1 A loud cry of complaint went up from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews.
2 Some were saying, "We and our sons and daughters are numerous; let us get grain so we can eat and stay alive."
3 Others were saying, "We are pledging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain during the famine."
4 Still others said, "We have had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay the king's tax.
5 Our flesh is the same as our brothers' flesh, and our children are as good as theirs; yet we are having to sell our sons and daughters as slaves. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, and we are powerless, because our fields and vineyards now belong to others."
6 When I heard their outcry and these complaints, I was furious.
7 After thinking it over, I confronted the nobles and officials and told them, "You are exacting interest from your own brothers!" And I called a large assembly to deal with them.
8 I told them, "As far as we could, we have bought back our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations. Now you are selling your own brothers, only for them to be sold back to us!" They kept quiet and could find nothing to say.
9 I went on, "What you are doing is not right. Should you not walk in the fear of our God, to avoid the reproach of our enemies the nations?
10 I myself, my brothers, and my men are also lending them money and grain. Let us put a stop to this exacting of interest.
11 Give back to them today their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses, and also the hundredth part of the money, grain, new wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them."
12 They replied, "We will give it back and demand nothing more from them. We will do as you say." Then I summoned the priests and made the nobles and officials take an oath to do what they had promised.
13 I also shook out the fold of my robe and said, "In this way may God shake out of his house and his property anyone who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and left with nothing!" The whole assembly said "Amen" and praised the LORD. And the people did as they had promised.
14 Furthermore, from the time I was appointed their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year until the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, twelve years in all, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor.
15 The earlier governors before me had placed a heavy load on the people, taking food and wine from them in addition to forty shekels of silver. Even their servants domineered over the people. But because of the fear of God I did not act that way.
16 Instead I kept at the work on this wall; we acquired no land, and all my men gathered there for the work.
17 Besides, a hundred and fifty Jews and officials ate at my table, as well as those who came to us from the surrounding nations.
18 Each day one ox, six choice sheep, and poultry were prepared for me, and every ten days a large supply of all kinds of wine. In spite of all this I never demanded the food allotted to the governor, because the burden of labor on these people was heavy.
19 Remember me with favor, my God, for all I have done for this people.