¹Aga rahva ja nende naiste kisa oli suur oma vendade juutide vastu.

¹And there was a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.

²Oli neid, kes ütlesid: 'Meid, meie poegi ja tütreid on palju. Antagu meile vilja, et saaksime süüa ja jääksime ellu!'

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

³Ja oli neid, kes ütlesid: 'Me peame oma põllud, viinamäed ja kojad nälja pärast pandiks andma, et vilja saada.'

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.

⁴Ja oli neid, kes ütlesid: 'Me oleme pidanud kuninga maksuks raha laenama oma põldude ja viinamägede vastu.

⁴And there were that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute upon our fields and vineyards;

⁵On ju küll meiegi ihu nagu meie vendade ihu, meiegi lapsed nagu nende lapsed, aga vaata, meie peame siiski oma pojad ja tütred orjadeks andma, ja mõned meie tütreist ongi juba orjastatud; kuid me oleme selle vastu võimetud, sest meie põllud ja viinamäed on teiste käes.'

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.

⁶Kui ma nende kisa ja neid sõnu kuulsin, siis ma vihastusin väga.

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

⁷Ma pidasin oma südames nõu ja riidlesin siis suurnikega ja ülematega ning ütlesin neile: 'Te võtate üksteiselt liigkasu!' Siis ma seadsin neile vastu suure koguduse

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.

⁸ja ütlesin neile: 'Meie oleme, nõnda palju kui suutsime, lunastanud oma vennad juudid, kes ennast paganaile olid müünud. Teie seevastu müüte oma vendi, et neid siis jälle meile peaks müüdama!' Siis nad vaikisid ega leidnud vastust.

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.

⁹Ja ma ütlesin: 'See pole hea, mis te teete! Kas te ei peaks mitte elama meie Jumala kartuses, paganate, meie vaenlaste teotuse vältimiseks?

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?

¹⁰Ka mina, mu vennad ja mu sulased oleme neile laenanud raha ja vilja. Loobugem nüüd selle nõudmisest!

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.

¹¹Andke neile juba täna tagasi nende põllud, viinamäed, õlipuud ja kojad ja sajas osa rahast, viljast, veinist ja õlist, mida te neile olete laenanud!'

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.

¹²Ja nad vastasid: 'Me anname tagasi ega nõua neilt midagi; me teeme nõnda, nagu sa oled öelnud.' Siis, kutsudes preestrid, ma vannutasin neid, et nad teeksid nõnda.

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.

¹³Minagi puistasin oma põue ja ütlesin: 'Nõnda puistaku Jumal tema kojast ja tööst igaühte, kes seda sõna ei pea! Jäägu ta seesuguseks puistatuks ja tühjaks!' Ja terve kogudus ütles: 'Aamen!' ning kiitis Issandat. Ja rahvas tegi selle sõna järgi.

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.

¹⁴Ja edasi - alates sellest päevast, mil mind kästi olla Juudamaa maavalitsejaks, kuningas Artahsasta kahekümnendast valitsemisaastast kolmekümne teise valitsemisaastani, kaksteist aastat, ei ole mina ega mu vennad söönud maavalitseja leiba.

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.

¹⁵Endised maavalitsejad, kes olid enne mind, olid rahvast raskesti koormanud ja neilt võtnud leiba ja veini, peale selle veel nelikümmend hõbeseeklit; ka oli nende sulastel meelevald rahva üle. Aga mina ei teinud nõnda Jumala kartuse pärast.

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.

¹⁶Ka võtsin ma ise osa sellest müüritööst, kuigi me enestele põldu ei olnud ostnud; ja kõik mu sulased olid sinna tööle kogutud.

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.

¹⁷Juudid ja ülemad, sada viiskümmend meest, ja need, kes ümberkaudseist paganaist meie juurde tulid, olid mu lauas.

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.

¹⁸Seda, mis üheks päevaks valmistati, oli üks härg, kuus valitud lammast ja linnud - neidki valmistati mulle - ja iga kümne päeva järel oli rohkesti kõiksugust veini, aga ma siiski ei nõudnud maavalitseja leiba, sest selle rahva peal oli raske orjus.

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.

¹⁹Meenuta minu heaks, mu Jumal, kõike, mis ma sellele rahvale olen teinud!

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