Ἔσδρας Βʹ 5

1 καὶ ἦν κραυγὴ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ γυναικῶν αὐτῶν μεγάλη πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτῶν τοὺς Ιουδαίους

Then there arose a great cry of the people and of their wives against their brothers the Jews.

2 καὶ ἦσάν τινες λέγοντες ἐν υἱοῖς ἡμῶν καὶ ἐν θυγατράσιν ἡμῶν ἡμεῖς πολλοί καὶ λημψόμεθα σῖτον καὶ φαγόμεθα καὶ ζησόμεθα

For there were some who said, “We, our sons and our daughters, are many. Let us get grain, that we may eat and live.”

3 καὶ εἰσίν τινες λέγοντες ἀγροὶ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀμπελῶνες ἡμῶν καὶ οἰκίαι ἡμῶν ἡμεῖς διεγγυῶμεν καὶ λημψόμεθα σῖτον καὶ φαγόμεθα

There were also some who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses. Let us get grain, because of the famine.”

4 καὶ εἰσίν τινες λέγοντες ἐδανεισάμεθα ἀργύριον εἰς φόρους τοῦ βασιλέως ἀγροὶ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀμπελῶνες ἡμῶν καὶ οἰκίαι ἡμῶν

There were also some who said, “We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute using our fields and our vineyards as collateral.

5 καὶ νῦν ὡς σὰρξ ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν σὰρξ ἡμῶν ὡς υἱοὶ αὐτῶν υἱοὶ ἡμῶν καὶ ἰδοὺ ἡμεῖς καταδυναστεύομεν τοὺς υἱοὺς ἡμῶν καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας ἡμῶν εἰς δούλους καὶ εἰσὶν ἀπὸ θυγατέρων ἡμῶν καταδυναστευόμεναι καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν δύναμις χειρῶν ἡμῶν καὶ ἀγροὶ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀμπελῶνες ἡμῶν τοῖς ἐντίμοις

Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children as their children. Behold, we bring our sons and our daughters into bondage to be servants, and some of our daughters have been brought into bondage. It is also not in our power to help it, because other men have our fields and our vineyards.”

6 καὶ ἐλυπήθην σφόδρα καθὼς ἤκουσα τὴν κραυγὴν αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς λόγους τούτους

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

7 καὶ ἐβουλεύσατο καρδία μου ἐπ’ ἐμέ καὶ ἐμαχεσάμην πρὸς τοὺς ἐντίμους καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας καὶ εἶπα αὐτοῖς ἀπαιτήσει ἀνὴρ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ ὑμεῖς ἀπαιτεῖτε καὶ ἔδωκα ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ἐκκλησίαν μεγάλην

Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the rulers, and said to them, “You exact usury, everyone of his brother.” I held a great assembly against them.

8 καὶ εἶπα αὐτοῖς ἡμεῖς κεκτήμεθα τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἡμῶν τοὺς Ιουδαίους τοὺς πωλουμένους τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐν ἑκουσίῳ ἡμῶν καὶ ὑμεῖς πωλεῖτε τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ὑμῶν καὶ ἡσύχασαν καὶ οὐχ εὕροσαν λόγον

I said to them, “We, after our ability, have redeemed our brothers the Jews that were sold to the nations; and would you even sell your brothers, and should they be sold to us?” Then they held their peace, and found not a word to say.

9 καὶ εἶπα οὐκ ἀγαθὸς ὁ λόγος ὃν ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε οὐχ οὕτως ἐν φόβῳ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἀπελεύσεσθε ἀπὸ ὀνειδισμοῦ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἡμῶν

Also I said, “The thing that you do is not good. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies?

10 καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί μου καὶ οἱ γνωστοί μου καὶ ἐγὼ ἐθήκαμεν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀργύριον καὶ σῖτον ἐγκαταλίπωμεν δὴ τὴν ἀπαίτησιν ταύτην

I likewise, my brothers and my servants, lend them money and grain. Please let us stop this usury.

