Nehemiah 5:8-19

8I said to them, “We according to our ability 1have 2redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?” Then they were silent and could not find a word to say. 9Again I said, “The thing which you are doing is not good; should you not walk in the fear of our God because of 3the reproach of the nations, our enemies? 10And likewise I, my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Please, let us leave off this usury. 11Please, give back to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money and of the grain, the new wine and the oil that you are exacting from them.” 12Then they said, “We 4will give it back and 5will require nothing from them; we will do exactly as you say.” So I called the priests and 6took an oath from them that they would do according to this 7promise. 13I 8also shook out the 9front of my garment and said, “Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this 10promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.” And 11all the assembly said, “Amen!” And they praised the Lord. Then the people did according to this 12promise.

14Moreover, from the day that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from 13the twentieth year to the 14thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my 15kinsmen have eaten the governor’s food allowance. 15But the former governors who were before me 16laid burdens on the people and took from them bread and wine besides forty shekels of silver; even their servants domineered the people. But I did not do so 17because of the fear of God. 16I also 18applied myself to the work on this wall; we did not buy any land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. 17Moreover, 19there were at my table one hundred and fifty Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. 18Now 20that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep, also birds were prepared for me; and once in ten days all sorts of wine were furnished in abundance. Yet for all this 21I did not demand the governor’s food allowance, because the servitude was heavy on this people. 1922Remember me, O my God, for good, according to all that I have done for this people.