1Then the people and their wives protested loudly against their fellow Jews.
2Some said, 'We have many sons and daughters. We need to get grain so we can eat and live.'
3Others said, 'We are mortgaging our fields, vineyards, and homes to get grain because of the famine.'
4Still others said, 'We have borrowed money for the king's tax, using our fields and vineyards as collateral.
5Yet now, our flesh is like their flesh, and our children are like their children. Look, we are forced to sell our sons and daughters into slavery, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved. We can't do anything about it, because other men own our fields and vineyards.'
6I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints.
7After thinking it over, I confronted the nobles and officials. I told them, 'Each of you is charging interest to your own relatives!' Then I called a large public meeting to deal with them.
8I said to them, 'We have, to the best of our ability, bought back our Jewish relatives who were sold to other nations. Now, are you going to sell your own relatives, and should they be sold back to us?' They remained silent, unable to say a word.
9I also said, 'What you are doing is wrong. Shouldn't you show reverence for our God, so that our enemy nations don't mock us?
10My brothers, my servants, and I are also lending them money and grain. Please, let's stop charging interest.
11Please return their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses to them today. Also, give back the one percent interest you are charging on the money, grain, new wine, and oil.'
12Then they said, 'We will return them and demand nothing from them. We will do exactly as you say.' So I called the priests and made them swear an oath that they would keep this promise.
13Then I shook out the fold of my robe and said, 'May God shake out of his house and away from his property anyone who does not keep this promise. May he be shaken out and emptied like this!' All the assembly said, 'Amen,' and praised Yahweh. And the people kept this promise.
14Furthermore, from the time I was appointed governor in the land of Judah—from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, a period of twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the governor's food allowance.
15The governors before me had burdened the people, taking bread and wine from them, plus forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do this, because I feared God.
16I also continued to work on this wall. We did not buy any land. All my servants were gathered there for the work.
17In addition, one hundred fifty Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the surrounding nations, ate at my table.
18What was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep. Also, poultry was prepared for me, and every ten days, a supply of all kinds of wine. Yet, despite all this, I didn't demand the governor's usual pay because the people were already burdened heavily with work.
19My God, remember all the good I have done for these people.