1 N ow there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brethren.

وَبَدَأ عامَّةُ النّاسِ وَزَوجاتُهُمْ يَتَذَمَّرُونَ مِنْ إخْوَتِهِمِ اليَهُودِ.

2 F or some said, We, our sons and daughters, are many; therefore allow us to take grain, that we may eat and live! If we are not given grain, let us take it!

وَقالَ بَعضُهُمْ: «عَدَدُنا كَبِيرٌ مَعَ أبنائِنا وَبَناتِنا، فَأعطُونا بَعضَ القَمْحِ لِنَأْكُلَ وَنَبقَى عَلَى قَيدِ الحَياةِ.»

3 A lso some said, We are mortgaging our lands, vineyards, and houses to buy grain because of the scarcity.

وَقالَ آخَرُونَ: «لَقَدْ قُمْنا بِرَهْنِ حُقُولِنا وَكُرُومِنا وَبُيُوتِنا لِنَستَدِينَ مالاً لِشِراءِ قَمْحٍ أثناءَ المَجاعَةِ.»

4 O thers said, We have borrowed money on our fields and vineyards to pay the king’s heavy tax.

وَقالَ آخَرُونَ: «لَقَدِ اضْطُرِرْنا إلَى رَهْنِ حُقُولِنا وَكُرُومِنا لِكَي نَدفَعَ ضَرِيبَةً لِلمَلِكِ.

5 A lthough our flesh is the same as that of our brethren and our children are as theirs, yet we are forced to sell our children as slaves; some of our daughters have already been thus sold, and we are powerless to redeem them, for others have our lands and vineyards.

وَنَحنُ نَشتَرِكُ فِي الدَّمِ وَاللَّحمِ مَعَ إخْوَتِنا الأغنِياءِ. وَأولادُنا مِنْ نَفسِ طِينَةِ أولادِهِمْ، غَيرَ أنَّنا نُوشِكُ عَلَى جَعلِ أبنائِنا وَبَناتِنا عَبِيداً لَهُمْ سَداداً لِدُيُونِنا. وَبَعضُ بَناتِنا مُستَعبَداتٌ فِعلاً، وَما بِيَدِنا مِنْ حِيلَةٍ. فَحُقُولُنا وَكُرُومُنا هِيَ الآنَ لِآخَرِينَ.»

6 I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.

فَلَمّا سَمِعْتُ شَكواهُمْ وَكَلامَهُمْ غَضِبْتُ كَثِيراً.

7 I thought it over and then rebuked the nobles and officials. I told them, You are exacting interest from your own kinsmen. And I held a great assembly against them.

وَفَكَّرْتُ فِي نَفسِي فِي الأمْرِ. وَلُمْتُ الوُجَهاءَ وَالمَسؤُولِينَ، وَقُلْتُ لَهُمْ: «أنتُمْ تَأخُذُونَ أُناساً وَمُمتَلَكاتٍ مِنْ بَنِي جِنسِكُمْ رَهناً كَضَمانٍ لاستِعادَةِ القُرُوضِ.» وَدَعَوْتُ إلَى اجتِماعٍ كَبِيرٍ.

8 I said to them, We, according to our ability, have bought back our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations; but will you even sell your brethren, that they may be sold to us? Then they were silent and found not a word to say.

وَقُلْتُ لَهُمْ: «لَقَدِ افتَدَينا إخْوَتَنا اليَهُودَ الَّذِينَ باعُوا أنفُسَهُمْ لِلأُمَمِ الأُخْرَى عَلَى قَدْرِ طاقَتِنا. أمّا الآنَ، فَأنتُمْ أنفُسُكُمْ تَبِيعُونَ إخْوَتَكُمْ. وَهَكَذا نَجِدُ أنفُسَنا مُضطَرِّينَ إلَى شِرائِهِمْ ثانِيَةً.» فَسَكَتُوا وَلَمْ يَستَطِيعُوا الدِّفاعَ عَنْ مَوقِفِهِمْ.

9 A lso I said, What you are doing is not good. Should you not walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts and reproach of the nations, our enemies?

فَقُلْتُ لَهُمْ: «لَيسَ حَسَناً ما تَفعَلُونَهُ. ألا يَنْبَغِي أنْ تَخافُوا إلَهَنا فِي حَياتِكُمْ لِكَي تَتَجَنَّبُوا سُخْرِيَةَ أعدائِكُمُ مِنَ الأُمَمِ الأُخْرَى بِكُمْ؟

10 I , my brethren, and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us stop this forbidden interest!

وَأنا وَرِجالِي، أيُّها الإخوَةُ، نُقرِضُهُمُ المالَ وَالقَمْحَ. فَدَعُونا نَترُكُ المُطالَبَةَ بِرَهْنٍ لِلقُرُوضِ.

11 R eturn this very day to them their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses, and also a hundredth of all the money, grain, new wine, and oil that you have exacted from them.

وَرُدُّوا لَهُمُ اليَوْمَ حُقُولَهُمْ وَكُرُومَهُمْ وَبَساتِينَ زَيتُونِهِمْ وَبُيُوتَهُمْ، وَتَوَقَّفُوا عَنْ أخذِ فائِدَةٍ عَلَى ما تُقرِضُونَهُمْ مِنْ مالٍ وَقَمْحٍ وَنَبيذٍ وَزَيتٍ.»

