1 A nd there is a great cry of the people and their wives, concerning their brethren the Jews,

وَبَدَأ عامَّةُ النّاسِ وَزَوجاتُهُمْ يَتَذَمَّرُونَ مِنْ إخْوَتِهِمِ اليَهُودِ.

2 y ea, there are who are saying, `Our sons, and our daughters, we -- are many, and we receive corn, and eat, and live.'

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

3 A nd there are who are saying, `Our fields, and our vineyards, and our houses, we are pledging, and we receive corn for the famine.'

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

4 A nd there are who are saying, `We have borrowed money for the tribute of the king, our fields, and our vineyards;

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

5 a nd now, as the flesh of our brethren our flesh, as their sons our sons, and lo, we are subduing our sons and our daughters for servants, and there are of our daughters subdued, and our hand hath no might, and our fields and our vineyards to others.'

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 A nd it is very displeasing to me when I have heard their cry and these words,

فَلَمّا سَمِعْتُ شَكواهُمْ وَكَلامَهُمْ غَضِبْتُ كَثِيراً.

7 a nd my heart reigneth over me, and I strive with the freemen, and with the prefects, and say to them, `Usury one upon another ye are exacting;' and I set against them a great assembly,

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 a nd say to them, `We have acquired our brethren the Jews, those sold to the nations, according to the ability that in us, and ye also sell your brethren, and they have been sold to us!' and they are silent, and have not found a word.

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 nd I say, `Not good the thing that ye are doing; in the fear of our God do ye not walk, because of the 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 A nd also, I, my brethren, and my servants, are exacting of them silver and corn; let us leave off, I pray you, this usury.

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

11 G ive back, I pray you, to them, as to-day, their fields, their vineyards, their olive-yards, and their houses, and the hundredth of the money, and of the corn, of the new wine, and of the oil, that ye are exacting of them.'

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

12 A nd they say, `We give back, and of them we seek nothing; so we do as thou art saying.' And I call the priests, and cause them to swear to do according to this thing;

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 a lso, my lap I have shaken, and I say, `Thus doth God shake out every man, who doth not perform this thing, from his house, and from his labour; yea, thus is he shaken out and empty;' and all the assembly say, `Amen,' and praise Jehovah; and the people do according to this thing.

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, from the day that he appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the thirty and second year of Artaxerxes the king -- twelve years -- I, and my brethren, the bread of the governor have not eaten:

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 t he former governors who before me have made themselves heavy on the people, and take of them in bread and wine, besides in silver forty shekels; also, their servants have ruled over the people -- and I have not done so, because of the 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 A nd also, in the work of this wall I have done mightily, even a field we have not bought, and all my servants are 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 of the Jews, and of the prefects, a hundred and fifty men, and those coming in unto us of the nations that round about us, at my table;

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

18 a nd that which hath been prepared for one day one ox, six fat sheep, also fowls have been prepared for me, and once in ten days of all wines abundantly, and with this, the bread of the governor I have not sought, for heavy is the service on 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 R emember for me, O my God, for good, all that I have done for this people.

فَاذْكُرْ يا إلَهِي ما فَعَلْتُهُ مِنْ خَيرٍ لِهَذا الشَّعبِ.