1 AND there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.
2 For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live.
3 Some also there were that said, We have mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might buy corn, because of the dearth.
4 There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.
5 Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards.
6 And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
7 Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them.
8 And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answer.
9 Also I said, It is not good that ye do: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?
10 I likewise, and my brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury.
11 Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.
12 Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise.
13 Also I shook my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this promise, even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise.
14 Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.
15 But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.
16 Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work.
17 Moreover there were at my table an hundred and fifty of the Jews and rulers, beside those that came unto us from among the heathen that are about us.
18 Now that which was prepared for me daily was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.
19 Think upon me, my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.

1And there was a great crie of the people, and of their wiues, against their brethren the Iewes.

2For there were that said, We, our sonnes, and our daughters are many: therefore wee take vp corne for them, that we may eat, and liue.

3Some also there were that saide, We haue morgaged our landes, vineyards and houses, that we might buy corne, because of the dearth.

4There were also that said, Wee haue borrowed money for the kings tribute, and that vpon our lands and vineyards.

5Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and loe, wee bring into bondage our sonnes and our daughters, to bee seruants, and some of our daughters are brought vnto bondage already, neither is it in our power to redeeme them: for other men haue our lands and vineyards.

6 And I was very angry, when I heard their crie, and these words.

7Then I consulted with my selfe, and I rebuked the Nobles, and the rulers, and said vnto them, You exact vsurie, euery one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them:

8And I said vnto them, We, after our abilitie, haue redeemed our brethren the Iewes, which were sold vnto the heathen; and will you euen sell your brethren? or shall they be sold vnto vs? Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answere.

9Also I said, It is not good that yee doe: ought yee not to walke in the feare of our God, because of the reproch of the heathen our enemies?

10I likewise, and my brethren, and my seruants, might exact of them money and corne: I pray you let vs leaue off this vsurie.

11Restore, I pray you, to them, euen this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliue-yards, and their houses, also the hundreth part of the money, and of the corne, the wine, and the oyle, that ye exact of them.

12Then said they, Wee will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we doe, as thou sayest. Then I called the Priests, and tooke an oath of them, that they should doe according to this promise.

13Also I shooke my lap, and said, So God shake out euery man from his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this promise, euen thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the Congregation said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise.

14 Moreouer, from the time that I was appointed to be their gouernor in the land of Iudah, from the twentieth yeere euen vnto the two and thirtieth yere of Artaxerxes the king, that is, twelue yeres, I and my brethren, haue not eaten the bread of the gouernour:

15But the former gouernours that had bene before me, were chargeable vnto the people, and had taken of them bread, and wine, beside fourtie shekels of siluer, yea euen their seruants bare rule ouer the people: but so did not I, because of the feare of God.

16Yea also I continued in the worke of this wall, neither bought wee any land: and all my seruants were gathered thither vnto the worke.

17Moreouer, there were at my table, an hundred and fiftie of the Iewes and rulers, besides those that came vnto vs from among the heathen that are about vs.

18Now that which was prepared for me daily, was one oxe, and sixe choice sheepe; also foules were prepared for mee, and once in ten dayes, store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this required not I the bread of the gouernour, because the bondage was heauy vpon this people.

19Thinke vpon mee, my God, for good, according to all that I haue done for this people.

I == Lev 25:35-37 ; Deut 15:7 ; Isa 5:7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

V == Ex 21:7 ; Lev 25:39 ; Isa 58:7

 

 

 

 

 

VII == Ex 22:25 ; Lev 25:36 ; Ezek 22:12

 

 

VIII == Lev 25:48

 

 

 

 

IX == Lev 25:36 ; 2nd Sam 12:14 ; Rom 2:24 ; 1st Peter 2:12

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

XII == Ezra 10:5 ; Jer 34:8-9

 

 

XIII == 2nd Kings 23:3 ; Matt 10:14 ; Acts 13:51 ; 18:6

 

 

 

XIV == Neh 13:6 ; 1st Cor 9:4 , 15

 

 

 

XV == Neh 5:9 ; 2nd cor 11:9 ; 12:13

 

 

 

 

 

 

XVII == 2nd Sam 9:7 ; 1st Kings 18:19

 

XVIII == 1st Kings 4:22 ; Neh 5:14-15

 

 

 

 

XIX == Neh 13:22

 

1 Then there rose a great outcry of the common people and their wives against certain of their fellow Jews.

2 Some said: "We are forced to pawn our sons and daughters in order to get grain to eat that we may live."

3 Others said: "We are forced to pawn our fields, our vineyards, and our houses, that we may have grain during the famine."

