Nehemiae 5

VULGATA	NEW JERUSALEM
1 Et factus est clamor populi et uxorum ejus magnus adversus fratres suos Judæos.	1 There was a great outcry from the people, and from their wives, against their brother Jews.
2 Et erant qui dicerent : Filii nostri et filiæ nostræ multæ sunt nimis : accipiamus pro pretio eorum frumentum, et comedamus, et vivamus.	2 Some said, 'We are having to pledge our sons and daughters to get enough grain to eat and keep usalive.'
3 Et erant qui dicerent : Agros nostros, et vineas, et domus nostras opponamus, et accipiamus 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 sumamus pecunias in tributa regis, demusque agros nostros et vineas :	4 Stil others said, 'We have had to borrow money on our fields and our vineyards to pay the royal tax;
5 et nunc sicut carnes fratrum nostrorum, sic carnes nostræ sunt : et sicut filii eorum, ita et filii nostri : ecce nos subjugamus filios nostros et filias nostras in servitutem, et de filiabus nostris sunt famulæ, nec habemus unde possint redimi : et 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 hæc :	6 When I heard their complaints and these words I was very angry.
7 cogitavitque cor meum mecum, et increpavi optimates et magistratus, et dixi eis : Usurasne singuli a fratribus vestris exigitis ? Et congregavi adversum eos concionem 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 nostros Judæos, qui venditi fuerant gentibus secundum possibilitatem nostram : et vos igitur vendetis fratres vestros, et redimemus eos ? Et siluerunt, nec 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 quam facitis : quare non in timore Dei nostri ambulastis, ne exprobretur nobis a gentibus 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 commodavimus plurimis pecuniam et frumentum. Non repetamus in commune istud : æs alienum concedamus quod debetur nobis.	10 I too, with my brothers and retainers, have lent them money and grain. Let us cancel these pledges.
11 Reddite eis hodie agros suos, et vineas suas, et oliveta sua, et domos suas : quin potius et centesimum pecuniæ, frumenti, vini et olei, quam exigere soletis ab eis, date pro illis.	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 quæremus : sicque faciemus ut loqueris. Et vocavi sacerdotes, et adjuravi eos ut facerent juxta quod dixeram.	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 : sic excutiatur, et vacuus fiat. Et dixit universa multitudo : Amen : et laudaverunt 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 præceperat rex mihi ut essem dux in terra Juda, ab anno vigesimo usque ad annum trigesimum secundum Artaxerxis regis per annos duodecim, ego et fratres mei annonas quæ 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 primi, qui fuerant ante me, gravaverunt populum, et acceperunt ab eis in pane, et vino, et pecunia, quotidie siclos quadraginta : sed et ministri eorum depresserunt 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 potius in opere muri ædificavi, et agrum non emi, et omnes pueri mei congregati ad opus erant.	16 Also, not acquiring any land, I concentrated on the work of this wal and all my attendants joined in thework together, too.
17 Judæi quoque et magistratus centum quinquaginta viri, et qui veniebant ad nos de gentibus quæ 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 Parabatur autem mihi per dies singulos bos unus, arietes sex electi, exceptis volatilibus, et inter dies decem vina diversa, et alia multa tribuebam : insuper et annonas ducatus mei non quæsivi : valde enim attenuatus erat populus.	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 quæ feci populo huic.	19 To my credit, my God, remember all I have done for this people.