Oppression of the Poor
1 Some time later many of the people, both men and women, began to complain against the other Jews. 2 Some said, “We have large families, we need grain to keep us alive.”
3 Others said, “We have had to mortgage our fields and vineyards and houses to get enough grain to keep us from starving.”
4 Still others said, “We had to borrow money to pay the royal tax on our fields and vineyards. 5 We are of the same race as the other Jews. Aren't our children just as good as theirs? But we have to make slaves of our children. Some of our daughters have already been sold as slaves. We are helpless because our fields and vineyards have been taken away from us.”
6 When I heard their complaints, I grew angry 7 and decided to act. I denounced the leaders and officials of the people and told them, “You are oppressing your own relatives!”
I called a public assembly to deal with the problem 8 and said, “As far as we have been able, we have been buying back our Jewish relatives who had to sell themselves to foreigners. Now you are forcing your own relatives to sell themselves to you, their own people!” The leaders were silent and could find nothing to say.
9 Then I said, “What you are doing is wrong! You ought to obey God and do what's right. Then you would not give our enemies, the Gentiles, any reason to ridicule us. 10 I have let the people borrow money and grain from me, and so have my companions and those who work for me. Now let's give up all our claims to repayment. 11 Cancel all the debts they owe you—money or grain or wine or olive oil. And give them back their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses right now!”
12 The leaders replied, “We'll do as you say. We'll give the property back and not try to collect the debts.”
I called in the priests and made the leaders swear in front of them to keep the promise they had just made. 13 Then I took off the sash I was wearing around my waist and shook it out. “This is how God will shake any of you who don't keep your promise,” I said. “God will take away your houses and everything you own, and will leave you with nothing.”
Everyone who was present said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord. And the leaders kept their promise.
Nehemiah's Unselfishness
14 During all the twelve years that I was governor of the land of Judah, from the twentieth year that Artaxerxes was emperor until his thirty-second year, neither my relatives nor I ate the food I was entitled to have as governor. 15 Every governor who had been in office before me had been a burden to the people and had demanded forty silver coins a day for food and wine. Even their servants had oppressed the people. But I acted differently, because I honored God. 16 I put all my energy into rebuilding the wall and did not acquire any property. Everyone who worked for me joined in the rebuilding. 17 I regularly fed at my table a hundred and fifty of the Jewish people and their leaders, besides all the people who came to me from the surrounding nations. 18 Every day I served one beef, six of the best sheep, and many chickens, and every ten days I provided a fresh supply of wine. But I knew what heavy burdens the people had to bear, and so I did not claim the allowance that the governor is entitled to.
19 I pray you, O God, remember to my credit everything that I have done for this 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.
