Neemias 5

Ka Āwhinatia e Nehemia ngā Rawakore

1 Kātahi ka nui atu te karanga a te iwi, rātou ko ā rātou wāhine, he whakahē mō ō rātou tuākana, tēina, mō ngā Hūrai. 2 I reira hoki ētahi e mea ana, "Ko mātou, ko ā mātou tama, me ā mātou tamāhine, he tokomaha; tātou ki te hoko wīti, kia kai ai tātou, kia ora ai."

3 I reira hoki ētahi e kī ana, "Kua waiho ō mātou whenua, ā mātou māra wāina, ō mātou whare hei taunaha; tātou ki te hoko wīti mō te matekai."

4 Me ētahi hoki e kī ana, "Kua riro mai he moni tārewa i a mātou hei takoha me te kīngi; ko ō mātou whenua, ko ā mātou māra wāina te tarewatanga. 5 Nā, rite tonu ō mātou kikokiko ki ngā kikokiko o ō mātou tuākana; rite tonu ā mātou tamariki ki ā rātou tamariki. Nanā, e whakaponongatia ana e mātou ā mātou tama me ā mātou tamāhine hei pononga, kua oti anō ētahi o ā mātou tamāhine te mea hei pononga, kāhore hoki ā mātou mea hei whakahoki mai; nō te mea kei ngā tāngata kē ō mātou whenua, ā mātou māra wāina."

6 Nā, nui atu tōku riri i tōku rongonga i tā rātou karanga, i ēnei kupu. 7 Kātahi ka whakaaroaroa e tōku ngākau i roto i ahau, ā, ka totohe ahau ki ngā rangatira me ngā tāngata rarahi; i kī atu hoki ahau ki a rātou, "E tangohia ana e koutou he moni whakatupu i tōna teina, i tōna teina." Nā, tū ana i ahau he hui nui hei whakahē mō rātou; 8 i mea anō ahau ki a rātou, "Kua poto tā mātou hei whakahoki mai i ō tātou tēina, i ngā Hūrai, kua oti nei te hoko ki ngā tauiwi, ā, ka hokona atu anō rānei e koutou ō koutou tuākana, tēina? Ka hokona rānei rātou ki a tātou?" Kātahi ka whakarongo kau rātou, kīhai hoki i kitea he kupu mā rātou.

9 I mea anō ahau, "Ehara tēnā i te mea pai e mea nā koutou. Kaua ianei koutou e haere i runga i te wehi ki tō tātou Atua? Kaua rānei e whakaaro ki te tāwai mai a ō tātou hoariri, a ngā tauiwi? 10 Nā, ko ahau, ko ōku tēina, me āku tāngata, e tuku ana he moni, he wīti ki a rātou mō te moni whakatupu. Tēnā rā, kia whakarērea atu e tātou tēnei mahi tango i te moni whakatupu. 11 Tēnā, whakahokia atu ki a rātou i tēnei rā nei anō ō rātou whenua, ā rātou māra wāina, māra ōriwa, me ō rātou whare, me te wāhi whakarau o te moni, o te wīti, o te wāina, o te hinu, e tangohia nei e koutou i a rātou."

12 Kātahi rātou ka kī mai, "Me whakahoki atu e mātou, e kore anō e tonoa e mātou he mea i a rātou. Ka rite tā mātou e mea ai ki tāu i kī mai nā."

Kātahi ka karangatia e ahau ngā tohunga, ā, ka meinga e ahau kia oati, mō tēnei kupu kia mahia. 13 I ruperupea anō e ahau te uma o tōku, me tāku kī anō, "Ko te tangata e kore e whakamana i tēnei kupu, kia pēnei tā Ihowā ruperupe i a ia i roto i tōna whare, i tāna mahi; kia rite anō ia ki tēnei te ruperupe, te takoto kau."

Ā, ka kī mai te huihui katoa, "Āmine," ka whakamoemiti anō rātou ki a Ihowā. Nā, pērā tonu te mahi a te iwi.

Te Ngākau Oha o Nehemia

14 Nō te rā anō i kīia ai ahau hei kāwana mō rātou ki te whenua o Hūrā, nō te rua tekau o ngā tau, ā tae noa ki te toru tekau mā rua o ngā tau o Kīngi Arataherehe, arā kotahi tekau mā rua tau, kāhore ahau, ōku tēina rānei, i kai i te taro kāwana. 15 Otiia ko ngā kāwana ō mua, ko ērā i mua i ahau, he taimaha tā rātou ki te iwi; i tangohia hoki e rātou he taro, he wāina, i a rātou, me ētahi hekere hiriwa e whā tekau. Āe rā, i whakatupu rangatira anō ā rātou tāngata ki te iwi. Kīhai ia ahau i pērā, i wehi hoki ki te Atua. 16 I uaua tonu anō ahau ki te mahi i tēnei taiepa, kīhai hoki mātou i hoko whenua mō mātou; i huihuia atu anō hoki āku tāngata katoa ki reira ki te mahi.

17 Nā, kotahi rau e rima tekau i tāku tēpu, nō ngā Hūrai, nō ngā rangatira, hāunga ērā atu i haere mai nei ki a mātou i roto i ngā iwi i tētahi taha o mātou, i tētahi taha. 18 Nā, ko ngā mea i takā māku i te rā kotahi, kotahi pūru, e ono hipi, he mea pai; i takā anō ētahi manu māku, ā, kotahi i roto i ngā rā kotahi tekau, ko ngā tū wāina katoa, tōna nui; ahakoa ko tēnei katoa, kīhai ahau i mea ki te taro kāwana, nō te mea he taimaha rawa te hereherenga o tēnei iwi.

19 Kia mahara mai ki ahau, e tōku Atua, mō te pai, kia rite ki āku mea katoa i mea ai ahau ki tēnei iwi.

1 Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brethren the Jews. 2 For there were that said, We, our sons and our daughters, are many: let us get grain, that we may eat and live. 3 Some also there were that said, We are mortgaging our fields, and our vineyards, and our houses: let us get grain, because of the dearth. 4 There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute upon our fields and our vineyards. 5 Yet 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.

6 And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words. 7 Then 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. 8 And 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. 9 Also 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? 10 And I likewise, my brethren and my servants, do lend them money and grain. I pray you, let us leave off this usury. 11 Restore, 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. 12 Then 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. 13 Also 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.

14 Moreover 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. 15 But 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. 16 Yea, also I continued in the work of this wall, neither bought we any land: and all my servants were gathered thither unto the work. 17 Moreover 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. 18 Now 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. 19 Remember unto me, O my God, for good, all that I have done for this people.