כֶּסֶף־שְׁקָלִים אַרְבָּעִים גַּם נַעֲרֵיהֶם שָׁלְטוּ עַל־הָעָם ואֲנִי לֹא־עָשִׂיתִי כֵן מִפְּנֵי יִרְאַת אֱלֹהִים

But the first governors, who were prior to me, oppressed the people, and took taxes from them for bread and wine in addition to the collection of forty silver shekels; also their lads lorded over the people. They took advantage of their power to render life difficult for the local residents, but in contrast to them, I did not do so, due to the fear of God. Perhaps it was somewhat unseemly for Nehemiah to issue such a self-serving declaration, but he was a very forthright man.

וְגַם בִּמְלֶאכֶת הַחוֹמָה הַזֹּאת הֶחֱזַקְתִּי וְשָׂדֶה לֹא קָנִינוּ וְכָל־נְעָרַי קְבוּצִים שָׁם עַל־הַמְּלָאכָה

Also, not only did I refuse to take anything from the people for my own needs, I supported the labor of the construction of this wall, and we did not purchase any field, and all my lads were gathered together there for the labor. Even though I brought money with me and I had the prerogatives of a ruler, I did not acquire anything, nor did my servants, as all our actions were for the public good.

וְהַיְּהוּדִים וְהַסְּגָנִים מֵאָה וַחֲמִשִּׁים אִישׁ והַבָּאִים אֵלֵינוּ מִן הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר־סְבִיבֹתֵינוּ עַל־שֻׁלְחָנִי

The Judeans and the royal prefects, one hundred and fifty men, and those people coming to assist us from the nations that were around us, they were all at my table.

וַאֲשֶׁר הָיָה נַעֲשֶׂה לְיוֹם אֶחָד שׁוֹר אֶחָד צֹאן שֵׁשׁ־בְּרֻרוֹת וְצִפֳּרִים נַעֲשׂוּ לִי וּבֵין עֲשֶׂרֶת יָמִים בְּכָל־יַיִן לְהַרְבֵּה וְעִם זֶה לֶחֶם הַפֶּחָה לֹא בִקַּשְׁתִּי כִּי־כָבְדָה הָעֲבֹדָה עַל־הָעָם הַזֶּה

That which was prepared at my table on their behalf for one day: One bull, six select sheep, and birds were prepared for me, and every ten days I would give them to drink from all sorts of wine in abundance; alternatively: We would renew the store of wine every ten days. Nevertheless, I did not seek the food of the governor, the tax for maintenance to which I was entitled as governor, because the work was heavy upon this people.

זָכְרָה־לִּי אֱלֹהַי לְטוֹבָה כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־עָשִׂיתִי עַל־הָעָם הַזֶּה

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