¹وكان صراخ الشعب ونسائهم عظيما على اخوتهم اليهود.

¹Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.

²وكان من يقول بنونا وبناتنا نحن كثيرون. دعنا نأخذ قمحا فنأكل ونحيا.

²For there were that said, We, our sons and our daughters, are many: let us get grain, that we may eat and live.

³وكان من يقول حقولنا وكرومنا وبيوتنا نحن راهنوها حتى نأخذ قمحا في الجوع.

³Some also there were that said, We are mortgaging our fields, and our vineyards, and our houses: let us get grain, because of the dearth.

⁴وكان من يقول قد استقرضنا فضة لخراج الملك على حقولنا وكرومنا.

⁴There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute [upon] our fields and our vineyards.

⁵والآن لحمنا كلحم اخوتنا وبنونا كبنيهم وها نحن نخضع بنينا وبناتنا عبيدا ويوجد من بناتنا مستعبدات وليس شيء في طاقة يدنا وحقولنا وكرومنا للآخرين

⁵Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought into bondage [already]: neither is it in our power to help it; for other men have our fields and our vineyards.

⁶فغضبت جدا حين سمعت صراخهم وهذا الكلام.

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

⁷فشاورت قلبي فيّ وبكّت العظماء والولاة وقلت لهم انكم تاخذون الربا كل واحد من اخيه واقمت عليهم جماعة عظيمة.

⁷Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I held a great assembly against them.

⁸وقلت لهم نحن اشترينا اخوتنا اليهود الذين بيعوا للامم حسب طاقتنا. وانتم ايضا تبيعون اخوتكم فيباعون لنا. فسكتوا ولم يجدوا جوابا.

⁸And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, that were sold unto the nations; and would ye even sell your brethren, and should they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found never a word.

⁹وقلت ليس حسنا الامر الذي تعملونه. أما تسيرون بخوف الهنا بسبب تعيير الامم اعدائنا.

⁹Also I said, The thing that ye do is not good: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the nations our enemies?

¹⁰وانا ايضا واخوتي وغلماني اقرضناهم فضة وقمحا. فلنترك هذا الربا.

¹⁰And I likewise, my brethren and my servants, do lend them money and grain. I pray you, let us leave off this usury.

¹¹ردّوا لهم هذا اليوم حقولهم وكرومهم وزيتونهم وبيوتهم والجزء من مئة الفضة والقمح والخمر والزيت الذي تاخذونه منهم ربا.

¹¹Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their fields, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.

¹²فقالوا نرد ولا نطلب منهم. هكذا نفعل كما تقول. فدعوت الكهنة واستحلفتهم ان يعملوا حسب هذا الكلام.

¹²Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do, even as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they would do according to this promise.

¹³ثم نفضت حجري وقلت هكذا ينفض الله كل انسان لا يقيم هذا الكلام من بيته ومن تعبه وهكذا يكون منفوضا وفارغا. فقال كل الجماعة آمين وسبحوا الرب. وعمل الشعب حسب هذا الكلام

¹³Also I shook out my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that performeth not this promise; even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the assembly said, Amen, and praised Jehovah. And the people did according to this promise.

¹⁴وايضا من اليوم الذي اوصيت فيه ان اكون واليهم في ارض يهوذا من السنة العشرين الى السنة الثانية والثلاثين لارتحشستا الملك اثنتي عشرة سنة لم آكل انا ولا اخوتي خبز الوالي.

¹⁴Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even unto the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, [that is], twelve years, I and my brethren have not eaten the bread of the governor.

¹⁵ولكن الولاة الاولون الذين قبلي ثقلوا على الشعب واخذوا منهم خبزا وخمرا فضلا عن اربعين شاقلا من الفضة حتى ان غلمانهم تسلطوا على الشعب. واما انا فلم افعل هكذا من اجل خوف الله.

¹⁵But the former governors that were before me were chargeable unto the people, and took of them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.

¹⁶وتمسكت ايضا بشغل هذا السور. ولم اشتر حقلا. وكان جميع غلماني مجتمعين هناك على العمل.

¹⁶Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work.

¹⁷وكان على مائدتي من اليهود والولاة مئة وخمسون رجلا فضلا عن الآتين الينا من الامم الذين حولنا.

¹⁷Moreover there were at my table, of the Jews and the rulers, a hundred and fifty men, besides those that came unto us from among the nations that were round about us.

¹⁸وكان ما يعمل ليوم واحد ثورا وستة خراف مختارة. وكان يعمل لي طيور وفي كل عشرة ايام كل نوع من الخمر بكثرة. ومع هذا لم اطلب خبز الوالي لان العبودية كانت ثقيلة على هذا الشعب.

¹⁸Now that which was prepared for one day was one ox and six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days store of all sorts of wine: yet for all this I demanded not the bread of the governor, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.

¹⁹اذكر لي يا الهي للخير كل ما عملت لهذا الشعب

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