English Standard Version
Nehemiah 5:12
12Then they said, "We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say." And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised.
Nehemiah 5:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)“We will give it back,” they said. “And we will not demand anything more from them. We will do as you say.” Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised.
- New King James Version (NKJV)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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)They replied, “We will give back everything and demand nothing more from the people. We will do as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the nobles and officials swear to do what they had promised.
Context of Nehemiah 5:12
10Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. 11Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them." Then they said, "We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say." And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised. 13I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, "So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied." And all the assembly said "Amen" and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised. 14Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor.
Read all of Nehemiah 5Nehemiah 5:12 word by word
וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ נָשִׁ֗יב וּמֵהֶם֙ לֹ֣א נְבַקֵּ֔שׁ כֵּ֣ן נַעֲשֶׂ֔ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר אַתָּ֣ה אוֹמֵ֑ר וָאֶקְרָא֙ אֶת־הַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים וָֽאַשְׁבִּיעֵ֔ם לַעֲשׂ֖וֹת כַּדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- they, We will restoreשׁוּבshûb · to return: rescueH7725
- and will requireבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
- nothing of them; so will we doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- Then I calledקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call toH7121
- the priestsכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
- and took an oathשָׁבַעshâba‛ · to swearH7650
- according to this promiseדָּבָרdâbâr · ChroniclesH1697
Cross-references for Nehemiah 5:12
- 2 Chronicles 28:14So the armed men left the captives and the spoil before the princes and all the assembly.
- Ezra 10:12Then all the assembly answered with a loud voice, "It is so; we must do as you have said.
- Matthew 19:21Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me."
- Luke 19:8And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold."
- Nehemiah 10:29join with their brothers, their nobles, and enter into a curse and an oath to walk in God's Law that was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the Lord our Lord and his rules and his statutes.
- Nehemiah 13:25And I confronted them and cursed them and beat some of them and pulled out their hair. And I made them take an oath in the name of God, saying, "You shall not give your daughters to their sons, or take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves.
- 2 Kings 23:2And the king went up to the house of the Lord, and with him all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the priests and the prophets, all the people, both small and great. And he read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the Lord.
- 2 Chronicles 6:22"If a man sins against his neighbor and is made to take an oath and comes and swears his oath before your altar in this house,
- 2 Chronicles 15:13but that whoever would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether young or old, man or woman.
- Ezra 10:5Then Ezra arose and made the leading priests and Levites and all Israel take an oath that they would do as had been said. So they took the oath.
- Jeremiah 34:8The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to make a proclamation of liberty to them,
- Matthew 26:63But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, "I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."
Commentaries on Nehemiah 5:12
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-13Verses 6-13 Nehemiah knew that, if he built Jerusalem's walls ever so high, so thick, or so strong, the city could not be safe while there were abuses. The right way to reform men's lives, is to convince their consciences. If you walk in the fear of God, you will not be either covetous of worldly gain, or cruel toward your brethren. Nothing exposes religion more to reproach, than the worldliness and hard-heartedness of the professors of it. Those that…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12required of the nobles and officials an oath: Both God and the community would hold them accountable.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 6-196-12. I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words--When such disorders came to the knowledge of the governor, his honest indignation was roused against the perpetrators of the evil. Having summoned a public assembly, he denounced their conduct in terms of just severity. He contrasted it with his own in redeeming with his money some of the Jewish exiles who, through debt or otherwise, had lost their personal liberty in Babylon. He urged the…Read the comment
Topics related to Nehemiah 5:12
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Nehemiah 5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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