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IMMERSE
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CHRONICLES
5:1-16
About this time some of the men and their wives raised a cry of protest
against their fellow Jews. They were saying, “We have such large families.
We need more food to survive.”
Others said, “We have mortgaged our fields, vineyards, and homes to
get food during the famine.”
And others said, “We have had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay our taxes. We belong to the same family as those who are
wealthy, and our children are just like theirs. Yet we must sell our children
into slavery just to get enough money to live. We have already sold some
of our daughters, and we are helpless to do anything about it, for our fields
and vineyards are already mortgaged to others.”
When I heard their complaints, I was very angry. After thinking it over, I
spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them, “You are hurting
your own relatives by charging interest when they borrow money!” Then
I called a public meeting to deal with the problem.
At the meeting I said to them, “We are doing all we can to redeem our
Jewish relatives who have had to sell themselves to pagan foreigners, but
you are selling them back into slavery again. How often must we redeem
them?” And they had nothing to say in their defense.
Then I pressed further, “What you are doing is not right! Should you not
walk in the fear of our God in order to avoid being mocked by enemy nations? I myself, as well as my brothers and my workers, have been lending
the people money and grain, but now let us stop this business of charging
interest. You must restore their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and homes
to them this very day. And repay the interest you charged when you lent
them money, grain, new wine, and olive oil.”
They replied, “We will give back everything and demand nothing more
from the people. We will do as you say.” Then I called the priests and made
the nobles and officials swear to do what they had promised.
I shook out the folds of my robe and said, “If you fail to keep your
promise, may God shake you like this from your homes and from your
property!”
The whole assembly responded, “Amen,” and they praised the Lord.
And the people did as they had promised.
For the entire twelve years that I was governor of Judah—from the
twentieth year to the t hirty-second year of the reign of King Artaxerxes—
neither I nor my officials drew on our official food allowance. The former
governors, in contrast, had laid heavy burdens on the people, demanding
a daily ration of food and wine, besides forty pieces of silver. Even their
assistants took advantage of the people. But because I feared God, I did
not act that way.
I also devoted myself to working on the wall and refused to acquire any
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