Chapter 5. And there was a great outcry of the People and their wives against their Jewish brethren For there were those who said we our Sons and our daughters are many Therefore let us get grain that we may Eat and live There were also some who said We have mortgaged our lands and Vineyards and houses that we might by Grain because of the famine There were also those who said we have Borrowed money for the king's tax on our Lands and Vineyards Yet 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 And I became very angry when I heard Their outcry and these words After 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 And 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 Then 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 I also with my brethren and my servants Am lending them money and grain Please let us stop this usury Restore 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 So 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 Then 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 Moreover from the time that I was Appointed to be their governor in the Land of Judah from the 20th year until The 32nd year of King artaxerxes 12 Years Neither I nor my brothers ate the Governor's provisions But the former governors who were before Me laid burdens on the people and took From them Bread and Wine besides 40 Shekels of silver Yes even their servants bore rule over The people But I did not do so because of the fear Of God Indeed I also continued the work on this Wall and we did not buy any land All my servants were gathered there for The work And at my table were 150 Jews and rulers Besides those who came to us from the Nations around us Now that which was prepared daily was One ox and six Choice sheep also fowl Were prepared for me and once every 10 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 Remember me my God for good according to All that I have done for this people