12 T hen they said, We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say. Then I called the priests and took an oath of the lenders that they would do according to this promise.

عِندَ ذَلِكَ قالُوا: «سَنَرُدُّ لَهُمْ كُلَّ شَيءٍ، وَلَنْ نَطلُبَ المَزِيدَ مِنْ أحَدٍ. وَسَنَفعَلُ كَما تَقُولُ.» فَدَعَوْتُ الكَهَنَةَ وَطَلَبْتُ مِنَ الدّائِنِينَ أنْ يُقْسِمُوا أمامَهُمْ أنْ يُحافِظُوا عَلَى وَعدِهِمْ.

13 I shook out my lap and said, So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise! So may he be shaken out and emptied. And all the assembly said, Amen, and praised the Lord. And the people did according to this promise.

ثُمَّ نَفَضْتُ ثَنْيَةَ ثَوبِي عِندَ الحَضْنِ وَقُلْتُ: «لَيتَ اللهَ يَنْفُضُ هَكَذا مِنْ بَيتِهِ وَمُلْكِهِ كُلَّ مَنْ لا يَحفَظُ هَذا العَهْدَ. وَلَيتَ مَنْ يَفعَلُ هَذا يُنْفَضُ خارِجاً وَيِصِيرُ مُفلِساً.» فَقالَ كُلُّ الحاضِرِينَ: «آمِين،» وَسَبَّحُوا اللهَ. وَحافَظَ الشَّعبُ عَلَى وَعدِهِمْ.

14 A lso, in the twelve years after I was appointed to be their governor in Judah, from the twentieth to the thirty-second year of King Artaxerxes, neither I nor my kin ate the food allowed to the governor.

وَعُيِّنْتُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ اليَوْمِ والِياً عَلَى أرْضِ يَهُوذا، مِنَ السَّنَةِ العِشْرِينَ حَتَّى الثّانِيَةِ وَالثَّلاثِينَ مِنْ حُكمِ المَلِكِ أرْتَحْشَسْتا، أي اثنَتَي عَشْرَةَ سَنَةً. وَلَمْ نَكُنْ أنا وَأقارِبِي نَأكُلُ مِنَ الطَّعامِ المُخَصَّصِ لِلوالِي.

15 B ut the former governors lived at the expense of the people and took from them food and wine, besides forty shekels of silver; yes, even their servants assumed authority over the people. But I did not so because of my fear of God.

لَقَدْ صَعَّبَ الوُلاةُ الَّذِينَ سَبَقُونِي الحَياةَ عَلَى النّاسِ، وَأخَذُوا مِنْهُمُ الطَّعامَ وَالنَّبيذَ، وَضَرائِبَ يَومِيَّةً أربَعُينَ مِثْقالاً مِنَ الفِضَّةِ. وَكانَ العامِلُونَ تَحتَ إمرَتِهِمْ يُعامِلُونَ الشَّعبَ بِقَسوَةٍ. أمّا أنا فَلَمْ أفعَلْ مِثلَ هَذِهِ الأُمُورِ لِأنِّي كُنْتُ أخافُ اللهَ.

16 I also held fast to the work on this wall; and we bought no land. And all my servants were gathered there for the work.

وَقَدْ كَرَّسْتُ نَفسِي لِبِناءِ السُّورِ. كُلُّ رِجالِي اجْتَمَعُوا لِلعَمَلِ هُناكَ. وَلَمْ نَحصُلْ أنا وَجَماعَتِي عَلَى قِطْعَةِ أرْضٍ.

17 A nd there were at my table 150 Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations about us.

كُنْتُ أسْتَضِيفُ عَلَى مائِدَتِي مِئَةً وَخَمْسِينَ مَسؤُولاً يَهُودِيّاً، عَدا الضُّيُوفِ الَّذِينَ كانُوا يَأْتُونَ إلَينا مِنَ الأُمَمِ المُجاوِرَةِ.

18 N ow these were prepared for each day: one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days a store of all sorts of wine. Yet for all this, I did not demand the food allowed me as governor, for the bondage was heavy upon this people.

وَكُنْتُ أُقَدِّمُ لَهُمْ يَومِيّاً لِيَأْكُلُوا ثَوْراً وَسِتَّةَ خِرافٍ وَبَعضَ الدَّواجِنِ عَلَى حِسابِي. وَبَعْدَ كُلِّ عَشْرَةِ أيّامٍ كُنتُ أُقَدِّمُ لَهُمْ جَمِيعَ أنْواعِ النَّبِيْذِ بِكَمِّيّاتٍ كَبِيرَةٍ. وَرُغْمَ هَذا لَمْ أُطالِبْ بِحِصَّةِ الوالِي مِنْ طَعامِ النّاسِ، لِأنَّ العَمَلَ كانَ مُرهِقاً لِهَذا الشَّعبِ.

19 O my God, remember me for good for all I have done for this people.

فَاذْكُرْ يا إلَهِي ما فَعَلْتُهُ مِنْ خَيرٍ لِهَذا الشَّعبِ.