4 Still others said: "To pay the king's tax we have borrowed money on our fields and our vineyards.

5 And though these are our own kinsmen and our children are as good as theirs, we have had to reduce our sons and daughters to slavery, and violence has been done to some of our daughters! Yet we can do nothing about it, for our fields and our vineyards belong to others."

6 I was extremely angry when I heard the reasons they had for complaint.

7 After some deliberation, I called the nobles and magistrates to account, saying to them, "You are exacting interest from your own kinsmen!" I then rebuked them severely,

8 saying to them: "As far as we were able, we bought back our fellow Jews who had been sold to Gentiles; you, however, are selling your own brothers, to have them bought back by us." They remained silent, for they could find no answer.

9 I continued: "What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God, and put an end to the derision of our Gentile enemies?

10 I myself, my kinsmen, and my attendants have lent the people money and grain without charge. Let us put an end to this usury!

11 I ask that you return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, together with the interest on the money, the grain, the wine, and the oil that you have lent them."

12 They answered: "We will return everything and exact nothing further from them. We will do just what you ask." Then I called for the priests and had them administer an oath to these men that they would do as they had promised.

13 I also shook out the folds of my garment, saying, "Thus may God shake from his home and his fortune every man who fails to keep this promise, and may he thus be shaken out and emptied!" And the whole assembly answered, "Amen," and praised the LORD. Then the people did as they had promised.

14 Moreover, from the time that King Artaxerxes appointed me governor in the land of Judah, from his twentieth to his thirty-second year - during these twelve years neither I nor my brethren lived from the governor's allowance.

15 The earlier governors, my predecessors, had laid a heavy burden on the people, taking from them each day forty silver shekels for their food; then too, their men oppressed the people. But I, because I feared God, did not act thus.

16 Moreover, though I had acquired no land of my own, I did my part in this work on the wall, and all my men were gathered there for the work.

17 Though I set my table for a hundred and fifty persons, Jews and magistrates, as well as those who came to us from the nations round about,

18 and though the daily preparations were made at my expense - one beef, six choice muttons, poultry - besides all kinds of wine in abundance every ten days, despite this I did not claim the governor's allowance, for the labor lay heavy upon this people.

19 Keep in mind, O my God, in my favor all that I did for this people.

v 1-6. Many of the workers were already discouraged from exhaustion and threat  of the enemy. Now those who have need are being oppressed by fellow Jews who have means. They have had to neglect crops and gardens in order to build, and now face food and financial crises. Some had to mortgage their possessions to fellow Jews for food and to pay the Persian tax, which was not excessive, but demanded. They were charged exorbitant interest and some had even had to give their children for slaves to pay it. Both were contrary to God’s law, Deut 23:19 and Lev. 25:39-42.

 

 

 

 

v 7-9. This angered Nehemiah and he rebuked the offenders on the basis of God’s law, particularly since it would bring the reproach of their enemies. In consulting with ourselves, we must use our own judgment at times.

 

 

 

v 10,11. Nehemiah was able to cite the good example he and his servants had shown by not doing what they were doing. He had rebuked their actions,  7-10a, but now he command them, 10b-11, to promptly restore the properties and the interest they had received.

 

 

v 12,13. They agreed, and to make sure they would follow through, he made them take an oath before the priests. Then he shook his garment to demonstrate how God would shake them out and empty them for disobedience, but they all obeyed. Paul used a similar demonstration, Acts 18:6, when he turned from the Jews to the Gentiles.

 

 

v 14,15. Nehemiah had to have been appointed governor before he left Persia,  or the appointment soon arrived by post, because it would have taken 6 - 8 months to go and return. Because he feared God, he refused the generous salary he could properly have had, and lived off his own means. Previous governor’s servants had even ruled over the people. 

 

 

 

v 16-18. Nehemiah did not buy land or exploit the people in any way, but worked right with the others on the wall. (While on a work project at Calvary Bible College, I saw the president of the college and my son digging a sewer out together.) The salary he perhaps still received as cupbearer must have been used to supply so much food, and perhaps other amenities for 150 rulers, servants and other assistants.

 

v 19. He was not being self righteous in asking God to remember the good he had done. We have a similar promise from God that he will not forget our work and labor of love, Heb. 6:10. He asked God to remember him seven times, v 19, 6:14 twice, 13:14, 22, 29, 31.