Nehemiah 5:6–13

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.

⁹Again I said, “The thing which you are doing is not good; should you not walk in the fear of our God because of ^athe reproach of the nations, our enemies?

¹⁰“And likewise I, my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Please, let us leave off this usury.

¹¹“Please, give back to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money and of the grain, the new wine and the oil that you are exacting from them.”

¹²Then they said, “We ^awill give it back and ^bwill require nothing from them; we will do exactly as you say.” So I called the priests and ^ctook an oath from them that they would do according to this ¹promise.

¹³I ^aalso shook out the ¹front of my garment and said, “Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this ²promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.” And ^ball the assembly said, “Amen!” And they praised the Lord. Then the people did according to this promise.