Neemia 5

NOVA VULGATA	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Et factus est clamor populi et uxorum eius magnus adversus fratres suosIudaeos.	1 There was a great outcry from the people, and from their wives, against their brother Jews.
2 Et erant qui dicerent: “ Filios nostros et filias nostraspignoravimus, ut acciperemus frumentum et comederemus et viveremus! ”.	2 Some said, 'We are having to pledge our sons and daughters to get enough grain to eat and keep usalive.'
3 Eterant qui dicerent: “ Agros nostros et vineas et domos nostras opposuimus, utacciperemus frumentum in fame! ”.	3 Others said, 'We are having to mortgage our fields, our vineyards and our houses to get grain becauseof the shortage.'
4 Et alii dicebant: “ Mutuo sumpsimuspecunias in tributa regis pro agris nostris et vineis nostris.	4 Stil others said, 'We have had to borrow money on our fields and our vineyards to pay the royal tax;
5 Et nunc sicutcaro fratrum nostrorum sic caro nostra est, et sicut filii eorum ita et filiinostri; ecce nos subiugamus filios nostros et filias nostras in servitutem, etde filiabus nostris quaedam iam in servitute subiugatae sunt, nec habemus undepossint redimi, quia agros nostros et vineas nostras alii possident ”.	5 and though we belong to the same race as our brothers, and our children are as good as theirs, weshall have to sel our sons and our daughters into slavery; some of our daughters have been sold into slaveryalready. We can do nothing about it, since our fields and our vineyards now belong to others.'
6 Et iratus sum nimis, cum audissem clamorem eorum secundum verba haec.	6 When I heard their complaints and these words I was very angry.
7 Cogitavique in corde meo et increpavi optimates et magistratus et dixi eis: “Usuras singuli a fratribus vestris exigitis! ”. Et congregavi adversum eoscontionem magnam	7 Having turned the matter over in my mind, I reprimanded the nobles and the officials as fol ows, 'Eachof you is imposing a burden on his brother.' Summoning a great assembly to deal with them,
8 et dixi eis: “ Nos, ut scitis, redemimus fratres nostrosIudaeos, qui venditi fuerant gentibus, secundum possibilitatem nostram; quinpotius et vos vendetis fratres vestros, ut vendentur nobis? ”. Et silueruntnec invenerunt quid responderent.	8 I said to them, 'To the best of our power, we have redeemed our brother Jews who were forced to selthemselves to foreigners, and now you in turn are sel ing your brothers, for them to be bought back by us!' Theywere silent and could find nothing to say.
9 Dixique ad eos: “ Non est bona res, quamfacitis. Quare non in timore Dei nostri ambulatis, ne exprobretur nobis agentibus inimicis nostris?	9 'What you are doing', I went on, 'is wrong. Do you not want to walk in the fear of our God and escapethe sneers of the nations, our enemies?
10 Et ego et fratres mei et pueri mei commodavimusplurimis pecuniam et frumentum; non repetamus usuras istas.	10 I too, with my brothers and retainers, have lent them money and grain. Let us cancel these pledges.
11 Reddite eis hodieagros suos et vineas suas et oliveta sua et domos suas et centesimam pecuniaefrumenti vini et olei, quam exigere soletis ab eis ”.	11 This very day return them their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves and their houses, and cancelthe claim on the money, grain, new wine and olive oil, which you have lent them.'
12 Et dixerunt: “ Reddemus et ab eis nihil quaeremus; sicque faciemus, utloqueris ”. Et vocavi sacerdotes et feci eos iurare, ut facerent, sicut dictumerat.	12 'We shall make restitution,' they replied, 'we shal claim nothing more from them; we shal do as yousay.' Summoning the priests, I then made them swear to do as they had promised.
13 Insuper excussi sinum meum et dixi: “ Sic excutiat Deus omnem virum,qui non compleverit verbum istud, de domo sua et de laboribus suis; sicexcutiatur et vacuus fiat! ”. Et dixit universa multitudo: “ Amen! ”. Etlaudaverunt Deum. Fecit ergo populus, sicut erat dictum.	13 Then, shaking out the fold of my garment, I said, 'May God thus shake out of house and possessionsanyone who does not make good this promise; may he be shaken out thus and left empty!' And the wholeassembly answered, 'Amen' and praised Yahweh. And the people kept this promise.
14 A die autem illa, qua praeceperat rex mihi, ut essem dux in terra Iudae, abanno vicesimo usque ad annum tricesimum secundum Artaxerxis regis, per annosduodecim ego et fratres mei annonas, quae ducibus debebantur, non comedimus.	14 What is more, from the time when the king appointed me to be their governor in Judah, from thetwentieth to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, for twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ever levied thegovernor's subsistence al owance,
15 Duces autem priores, qui fuerant ante me, gravaverunt populum et acceperunt abeis cotidie pro pane siclos argenti quadraginta; sed et ministri eorumdepresserunt populum. Ego autem non feci ita propter timorem Dei,	15 whereas the former governors, my predecessors, had been a burden on the people, from whom theytook forty silver shekels a day for food and wine, while their attendants oppressed the people too. But I, fearingGod, never did this.
16 quin potiusin opere muri restauravi et agrum non emi; et omnes pueri mei congregati ad opuserant.	16 Also, not acquiring any land, I concentrated on the work of this wal and all my attendants joined in thework together, too.
17 Iudaei quoque et magistratus, centum quinquaginta viri, et qui veniebant adnos de gentibus, quae in circuitu nostro sunt, in mensa mea erant.	17 Furthermore, magistrates and officials to the number of a hundred and fifty ate at my table, not tomention those who came to us from the surrounding nations.
18 Parabaturautem mihi per dies singulos bos unus, arietes sex electi, exceptis volatilibus;et inter dies decem vina diversa multa. Insuper et annonas ducatus mei nonquaesivi; gravis enim erat servitus populi huius.	18 Every day, one ox, six fine sheep, as wel as poultry, were prepared for me; every ten days, skins ofwine were brought in bulk. But even so, I never claimed the governor's subsistence al owance, since the peoplealready had burden enough to bear.
19 Memento mei, Deus meus, in bonum, secundum omnia, quae feci populo huic.	19 To my credit, my God, remember all I have done for this people.