Nehemiah's Concern for the Poor
1 Some of the men and their wives complained about the Jews in power 2 and said, “We have large families, and it takes a lot of grain merely to keep us alive.”
3 Others said, “During the famine we even had to mortgage our fields, vineyards, and homes to them in order to buy grain.”
4 Then others said, “We had to borrow money from those in power to pay the government tax on our fields and vineyards. 5 We are Jews just as they are, and our children are as good as theirs. But we still have to sell our children as slaves, and some of our daughters have already been raped. We are completely helpless; our fields and vineyards have even been taken from us.”
6 When I heard their complaints and their charges, I became very angry. 7 So I thought it over and said to the leaders and officials, “How can you charge your own people interest?”
Then I called a public meeting and accused the leaders 8 by saying, “We have tried to buy back all of our people who were sold into exile. But here you are, selling more of them for us to buy back!” The officials and leaders did not say a word, because they knew this was true.
9 I continued, “What you have done is wrong! We must honor our God by the way we live, so the Gentiles can't find fault with us. 10 My relatives, my friends, and I are also lending money and grain, but we must no longer demand payment in return. 11 Now give back the fields, vineyards, olive orchards, and houses you have taken and also the interest you have been paid.”
12 The leaders answered, “We will do whatever you say and return their property, without asking to be repaid.”
So I made the leaders promise in front of the priests to give back the property. 13 Then I emptied my pockets and said, “If you don't keep your promise, that's what God will do to you. He will empty out everything you own, even taking away your houses.”
The people answered, “We will keep our promise.” Then they praised the Lord and did as they had promised.
Nehemiah Is Generous
14 I was governor of Judah from the twentieth year that Artaxerxes was king until the thirty-second year. And during these entire twelve years, my relatives and I refused to accept the food that I was allowed. 15 Each governor before me had been a burden to the people by making them pay for his food and wine and by demanding forty silver coins a day. Even their officials had been a burden to the people. But I respected God, and I didn't think it was right to be so hard on them. 16 I spent all my time getting the wall rebuilt and did not buy any property. Everyone working for me did the same thing. 17 I usually fed 150 of our own Jewish people and their leaders, as well as foreign visitors from surrounding lands. 18 Each day one ox, six of the best sheep, and lots of chickens were prepared. Then every ten days, a large supply of wine was brought in. I knew what a heavy burden this would have been for the people, and so I did not ask for my food allowance as governor.
19 I pray that God will bless me for everything I have done for my people.
Nehemiab ge ǀgâsana ra hui
1 ǁAe-i khaoǃgân ge ǂgui aogu tsî taradi tsîna ǁîn di ǃgâsa Jodeǁîn ǃoagu ge ǂkhîoǃnâ. 2 ǀNîn ge “Sida omaris ge ǂgui khoena ūhâ, tsî da ge ǃhoro-e ǂhâba hâ, î da ûitsamase hâ ǁkhā” ti gere mî.
3 Naun ge “Sida ge sida ǃhanagu, sida draibeǃhanagu tsî sida omdi tsîna ǃâtsūǀkhāb ǃnâ da ǁō tidega surudeb ai ge māxū” ti gere mî.
4 ǀNîn ge ge mî: “Sida ge sida ǃhanagu tsî draibeǃhanagu ǂama da gao-aob di ǁgui-aimarisa nî matare ǁkhāse, mari-e ge ǀkhupi. 5 Sida tsîn ge nau Jodeǁîn ǁkhān di ǁaes di. Sida ôana ǁîn din khami i taman hâ? Xawe da ge sida ôana ra khobodī. ǀNai di ge ǀnî ǀgôadi sida dide khobose ge ǁamaxūhe. Sida ge xū-i xare-e a dī ǁoa, sida ǃhanagu tsî draibeǃhanagu tsîga da ge ūxūhe xui-ao.”
6 ǁÎn di ǃgaesensa ta ge ǁnâu, o ta ge kaise ge ǁaixa. 7 Nē ǃkhaisa ta ge ǂâiǃgâs khaoǃgâ ta ge ǁaes di ǂgaeǂgui-aogu tsî ǂamkhoegu tsîga ǂgaihā tsî ǁîgu ǃoa ge mî: “Sago ge sago di ǃgâsa Jodeǁîna ra ǁgâiǀā.”
