Nehemiah 5

1 And the cry of the people and their wives [was] great against their brethren the Jews.

Yon lè, moun pèp Izrayèl yo ansanm ak tout madanm yo konmanse plenyen sou do kèk chèf jwif parèy yo.

2 And some said, We [are] numerous with our sons and our daughters; so we will take corn, and eat, and live.

Genyen ki t'ap di: Nou gen anpil moun nan fanmi nou, anpil pitit gason ak anpil pitit fi. Nou bezwen manje pou n' manje pou n' pa mouri grangou.

3 And some said, [As to] our fields and vineyards and houses, let us pledge [them], and we will take corn, and eat.

Gen lòt ki t'ap di: Nou te gen yon sèl grangou ki t'ap bat nou, nou setoblije pran potèk sou jaden nou, sou pye rezen nou yo, sou kay nou pou n' ka jwenn manje pou n' manje.

4 And some said, We have borrowed money for the king's tributes: —our fields, and our vineyards, and houses [are pledged].

Gen lòt ankò ki t'ap di: Pou n' te ka peye taks kontribisyon pou wa a, nou te setoblije prete lajan sou jaden ak pye rezen nou yo.

5 And now our flesh [is] as the flesh of our brethren, our children [are] as their children: yet, behold, we are reducing our sons and our daughters to slavery, and some of our daughters are enslaved: and there is no power of our hands, for our fields and our vineyards [belong] to the nobles.

Nou menm ras ak lòt jwif yo. Pitit nou yo pa pi mal pase pa yo. Men, nou setoblije bay pitit fi nou ak pitit gason nou yo sèvi domestik lakay yo. Nou menm rive gen pitit fi nou k'ap fè restavèk! Nou pa ka fè anyen kont sa, paske jaden nou yo ak pye rezen nou yo pa pou nou ankò.

6 And I was much grieved as I heard their cry and these words.

Lè mwen menm, Neemi, mwen tande tout plent sa yo, tout pawòl sa yo, mwen te fache anpil.

7 And my heart took counsel within me, and I contended against the nobles, and the princes, and I said to them, Should every man demand of his brother what you demand? And I appointed against them a great assembly,

Lè m' fin kalkile bagay la byen nan kè m', mwen fè lide pa dòmi sou sa. Mwen denonse chèf yo, grannèg yo ak majistra yo. Mwen di yo se esplwate y'ap esplwate frè parèy yo. Mwen fè reyini tout moun pou diskite pwoblèm lan.

8 and I said to them, We of our free-will have redeemed our brethren the Jews that were sold to the Gentiles; and do you sell your brethren? and shall they be delivered to us? And they were silent, and found no answer.

Epi mwen di: -Nou fè sa nou te kapab pou nou te rachte frè jwif parèy nou yo ki te vann tèt yo bay moun lòt nasyon pou sèvi yo esklav. Koulye a, se nou menm jwif k'ap fòse jwif parèy nou vann tèt yo bay jwif parèy yo! Tout moun rete bouch pe, yo pa t' gen anyen pou reponn nan sa.

9 And I said, The thing which you do [is] not good; you will not so walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the Gentiles our enemies.

Mwen di yo ankò: -Sa n'ap fè la a pa bon, tande! Se pou n' mache avèk krentif pou Bondye, pou nou pa bay moun lòt nasyon yo, lènmi nou yo, okazyon pase nou nan betiz.

10 Both my brethren, and my acquaintances, and I, have lent them money and corn: let us now leave off this exaction.

Moun lakay mwen yo ansanm ak moun pa m' yo tou, ak mwen menm tou, nou te prete yo lajan ak ble. Nou p'ap mande yo pou yo renmèt nou sa yo dwe nou.

11 Restore to them, I pray, as at this day, their fields, and their vineyards, and their olive yards, and their houses, and bring forth to them corn and wine and oil of the money.

Renmèt yo jaden yo, pye rezen yo, pye oliv yo ak kay yo touswit. Kite tou sa yo dwe nou pou yo, kit se lajan, kit se ble, kit se diven, kit se lwil.

