Nehemiah 5
JPS Tanakh (Jewish Publication Society, 1917)
Septuagint (Greek Old Testament), second edition
1Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.
1ΚΑΙ ἡ κραυγὴ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ γυναικῶν αὐτῶν μεγάλη πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτῶν τοὺς Ἰουδαίους.
2For there were that said: 'We, our sons and our daughters, are many; let us get for them corn, that we may eat and live.'
2καὶ ἦσάν τινες λέγοντες· ἐν υἱοῖς ἡμῶν καὶ ἐν θυγατράσιν ἡμῶν ἡμεῖς πολλοί· καὶ ληψόμεθα σῖτον καὶ φαγόμεθα καὶ ζησόμεθα.
3Some also there were that said: 'We are mortgaging our fields, and our vineyards, and our houses; let us get corn, because of the dearth.'
3καὶ εἰσί τινες λέγοντες· ἀγροὶ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀμπελῶνες ἡμῶν καὶ οἰκίαι ἡμῶν, ἡμεῖς διεγγυῶμεν, καὶ ληψόμεθα σῖτον καὶ φαγόμεθα.
4There were also that said: 'We have borrowed money for the king's tribute upon our fields and our vineyards.
4καὶ εἰσί τινες λέγοντες· ἐδανεισάμεθα ἀργύριον εἰς φόρους τοῦ βασιλέως, ἀγροὶ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀμπελῶνες ἡμῶν καὶ οἰκίαι ἡμῶν·
5Yet 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 into bondage already; neither is it in our power to help it; for other men have our fields and our vineyards.'
5καὶ νῦν ὡς σὰρξ ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν σὰρξ ἡμῶν, ὡς υἱοὶ αὐτῶν υἱοὶ ἡμῶν. καὶ ἰδοὺ ἡμεῖς καταδυναστεύομεν τοὺς υἱοὺς ἡμῶν καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας ἡμῶν εἰς δούλους, καί εἰσιν ἀπὸ θυγατέρων ἡμῶν καταδυναστευόμεναι, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι δύναμις χειρῶν ἡμῶν, καὶ ἀγροὶ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀμπελῶνες ἡμῶν τοῖς ἐντίμοις.
6And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
6καὶ ἐλυπήθην σφόδρα, καθὼς ἤκουσα τὴν κραυγὴν αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς λόγους τούτους.
7Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers, and said unto them: 'Ye lend upon pledge, every one to his brother.' And I held a great assembly against them.
7καὶ ἐβουλεύσατο καρδία μου ἐπ' ἐμέ, καὶ ἐμαχεσάμην πρὸς τοὺς ἐντίμους καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ εἶπα αὐτοῖς· ἀπαιτήσει ἀνὴρ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, ἃ ὑμεῖς ἀπαιτεῖτε. καὶ ἔδωκα ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἐκκλησίαν μεγάλην
8And I said unto them: 'We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, that sold themselves unto the heathen; and would ye nevertheless sell your brethren, and should they sell themselves unto us?' Then held they their peace, and found never a word.
8καὶ εἶπα αὐτοῖς· ἡμεῖς κεκτήμεθα τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἡμῶν τοὺς Ἰουδαίους τοὺς πωλουμένους τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐν ἑκουσίῳ ἡμῶν· καὶ ὑμεῖς πωλεῖτε τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ὑμῶν καὶ παραδοθήσονται ἡμῖν; καὶ ἡσύχασαν καὶ οὐχ εὕροσαν λόγον.
9Also I said: 'The thing that ye do is not good; ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies?
9καὶ εἶπα· οὐκ ἀγαθὸς ὁ λόγος, ὃν ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε· οὐχ οὕτως ἐν φόβῳ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἀπελεύσεσθε ἀπὸ ὀνειδισμοῦ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἡμῶν.
10And I likewise, my brethren and my servants, have lent them money and corn. I pray you, let us leave off this exaction.
10καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί μου καὶ οἱ γνωστοί μου καὶ ἐγὼ ἐθήκαμεν ἑαυτοῖς ἀργύριον καὶ σῖτον· ἐγκατελίπομεν δὴ τὴν ἀπαίτησιν ταύτην.
11Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their fields, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundred pieces of silver, and the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.'
11ἐπιστρέψατε δὴ αὐτοῖς ὡς σήμερον ἀγροὺς αὐτῶν καὶ ἀμπελῶνας αὐτῶν καὶ ἐλαιῶνας αὐτῶν καὶ οἰκίας αὐτῶν· καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀργυρίου τὸν σῖτον καὶ τὸν οἶνον καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον ἐξενέγκατε αὐτοῖς.
12Then said they: 'We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do, even as thou sayest.' Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise.
12καὶ εἶπαν· ἀποδώσομεν, καὶ παρ' αὐτῶν οὐ ζητήσομεν, οὕτως ποιήσομεν καθὼς σὺ λέγεις· καὶ ἐκάλεσα τοὺς ἱερεῖς καὶ ὥρκισα αὐτοὺς ποιῆσαι ὡς τὸ ρῆμα τοῦτο.
13Also I shook out 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.
13καὶ τὴν ἀναβολήν μου ἐξετίναξα καὶ εἶπα· οὕτως ἐκτινάξαι ὁ Θεὸς πάντα ἄνδρα, ὃς οὐ στήσει τὸν λόγον τοῦτον, ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκ κόπου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσται οὕτως ἐκτετιναγμένος καὶ κενός. καὶ εἶπε πᾶσα ἡ ἐκκλησία· ἀμήν, καὶ ἤνεσαν τὸν Κύριον. καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ λαὸς τὸ ρῆμα τοῦτο.
14Moreover 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.
14Ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας, ἧς ἐνετείλατό μοι εἶναι εἰς ἄρχοντα αὐτῶν ἐν γῇ Ἰούδα, ἀπὸ ἔτους εἰκοστοῦ καὶ ἕως ἔτους τριακοστοῦ καὶ δευτέρου τῷ Ἀρθασασθὰ ἔτη δώδεκα, ἐγὼ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί μου βίαν αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔφαγον.
15But the former governors that were before me laid burdens upon the people, and took of them for bread and wine above forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants lorded over the people; but so did not I, because of the fear of God.
15καὶ τὰς βίας τὰς πρώτας, ἃς πρὸ ἐμοῦ ἐβάρυναν ἐπ' αὐτούς, καὶ ἐλάβοσαν παρ' αὐτῶν ἐν ἄρτοις καὶ ἐν οἴνῳ ἔσχατον ἀργύριον, δίδραχμα τεσσαράκοντα, καὶ οἱ ἐκτετιναγμένοι αὐτῶν ἐξουσιάζονται ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν· κἀγὼ οὐκ ἐποίησα οὕτως ἀπὸ προσώπου φόβου Θεοῦ.
16Yea, also I set hand to the work of this wall, neither bought we any land; and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work.
16καὶ ἐν ἔργῳ τοῦ τείχους τούτων οὐκ ἐκράτησα, ἀγρὸν οὐκ ἐκτησάμην, καὶ πάντες οἱ συνηγμένοι ἐκεῖ ἐπὶ τὸ ἔργον.
17Moreover there were at my table of the Jews and the rulers a hundred and fifty men, beside those that came unto us from among the nations that were round about us.
17καὶ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, ἑκατὸν καὶ πεντήκοντα ἄνδρες, καὶ ἐρχόμενοι πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν κύκλῳ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τράπεζάν μου.
18Now that which was prepared for one day 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 I demanded not the bread of the governor, because the service was heavy upon this people.
18καὶ ἦν γινόμενον εἰς ἡμέραν μίαν μόσχος εἷς καὶ πρόβατα ἓξ ἐκλεκτὰ καὶ χίμαρος ἐγίνοντό μοι καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον δέκα ἡμερῶν ἐν πᾶσιν οἶνος τῷ πλήθει· καὶ σὺν τούτοις ἄρτους τῆς βίας οὐκ ἐζήτησα, ὅτι βαρεῖα ἡ δουλεία ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον.
19Remember unto me, O my God, for good, all that I have done for this people.
19μνήσθητί μου, ὁ Θεός, εἰς ἀγαθὸν πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησα τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ.
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