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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Nehemiah 5 GNT</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/nehemiah/5.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/nehemiah/5-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">GNT</a> > Nehemiah 5</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../nehemiah/4.htm" title="Nehemiah 4">◄</a> Nehemiah 5 <a href="../nehemiah/6.htm" title="Nehemiah 6">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Good News Translation</div><div class="chap"><h3 class="s">Oppression of the Poor</h3><p class="par"><span class="v16_5_1"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.5.1" class="v16_5_1">1</span>Some time later many of the people, both men and women, began to complain against the other Jews. </span><span class="v16_5_2"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.5.2" class="v16_5_2">2</span>Some said, “We have large families, we need grain to keep us alive.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v16_5_3"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.5.3" class="v16_5_3">3</span>Others said, “We have had to mortgage our fields and vineyards and houses to get enough grain to keep us from starving.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v16_5_4"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.5.4" class="v16_5_4">4</span>Still others said, “We had to borrow money to pay the royal tax on our fields and vineyards. </span><span class="v16_5_5"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.5.5" class="v16_5_5">5</span>We are of the same race as the other Jews. Aren't our children just as good as theirs? But we have to make slaves of our children. Some of our daughters have already been sold as slaves. We are helpless because our fields and vineyards have been taken away from us.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v16_5_6"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.5.6" class="v16_5_6">6</span>When I heard their complaints, I grew angry </span><span class="v16_5_7"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.5.7" class="v16_5_7">7</span><a href="#fn" id="link_Neh.5.7!x.1" class="notelink x-link"><span></span></a> and decided to act. I denounced the leaders and officials of the people and told them, “You are oppressing your own relatives!”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v16_5_7">I called a public assembly to deal with the problem </span><span class="v16_5_8"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.5.8" class="v16_5_8">8</span>and said, “As far as we have been able, we have been buying back our Jewish relatives who had to sell themselves to foreigners. Now you are forcing your own relatives to sell themselves to you, their own people!” The leaders were silent and could find nothing to say.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v16_5_9"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.5.9" class="v16_5_9">9</span>Then I said, “What you are doing is wrong! You ought to obey God and do what's right. Then you would not give our enemies, the Gentiles, any reason to ridicule us. </span><span class="v16_5_10"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.5.10" class="v16_5_10">10</span>I have let the people borrow money and grain from me, and so have my companions and those who work for me. Now let's give up all our claims to repayment. </span><span class="v16_5_11"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.5.11" class="v16_5_11">11</span>Cancel all the debts<a href="#fn" id="link_Neh.5.11!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> they owe you—money or grain or wine or olive oil. And give them back their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses right now!”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v16_5_12"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.5.12" class="v16_5_12">12</span>The leaders replied, “We'll do as you say. We'll give the property back and not try to collect the debts.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v16_5_12">I called in the priests and made the leaders swear in front of them to keep the promise they had just made. </span><span class="v16_5_13"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.5.13" class="v16_5_13">13</span>Then I took off the sash<a href="#fn" id="link_Neh.5.13!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> I was wearing around my waist and shook it out. “This is how God will shake any of you who don't keep your promise,” I said. “God will take away your houses and everything you own, and will leave you with nothing.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v16_5_13">Everyone who was present said, “Amen!” and praised the <span class="nd">Lord</span>. And the leaders kept their promise.</span></p><h3 class="s">Nehemiah's Unselfishness</h3><p class="par"><span class="v16_5_14"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.5.14" class="v16_5_14">14</span>During all the twelve years that I was governor of the land of Judah, from the twentieth year that Artaxerxes was emperor until his thirty-second year, neither my relatives nor I ate the food I was entitled to have as governor. </span><span class="v16_5_15"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.5.15" class="v16_5_15">15</span>Every governor who had been in office before me had been a burden to the people and had demanded forty silver coins a day<a href="#fn" id="link_Neh.5.15!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> for food and wine. Even their servants had oppressed the people. But I acted differently, because I honored God. </span><span class="v16_5_16"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.5.16" class="v16_5_16">16</span>I put all my energy into rebuilding the wall and did not acquire any property. Everyone who worked for me joined in the rebuilding. </span><span class="v16_5_17"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.5.17" class="v16_5_17">17</span>I regularly fed at my table a hundred and fifty of the Jewish people and their leaders, besides all the people who came to me from the surrounding nations. </span><span class="v16_5_18"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.5.18" class="v16_5_18">18</span>Every day I served one beef, six of the best sheep, and many chickens, and every ten days I provided a fresh supply of wine. But I knew what heavy burdens the people had to bear, and so I did not claim the allowance that the governor is entitled to.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v16_5_19"><span class="reftext" id="Neh.5.19" class="v16_5_19">19</span>I pray you, O God, remember to my credit everything that I have done for this people.</span></p><a name="fn"></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:<br /><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">5.11: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">One ancient translation </char><char style="fq" closed="false">debts; </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Hebrew unclear.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">5.13: </char><char style="fk" closed="false">sash: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Clothing in those days had no pockets, so small items were tucked into the sash that was worn like a belt around the waist. Shaking it out was a symbol of losing everything.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">5.15: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">One ancient translation </char><char style="fq" closed="false">a day; </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Hebrew unclear.</char></note></div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.</span></p> <p class="yiv9003199930MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;">Bible text from the Good News Translation (GNT) is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by American Bible Society, 101 North Independence Mall East, Floor 8, Philadelphia, PA 19106-2155 (<a href="http://www.americanbible.org">www.americanbible.org</a>). 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