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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://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=1.0; maximum-scale=1.0; user-scalable=0;"/><title>Nehemiah 5 New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></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="/bmcc/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="http://biblehub.com/catholic">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NRSVCE</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"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition</td><td width="1%" valign="top"></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><div class="text-html"> <h3><span id="en" class="text">Nehemiah Deals with Oppression</span></h3><p class="chapter-1"><span class="text"><span class="versenum">1</span>Now there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish kin. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">2</span>For there were those who said, “With our sons and our daughters, we are many; we must get grain, so that we may eat and stay alive.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">3</span>There were also those who said, “We are having to pledge our fields, our vineyards, and our houses in order to get grain during the famine.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">4</span>And there were those who said, “We are having to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay the king’s tax. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">5</span>Now our flesh is the same as that of our kindred; our children are the same as their children; and yet we are forcing our sons and daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have been ravished; we are powerless, and our fields and vineyards now belong to others.”</span></p> <p><span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">6</span>I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">7</span>After thinking it over, I brought charges against the nobles and the officials; I said to them, “You are all taking interest from your own people.” And I called a great assembly to deal with them, </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">8</span>and said to them, “As far as we were able, we have bought back our Jewish kindred who had been sold to other nations; but now you are selling your own kin, who must then be bought back by us!” They were silent, and could not find a word to say. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">9</span>So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God, to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">10</span>Moreover I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us stop this taking of interest. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">11</span>Restore to them, this very day, their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the interest on money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.” </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">12</span>Then they said, “We will restore everything and demand nothing more from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests, and made them take an oath to do as they had promised. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">13</span>I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out everyone from house and from property who does not perform this promise. Thus may they be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the <span style="font-variant: small-caps" class="small-caps">Lord</span>. And the people did as they had promised.</span></p> <h3><span id="en" class="text">The Generosity of Nehemiah</span></h3><p><span class="text"><span class="versenum">14</span>Moreover 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 King Artaxerxes, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">15</span>The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people, and took food and wine from them, besides forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">16</span>Indeed, I devoted myself to the work on this wall, and acquired no land; and all my servants were gathered there for the work. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">17</span>Moreover there were at my table one hundred fifty people, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations around us. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">18</span>Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and every ten days skins of wine in abundance; yet with all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because of the heavy burden of labor on the people. </span> <span id="en" class="text"><span class="versenum">19</span>Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.</span></p> </div></div></div></div></div> </div> </div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. 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