Nehemiah 5:1–8

Each Usury Is Forsaken

¹Then ^athere was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their ^bJewish brothers.

²Now there were those who were saying, “We, with our sons and our daughters, are many; therefore let us ^aget grain that we may eat and live.”

³There were others who were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses, that we might get grain because of the famine.”

⁴Also there were those who were saying, “We have borrowed money ^afor the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards.

⁵“But now ^aour flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our children like their children. Yet behold, ^bwe are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters are forced into subjugation, and we have no power in our hands to help, and our fields and vineyards belong to others.”

⁶Then I was very ^aangry when I had heard their outcry and these words.

⁷I consulted within my own heart and contended with the nobles and the officials and said to them, “^aYou are exacting usury, each from his brother!” Therefore, I held a great assembly against them.

⁸I said to them, “We, according to our ability, ^ahave bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; and now would you also sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?” Then they were silent and could not find a word to say.