Nehemiah 5:1–8

Oppression of the Poor

5Some time later many of the people, both men and women, began to complain against their fellow-Jews. ²Some said, “We have large families, we need corn to keep us alive.”

³Others said, “We have had to mortgage our fields and vineyards and houses to get enough corn to keep us from starving.”

⁴Still others said, “We had to borrow money to pay the royal tax on our fields and vineyards. ⁵We are of the same race as our fellow-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.”

⁶When I heard their complaints, I was angry ^7*and decided to act. I denounced the leaders and officials of the people and told them, “You are oppressing your fellow-Jews!”

I called a public assembly to deal with the problem ⁸and 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.