¹وكان صراخ الشعب ونسائهم عظيما على اخوتهم اليهود.

¹And there was 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.

²And there were that said, We, our sons and our daughters, are many, and we must procure corn that we may eat and live.

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

³And there were that said, We have had to pledge our fields, and our vineyards, and our houses, that we might procure corn in the dearth.

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

⁴And there were that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute upon our fields and 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 behold, we must 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 the power of our hand [to redeem them], 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.

⁷And I consulted with myself; and I remonstrated with the nobles and the rulers, and said to them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother! And I set 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 to them, We, according to our ability, have redeemed our brethren the Jews, who were sold to the nations; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? And they were silent and found no answer.

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

⁹And I said, The thing that ye do is not good. Ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God, so as not to be the reproach of the nations our enemies?

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

¹⁰I also, my brethren and my servants, we might exact usury of them, money and corn. 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 this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive-gardens, and their houses, also the hundredth [part] of the money, and of the corn, the wine and the oil, that ye have exacted of them.

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

¹²And they said, We will restore [them], and will require nothing of them; so will we do, as thou hast said. And I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should 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 my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house and from his earnings, that performeth not this promise: even thus be he shaken out and emptied! And all the congregation said, Amen! And they 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 to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, 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 had been chargeable to the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver: even their servants bore rule over the people. But I did not so, because of the fear of God.

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

¹⁶Yea, also I applied myself to this work of the wall, and we bought no fields; and all my servants were gathered thither for the work.

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

¹⁷And there were at my table a hundred and fifty of the Jews and the rulers, besides those that came to us from among the nations that were 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.

¹⁸And that which was prepared daily was one ox [and] six choice sheep; also fowls were prepared for me, and once in ten days all sorts of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I demanded not the bread of the governor; for the service was heavy upon this people.

¹⁹اذكر لي يا الهي للخير كل ما عملت لهذا الشعب

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