¹There was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their brothers the Jews.

²And there were those who said, Our sons and our daughters — we are many; let us get grain, and eat, and live.

³And there were those who said, Our fields and our vineyards and our houses we are pledging, so that we may get grain in the famine.

⁴And there were those who said, We have borrowed silver for the king's tribute on our fields and our vineyards.

⁵And now our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our sons are like their sons — and look, we are bringing into bondage our sons and our daughters as slaves; and there are some of our daughters brought into bondage; and there is no power in our hand; and our fields and our vineyards belong to others.

⁶It burned in me exceedingly when I heard their outcry and these words.

⁷My heart took counsel with me, and I contended with the nobles and the officials, and I said to them, You are taking interest, each man from his brother. And I set a great assembly against them.

⁸I said to them, We bought our brothers the Jews, who were sold to the nations, as far as we were able; and will you also sell your brothers, so that they are sold to us? They kept silent and found no word.

⁹I said, The word that you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God, away from the reproach of the nations, our enemies?

¹⁰I also, my brothers and my boys, are lending them silver and grain; let us leave this lending on interest, please.

¹¹Please give back to them, this very day, their fields, their vineyards, their olive trees, and their houses, and the hundredth part of the silver and the grain, the new wine and the fresh oil, that you are lending them.

¹²They said, We will return it, and from them we will not require anything; so we will do, just as you say. And I called the priests, and I made them swear to do according to this word.

¹³I also shook out my bosom, and I said, So may God shake out every man who does not carry out this word, from his house and from his toil; so may he be shaken out and empty. All the company said, Amen, and they praised Yahweh. And the people did according to this word.

¹⁴Also from the day that he commanded me to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, I and my brothers did not eat the food of the governor.

¹⁵But the former governors who were before me made it heavy on the people, and took from them bread and wine, and after that forty shekels of silver; even their boys domineered over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God.

¹⁶And also I kept hold in the work on this wall, and we acquired no field; and all my boys were gathered there for the work.

¹⁷And the Jews and the officials, a hundred and fifty men, and those who came to us from the nations that were around us, were at my table.

¹⁸Now what was made for one day was one ox, six selected sheep, and birds were made for me; and every ten days, wine of all kinds in abundance; and with this, I did not seek the food of the governor, for the service weighed heavy on this people.

¹⁹Remember me, my God, for good, all that I have done for this people.