Now there was a great cry of the people, and of their wives against their brethren the Jews.

Et factus est clamor populi et uxorum ejus magnus adversus fratres suos Judæos.

And now there was a great outcry of the common sort, men and women, against their richer neighbours, that were Jews too.

And there were some that said: Our sons and our daughters are very many: let us take up corn for the price of them, and let us eat and live.

Et erant qui dicerent: Filii nostri et filiæ nostræ multæ sunt nimis: accipiamus pro pretio eorum frumentum, et comedamus, et vivamus.

Poor folk, who had sons and daughters in great number, had bethought themselves of bartering these for the corn they must have if they would live;

And there were some that said: Let us mortgage our lands, and our vineyards, and our houses, and let us take corn because of the famine.

Et erant qui dicerent: Agros nostros, et vineas, et domus nostras opponamus, et accipiamus frumentum in fame.

some, in the great scarcity, had been ready to pledge lands, vineyards and house in return for corn;

And others said: Let us borrow money for the king’s tribute, and let us give up our fields and vineyards:

Et alii dicebant: Mutuo sumamus pecunias in tributa regis, demusque agros nostros et vineas:

some had offered vineyard or lands for a pledge when they would borrow money to pay the royal tribute.

And now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren: and our children as their children. Behold we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters, and some of our daughters are bondwomen already, neither have we wherewith to redeem them, and our fields and our vineyards other men possess.

et nunc sicut carnes fratrum nostrorum, sic carnes nostræ sunt: et sicut filii eorum, ita et filii nostri: ecce nos subjugamus filios nostros et filias nostras in servitutem, et de filiabus nostris sunt famulæ, nec habemus unde possint redimi: et agros nostros et vineas nostras alii possident.

And now they complained, These men are our brothers; of one race, they and we, of one race, their sons and ours; and here are we, with some of our daughters bondwomen already, giving up sons and daughters to slavery still, and no hope of ransoming them; here are lands and vineyards of ours given over to the enjoyment of others!

And I was exceedingly angry when I heard their cry according to these words.

Et iratus sum nimis cum audissem clamorem eorum secundum verba hæc:

Great was my anger when I heard such cause of complaint was theirs.

And my heart thought with myself: and I rebuked the nobles and magistrates, and said to them: Do you every one exact usury of your brethren? And I gathered together a great assembly against them,

cogitavitque cor meum mecum, et increpavi optimates et magistratus, et dixi eis: Usurasne singuli a fratribus vestris exigitis? Et congregavi adversum eos concionem magnam,

I took deep thought over it, and then taxed nobles and rulers with their fault; would they play the usurer with their own brethren? Summoning a great assembly of the citizens to confront them,

And I said to them: We, as you know, have redeemed according to our ability our brethren the Jews, that were sold to the Gentiles: and will you then sell your brethren, for us to redeem them? And they held their peace, and found not what to answer.

et dixi eis: Nos, ut scitis, redemimus fratres nostros Judæos, qui venditi fuerant gentibus secundum possibilitatem nostram: et vos igitur vendetis fratres vestros, et redimemus eos? Et siluerunt, nec invenerunt quid responderent.

I reminded them that we in Babylon had been at pains to ransom our Jewish brethren who were enslaved to the heathen; must we now ransom them anew, from masters of their own flesh and blood? At this, there was silence; nothing could they find to say.

And I said to them: The thing you do is not good: why walk you not in the fear of our God, that we be not exposed to the reproaches of the Gentiles our enemies?

Dixique ad eos: Non est bona res quam facitis: quare non in timore Dei nostri ambulastis, ne exprobretur nobis a gentibus inimicis nostris?

Here are sorry doings, I told them. Have you no fear of God’s vengeance, of the reproach this will earn from our heathen neighbours?

Both I and my brethren, and my servants, have lent money and corn to many: let us all agree not to call for it again; let us forgive the debt that is owing to us.

Et ego, et fratres mei, et pueri mei commodavimus plurimis pecuniam et frumentum. Non repetamus in commune istud: æs alienum concedamus quod debetur nobis.

You are not the only creditors; I myself, my kinsmen and my servants have been lending money and corn on all sides. Come, let us conspire to forgo our rights, let us all remit the debt due to us;

Restore ye to them this day their fields, and their vineyards, and their oliveyards, and their houses: and the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, which you were wont to exact of them, give it rather for them.