Tsî ta ge horaga ǀhûhâsiba, nē ǃgomsib nî ǃhoaǂamhega ǂnûsa ǃoa ǂgaiǀhao 8 tsî ge mî: “ǁKhā da as kōse da ge sada Jodeǁî khoen, ǃhaokhoen ai ge ǁamaxūhe hâ ina ge ǁama-oa. Tsî du ge nēsi sadu, ǁîn di ǂhunuma khoedo, ǁîna sadu ain nî ǁamaxūsens ǃoa ra ǁgari.” O gu ge ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ge ǃnō tsî tare-e gu nî mî ǃkhaisa ge ǀū i.
9 O ta ge ge mî: “ǃGâi tama ǃkhais ge nē go ra dīsa. Sada Eloba ǃaoǃgâ, î go ǂhanuse sîsen, o go ge ǀūben, sada khākhoena sadan nî ǃgôaǁnâba ǃaroma-e mā tide. 10 Tita, ti sîsenǁare-aogu tsî ti ǃgāgu tsîge tsîn ge khoena mari-i tsî ǃhoro-i tsîna ra ǀkhupi. A ge nēsi matare-oan nîsa ǁîna ǂgaoǀkhāǀû. 11 ǁÎn di surudeb hoaragaba, mari-i dib kas, ǃhoro-i dib kas, ǂauxûi-i dib kas, ǀkhera-oli-i dib kas hoasa ǀariǂui; î ǁîna ǁîn di ǃhanagu, draibeǃhanagu, ǀkherahaiǃhanagu tsî omdi tsîna nēsi mā-oa.”
12 O gu ge ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ge ǃeream: “Sats go mî khami ge nî dī. Xūna ge ge nî mā-oa tsî ge ge khoena xū-e ǂgaoǀkhā tide.”
O ta ge pristerga ǂgaiǀhao tsî ǂgaeǂgui-aoga mîmâi gu go khami gu nî dīsa ǁîgu aiǃâ ge nū kai. 13 ǁNās khaoǃgâ ta ge ti gamanab ai ta ge ǃgae hâ i ǁgarusa ūǁnâ tsî ǃgubuǂuiǃnâ tsî ge mî: “Nētib ge Eloba, mîmâib go khami ga dī tama i khoeb hoab ǀkha nî dī. ǁÎb ge sago omdi tsî sago xūn hoana nî ūxū go tsî ǀgui xū-i tsîna ǁnāxūba go tide.”
On ge ǁnāpa ge hâ i khoen hoana “Amen” ti mî tsî ǃKhūba ge koa. Tsî ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ge mîmâi gu ge khami ge dī.
Nehemiab ge nau khoen xa ra ǂâiǂhansen
14 ǀGamdisiǁî kurib Artaxerxesi ǂgaeǂguis diba xu ǃnonadisiǀgamǀaǁî kurib kōse ta ge disiǀgamǀa kuriga Judab gowoniase hâ i, o da ge tita kas, ti ǀaokhoen kas hoasa, gowoniase ta a mā-amsa ǂû-i xare-e ge ǂû tama hâ i. 15 Ti aiǃâ ge hâ i gowoniagu hoagu ge ǁaesa ǃgomsib ase ge iba i tsî ǁîna ǂûn tsî ǂauxûi-i tsîn xōǀkhā hakadisi ǀhaiǀuri maride tsēkorobe gere ǂgaoǀkhā. ǁÎgu di ǃgāgu tsîn ge khoena gere ǁgâiǀā, xawe tita ge ǁnāti ge dī tama hâ i, eloǃaoǃgâxa ta a xui-ao. 16 Nē ǂnubiǂgoaba ǂnubikhâis ǃnâ ta ge ǀoasase ge ǁguiǂgāsen tsî ǃhū-i xare-e tise ūbasen tama ge i. Ti ǃgāgu hoagu ge nē ǂnubikhâis ǃnâ tita ǀkha gere sîsenǀhao. 17 ǀGuikaidisi tsî korodisi Jodeǁîn tsî ǁîn ǂgaeǂgui-aogu, tsî ǁkhāti ǃhao ǁaede xu gere oahā khoen tsîn hoan ge ti tāb tawa gere ǂû. 18 Mâ tsēs hoasa ta ge ǀgui gomab, ǃnani ôaǂuisa gūn tsî anin tsîna gere aiǂhomi tsî mâ disiǁî tsēs hoasa ǂauxûi-e ǃnāǂamsase. Xawe ta ge mâtikō ǃgommas ǁaesa tani hâ ǃkhaisa ta a ǂan xui-ao, gowoniab nî hōse i ǂûna māhesa ge ǂgaoǀkhā tama hâ i. 19 Ti Elotse ǂgan ta ge ra, nē ǁaesa ta ge dīban hoan ǃaroma dīdawa-am te re.
