Nehemiah 5:1–8

Usury Abolished

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

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

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

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

⁵“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 bondage already, and ¹we are helpless because our fields and vineyards belong to others.”

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

⁷I consulted with myself and contended with the nobles and the rulers 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 ¹redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?” Then they were silent and could not find a word to say.