Nehemiah

Social Problems

The ordinary people and their wives presented severe complaints against their Jewish brothers.

Some said: “We have big families, and we need wheat to eat for strength to live.”

Others said: “We must mortgage our fields, vineyards, and houses to get grain because of this famine.”

Others said: “We have borrowed money on account of our fields and vineyards to pay the tax to the king.

Though we are of the same race as our brothers and our children are not different from their children, we have to give our sons as slaves; even many of our daughters are now regarded as concubines. And we do not have any other solution since our fields and vineyards have passed on to others.”

Those complaints and accusations filled me with indignation.

After thinking about this situation, I reproached the nobles and the counselors. I told them: “You are oppressing your relatives by charging them interest when they borrow money!” Then, I called a public meeting to deal with the problem.

At the meeting, I asked them: “Why do you not have compassion for your brothers?”Because of this, I held a great assembly and said to them: “We have rescued, according to our resources, our Jewish brothers who were slaves. But are you now buying your brothers?”They remained silent. They could not answer.

And I continued: “What you do is not good. Should you not live in obedience to our God lest we be put to shame by our pagan enemies?

My brothers, relatives, and I have also lent money and wheat. Now then, let us forget everything they owe us,

returning to them at once their fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and canceling their debts in money, wheat, wine, and oil.”

They answered me: “We will return these and demand nothing from them. We will do as you have said.”So I called the priests, and before them made all of them swear an oath that they would fulfill their promise.

Then I shook out the folds of my mantle, saying: “So may God shake out of his house and his inheritance all who do not fulfill this word, and may he be so shaken that nothing is left of him.” The whole assembly answered, “Amen,” and praised the Lord. And the people fulfilled their promise.

King Artaxerxes had appointed me governor of the land of Judah in the twentieth year of his reign. Until the thirty-second year, or for twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ever demanded to be given the governor’s bread.

The former governors before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took food and wine from them, besides forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. However, I did not do so out of fear of God.

As I dedicated myself to rebuilding the wall, I did not buy fields; all my men were helping.

At my table, a hundred and fifty men, leaders, and counselors were seated, besides those who came to us from neighboring nations.

A male calf, six choice rams, and fowls were slaughtered daily, and every ten days, a significant quantity of wine was brought. But though all these were charged to my account, I never asked for the governor’s bread because the people were already burdened enough with the task of reconstruction.

Remember for my good, my God, all I have done for these people!