11 ἐπιστρέψατε δὴ αὐτοῖς ὡς σήμερον ἀγροὺς αὐτῶν ἀμπελῶνας αὐτῶν ἐλαίας αὐτῶν καὶ οἰκίας αὐτῶν καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀργυρίου τὸν σῖτον καὶ τὸν οἶνον καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον ἐξενέγκατε αὐτοῖς

Please restore to them, even today, their fields, their vineyards, their olive groves, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, that you are charging them.”

12 καὶ εἶπαν ἀποδώσομεν καὶ παρ’ αὐτῶν οὐ ζητήσομεν οὕτως ποιήσομεν καθὼς σὺ λέγεις καὶ ἐκάλεσα τοὺς ἱερεῖς καὶ ὥρκισα αὐτοὺς ποιῆσαι ὡς τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο

Then they said, “We will restore them, and will require nothing of them. We will do so, even as you say.” Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they would do according to this promise.

13 καὶ τὴν ἀναβολήν μου ἐξετίναξα καὶ εἶπα οὕτως ἐκτινάξαι ὁ θεὸς πάντα ἄνδρα ὃς οὐ στήσει τὸν λόγον τοῦτον ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκ κόπου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔσται οὕτως ἐκτετιναγμένος καὶ κενός καὶ εἶπεν πᾶσα ἡ ἐκκλησία αμην καὶ ᾔνεσαν τὸν κύριον καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ λαὸς τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο

Also I shook out my lap, and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that doesn’t perform this promise; even may he be shaken out and emptied like this.” All the assembly said, “Amen,” and praised the LORD. The people did according to this promise.

14 ἀπὸ τῆς ἡμέρας ἧς ἐνετείλατό μοι εἶναι εἰς ἄρχοντα αὐτῶν ἐν γῇ Ιουδα ἀπὸ ἔτους εἰκοστοῦ καὶ ἕως ἔτους τριακοστοῦ καὶ δευτέρου τῷ Αρθασασθα ἔτη δώδεκα ἐγὼ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί μου βίαν αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔφαγον

Moreover 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, that is, twelve years, I and my brothers have not eaten the bread of the governor.

15 καὶ τὰς βίας τὰς πρώτας ἃς πρὸ ἐμοῦ ἐβάρυναν ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐλάβοσαν παρ’ αὐτῶν ἐν ἄρτοις καὶ ἐν οἴνῳ ἔσχατον ἀργύριον δίδραχμα τεσσαράκοντα καὶ οἱ ἐκτετιναγμένοι αὐτῶν ἐξουσιάζονται ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν καὶ ἐγὼ οὐκ ἐποίησα οὕτως ἀπὸ προσώπου φόβου θεοῦ

But the former governors who were before me were supported by the people, and took bread and wine from them, plus forty shekels of silver; yes, even their servants ruled over the people, but I didn’t do so, because of the fear of God.

16 καὶ ἐν ἔργῳ τοῦ τείχους τούτων οὐκ ἐκράτησα ἀγρὸν οὐκ ἐκτησάμην καὶ πάντες οἱ συνηγμένοι ἐκεῖ ἐπὶ τὸ ἔργον

Yes, I also continued in the work of this wall. We didn’t buy any land. All my servants were gathered there to the work.

17 καὶ οἱ Ιουδαῖοι ἑκατὸν καὶ πεντήκοντα ἄνδρες καὶ οἱ ἐρχόμενοι πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν κύκλῳ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τράπεζάν μου

Moreover there were at my table, of the Jews and the rulers, one hundred fifty men, in addition to those who came to us from among the nations that were around us.

18 καὶ ἦν γινόμενον εἰς ἡμέραν μίαν μόσχος εἷς καὶ πρόβατα ἓξ ἐκλεκτὰ καὶ χίμαρος ἐγίνοντό μοι καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον δέκα ἡμερῶν ἐν πᾶσιν οἶνος τῷ πλήθει καὶ σὺν τούτοις ἄρτους τῆς βίας οὐκ ἐζήτησα ὅτι βαρεῖα ἡ δουλεία ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον

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 a store of all sorts of wine. Yet for all this, I didn’t demand the governor’s pay, because the bondage was heavy on this people.

19 μνήσθητί μου ὁ θεός εἰς ἀγαθὸν πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησα τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ

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