Nehemiah 5:10-15

5:10 Even I and my relatives ¹  and my associates ²  are lending them money and grain. But let us abandon this practice of seizing collateral! ³  5:11 This very day return to them their fields, their vineyards, their olive trees, and their houses, along with the interest ⁴  that you are exacting from them on the money, the grain, the new wine, and the olive oil.”

5:12 They replied, “We will return these things, ⁵  and we will no longer demand anything from them. We will do just as you say.” Then I called the priests and made the wealthy and the officials ⁶  swear to do what had been promised. ⁷  5:13 I also shook out my garment, ⁸  and I said, “In this way may God shake out from his house and his property every person who does not carry out ⁹  this matter. In this way may he be shaken out and emptied!” All the assembly replied, “So be it!” and they praised the LORD. Then the people did as they had promised. ¹⁰ 

5:14 From the day that I was appointed ¹¹  governor ¹²  in the land of Judah, that is, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes – twelve years in all – neither I nor my relatives ¹³  ate the food allotted to the governor. ¹⁴  5:15 But the former governors who preceded me had burdened the people and had taken food and wine from them, in addition to ¹⁵  forty shekels of silver. Their associates were also domineering over the people. But I did not behave in this way, due to my fear of God.

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¹ tn Heb “brothers.”

² tn Heb “lads.”

³ tn Heb “this debt.” This expression is a metonymy of association: “debt” refers to the seizure of the collateral of the debt.

⁴ tc The MT reads וּמְאַת (umÿ’at, “and the hundredth”) which is somewhat enigmatic. The BHS editors suggest emending to וּמַשַּׁאת (umasha’t, “and the debt”) which refers to the interest or collateral (pledge) seized by a creditor (Deut 24:10; Prov 22:26; see HALOT 641-42 s.v. מַשָּׁא). The term מַשַּׁאת (masha’t) is related to the noun מָשָּׁא (masha’, “debt”) in 5:7, 10.

⁵ tn The words “these things” are not included in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

⁶ tn Heb “took an oath from them”; the referents (the wealthy and the officials, cf. v. 7) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁷ tn Heb “according to this word.”

⁸ tn Heb “my bosom.”

⁹ tn Heb “cause to stand.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “according to this word.”

¹¹ tc The BHS editors suggest reading צֻוֵּאתִי (tsuvve’ti, “and I was appointed”) rather than the reading of the MT, אֹתִי צִוָּה (tsivvah ’oti, “he appointed me”).

¹² tc The translation reads with one medieval Hebrew MS פֶּחָה (pekhah, “governor”) rather than פֶּחָם (pekham, “their governor”) of the MT. One would expect the form with pronominal suffix to have a tav (ת) before the suffix.

¹³ tn Heb “brothers.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “the food of the governor.” Cf. v. 18.

¹⁵ tc The Hebrew term אַחַר (’akhar) is difficult here. It normally means “after,” but that makes no sense here. Some scholars emend it to אַחַד (’akhad) and supply the word “day,” which yields the sense “daily.” Cf. TEV “40 silver coins a day for food and wine.”