Reddite eis hodie agros suos, et vineas suas, et oliveta sua, et domos suas: quin potius et centesimum pecuniæ, frumenti, vini et olei, quam exigere soletis ab eis, date pro illis.

and do you restore, here and now, lands, vineyards, olive-yards and houses; restore, too, the interest charge you claim of a hundredth, for money and corn, wine and oil alike.

And they said: We will restore, and we will require nothing of them: and we will do as thou sayest. And I called the priests and took an oath of them, to do according to what I had said.

Et dixerunt: Reddemus, et ab eis nihil quæremus: sicque faciemus ut loqueris. Et vocavi sacerdotes, et adjuravi eos ut facerent juxta quod dixeram.

Restore it we will, they answered, and make no further claim; thy bidding shall be done. Thereupon I summoned the priests, and would have this undertaking secured by an oath.

Moreover I shook my lap, and said: So may God shake every man that shall not accomplish this word, out of his house, and out of his labours, thus may he be shaken out, and become empty. And all the multitude said: Amen. And they praised God. And the people did according to what was said.

Insuper excussi sinum meum, et dixi: Sic excutiat Deus omnem virum qui non compleverit verbum istud, de domo sua, et de laboribus suis: sic excutiatur, et vacuus fiat. Et dixit universa multitudo: Amen: et laudaverunt Deum. Fecit ergo populus sicut erat dictum.

I shook the dust, too, from the folds of my lap, and cried out: God give no gentler handling than this to the man who plays me false; sweep away house and lands, and leave him a beggar! Amen, answered the whole assembly, and gave praise to God. And loyally the agreement was kept.

And from the day, in which the king commanded me to be governor in the land of Juda, from the twentieth year even to the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes the king, for twelve years, I and my brethren did not eat the yearly allowance that was due to the governors.

A die autem illa, qua præceperat rex mihi ut essem dux in terra Juda, ab anno vigesimo usque ad annum trigesimum secundum Artaxerxis regis per annos duodecim, ego et fratres mei annonas quæ ducibus debebantur non comedimus.

For twelve years, ever since Artaxerxes gave me my commission in Juda (that is, from the twentieth to the thirty-second year of his reign) my kinsmen and I refused to take the allowance which was granted to the governors.

But the former governors that had been before me, were chargeable to the people, and took of them in bread, and wine, and in money every day forty sicles: and their officers also oppressed the people. But I did not so for the fear of God.

Duces autem primi, qui fuerant ante me, gravaverunt populum, et acceperunt ab eis in pane, et vino, et pecunia, quotidie siclos quadraginta: sed et ministri eorum depresserunt populum. Ego autem non feci ita propter timorem Dei:

My predecessors, by accepting corn, wine, and money, at the rate of forty sicles a day, had been a burden to the people, who suffered also from the exactions of their servants. Not so I, God’s fear preventing me;

Moreover I built in the work of the wall, and I bought no land, and all my servants were gathered together to the work.

quin potius in opere muri ædificavi, et agrum non emi, et omnes pueri mei congregati ad opus erant.

instead of buying lands, my care was to help build the wall, and there was no servant of mine but took his place among the workmen.

The Jews also and the magistrates to the number of one hundred and fifty men, were at my table, besides them that came to us from among the nations that were round about us.

Judæi quoque et magistratus centum quinquaginta viri, et qui veniebant ad nos de gentibus quæ in circuitu nostro sunt, in mensa mea erant.

A hundred and fifty Jews, (the rulers, and those) who came in to help us from the country round about, fed at my expense;

And there was prepared for me day by day one ox, and six choice rams, besides fowls, and once in ten days I gave store of divers wines, and many other things: yet I did not require my yearly allowance as governor: for the people were very much impoverished.

Parabatur autem mihi per dies singulos bos unus, arietes sex electi, exceptis volatilibus, et inter dies decem vina diversa, et alia multa tribuebam: insuper et annonas ducatus mei non quæsivi: valde enim attenuatus erat populus.

every day an ox and six fat rams, and fowls besides, were dressed for me, and every tenth day brought a fresh supply of various wines; yet for this and much else I would take no allowance as governor in return; to such straits had the men of Juda been brought.

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

Memento mei, Deus meus, in bonum, secundum omnia quæ feci populo huic.

Not unremembered, Lord, not unrewarded, be these services done to thy people.