12 And they said, We will restore, and we will not exact of them; we will do thus as you say. Then I called the priests, and bound them by oath to do according to this word.

Chèf yo reponn: -Wi! N'ap fè jan ou di l' la. N'ap renmèt yo tou sa yo te ban nou kenbe pou dèt yo. Nou p'ap mande yo pou yo peye nou sa yo dwe nou. Lè sa a, mwen fè rele prèt yo, epi mwen fè chèf yo sèmante y'ap fè sa yo sot pwomèt la.

13 And I shook out my garment, and said, So may God shake out every man who shall not keep to this word, from his house, and from his labors, he shall be even thus shaken out, as an outcast and empty. And all the congregation said, Amen, and they praised the Lord: and the people did this thing.

Apre sa, mwen pran ti sak ki te mare nan ren mwen an, mwen vire l' tèt anba, mwen souke l', epi mwen di: -Se pou Bondye pran nenpòt nan nou ki pa kenbe pwomès li, pou l' souke l' konsa tou. Bondye ap pran kay li ak tout lòt byen li genyen, l'ap kite l' san anyen. Tout moun ki te la yo reponn: -Amèn! Se sa menm! Se sa menm! Apre sa, yo fè lwanj Seyè a. Se konsa tout pèp la te kenbe pwomès yo te fè a.

14 From the day that he charged me to be their ruler in the land of Juda, from the twentieth year even to the thirty-second year of Arthasastha, twelve years, I and my brethren ate not [provision] extorted from them.

Pandan tout douzan mwen pase gouvènè nan peyi Jida a, depi jou wa Atagzèsès te nonmen m' nan pòs sa a, lè sa a li t'ap mache sou ventan depi li te wa, rive sou tranndezan depi li t'ap gouvènen an, ni mwen ni ankenn moun lakay mwen, nou pa janm manyen lajan yo te dwe peye gouvènè a.

15 But as for the former acts of extortion wherein [those who were] before me oppressed them, they even took of them their last money, forty didrachmas for bread and wine; and the [very] outcasts of them exercised authority over the people: but I did not so, because of the fear of God.

Gouvènè ki te la anvan m' yo te konn ap peze pèp la: chak jou yo te konn pran karant pyès an ajan pou pen ak diven. Ata moun ki t'ap travay avèk yo te konn ap peze pèp la tou. Men mwen menm, mwen pa t' fè sa, paske mwen te gen krentif Bondye.

16 Also in the work of the wall I treated them not with rigor, I bought not land: and all that were gathered together [came] there to the work.

Mwen te mete men nan travay ranpa a tankou tout moun, mwen pa achte ankenn tè, epi tout moun ki t'ap travay avè m' yo te la tou nan travay miray la.

17 And the Jews, to [the number of] a hundred and fifty men, besides those coming to us from the nations round about, [were] at my table.

Chak jou mwen te gen sansenkant (150) moun ap manje sou menm tab avè m' lakay mwen: se te chèf yo ak majistra yo, san konte tout lòt moun ki te vin lakay mwen soti nan lòt peyi nan vwazinaj la.

18 And there came [to me] for one day one calf, and I had six choice sheep and a goat; and every ten days wine in abundance of all sorts: yet with these I required not the bread of extortion, because the bondage was heavy upon this people.

Chak jou mwen te fè yo kwit pou mwen yon bèf, sis bon mouton byen gra ak anpil bèt volay. Se mwen menm ki te peye pou tout bagay sa yo ak lajan nan pòch mwen. Chak dis jou mwen fè yon pwovizyon diven fre. Men, malgre sa, mwen pa janm mande pou yo ban mwen sa pou yo bay gouvènè a pou manje l', paske pèp la te gen kont chay sou do li deja.

19 Remember me, O God, for good, [in] all that I have done to this people.

Bondye mwen, tanpri, pa bliye anyen nan tou sa mwen fè pou pèp sa a. Make sa yon kote pou mwen!