Nehemiah's Memoirs prog ress of work the fence 15And when our enemies heard that their plan was known to us and God Rapid had brought it to nought, we all of us returned to the wall, each to his own work. 16 And from that time on, while half of my servants were engaged the in the work, half of them held the lances, the shields, the bows, and the and coats of mail; and the rulers stood behind all the house of Judah." 17Those method who built the wall and those who bore burdens were also armed, each with of deone of his hands engaged in the work, and with the other was ready to grasp his spear; 18and each of the builders had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he who sounded the trumpet was by me. 19 And I said to the nobles and to the rulers and to the rest of the people, The work is great and extensive, and we are separated upon the wall far from each other. 20In whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, gather there to us; our God will fight for us.' 21So we were active in the work, while half of them held the lances from the appearance of the gray of morning until the stars came out. 22 Also I said at that time to the people, Let each man with his servant lodge in Jerusalem, that they may be a guard to us by night and may labor by day. 23So neither I, nor my kinsmen, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard who accompanied me, not one of us took off our clothes, each had his spear in his hand.w § 153. Nehemiah's Social Reforms, Neh. 5 Nehemiah's Memoirs plaints Neh. 5 1Then there was a loud complaint from the common people and Comtheir wives against their fellow-countrymen the Jews. 2For there were of the those who were saying, 'We must give our sons and our daughters in pledgex poor to secure grain that we may eat and live.' 3Some also there were who were of the saying, 'We must mortgage our fields and our vineyards and our houses, greed 412 Restoring the corrupt Heb. with the aid of the Gk. because rich and ruling 413 The translation of the first part of the verse is exceedingly doubtful and the Gk. class versions afford little aid. u 416 The Gk. joins the first word to 17 and reads, the rulers were behind all the house of Judah, who were engaged in the work. 417 So Gk. 4 Following a slightly corrected text. The Gk, omits the last clause. § 153 As a reformer of special evils, Nehemiah showed himself a true successor of the prophets and a pioneer in establishing precedents which later appear as laws in the priestly code, Lev. 2535-41 In the earlier codes the enslaving of a Hebrew for a debt which he was unable to pay was taken for granted. Cf. Ex. 212-6, Dt. 1512-18, although the taking of interest or usury was strictly forbidden, at least in loans to the poor, Ex. 225, Dt. 2319, 20. In 5 for the first time perhaps in literature the cry of modern socialism finds impassioned expression. 52 Correcting an obvious error in the Heb. Giving a child in pledge was equivalent to slavery. Cf. 5. Nehe remon and com Nehemiah's Memoirs that we may get grain because of the dearth.' 4There were also those who were saying, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute. a 5Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children as their children; but now, we must bring our sons and our daughters into slavery, and some of our daughters have already thus been brought into bondage, neither is it in our power to help it, for our fields and our vineyards belong to the nobles.'b "Then I was very angry when I heard their complaint and these statements. miah's 7And I took counsel with myself, and contended with the nobles and rulers, strance and said to them, 'You exact usury each of his brother.' And I held a great assembly against them. And I said to them, 'We ourselves have, according to our ability redeemed our fellow-countrymen the Jews, who have been sold to the heathen; and would you yourselves sell your fellow-countrymen, and should they sell themselves to us?' Then they were silent and could not find a word to say. Therefore I said, 'The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the heathen our enemies? 10 For I also, my kinsmen and my servants, lend them money and grain. Let us, therefore, leave off this usury. 11 Restore to them this day their fields, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the usury of the money and of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, that you exact from them.' mands Re sponse and ise of those 12Then they said, 'We will restore them and will demand nothing from them; we will do just as you say.' Then I called the priests and took an prom- oath of them, that they would do according to this promise. 13 Also I shook out the fold of my garment,d and said, 'So may God shake out every man from his house and from the fruit of his labor, who does not fulfil this promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied.' And all the assembly said, 'So may it be.' And they praised Jehovah. And the people did according to this promise. who were guilty Nehe miah's gener osity while gov ernor 14 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 yeare of Artaxerxes the king, that is for twelve years, I and my brethren had not eaten the bread which was due me as governor. 15 But the former governors who were before me were a source of expense to the people, and took of them bread and wine, and also forty shekels of silver each day; and furthermore their servants oppressed the people. But I did not so, because of the fear of God. 16I also devoted myself to this work on the wall, and we did not buy any land; and all my servants were gathered there for the work. 17 Also the Jews and the rulers, a hundred and fifty men, besides those who came to us from among the surrounding nations, were at my table. 18 Now that which was prepared for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and 54 Through a scribal error in the Heb., our fields and vineyards, has been repeated from 3. b 55 So Gk. Heb., to others. But cf. 7. 511 Heb., hundredth. But a scribe has apparently mistaken this for the similar Heb. word for, usury. d 513 For this characteristic oriental ceremony, cf. Acts 186, also Job 3813. e 514 I.e., if under Artaxerxes I, from 445-433 B.C. Cf. 136. f515 So Lat. The Heb. makes no sense. Nehemiah's Memoirs fowls. These were prepared at my expense, and once in ten days wine in abundance for all the people. Yet with all this I did not demand the bread which was due me as governor, because the public service rested heavily upon this people. 19Remember to my credit, Ô my God, all that I have done for this people. § 154. Unsuccessful Plots against Nehemiah, Neh. 6 Nehemiah's Memoirs that was lion Neh. 6 1Now when it was reported to Sanballat and to Tobiah and to Charge Geshem the Arabian and to the rest of our enemies, that I had rebuilt the Nehewall and that there was no breach left in it-though even to that time I had miah not set up the doors in the gates-2Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, plotting 'Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.' rebelBut they planned to do me injury. 3So I sent messengers to them, saying, 'I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down; why should the work cease, while I leave it and come down to you?' And they sent to me in this way four times, and I gave them the same answer. 5Then Sanballat sent his servant to me in the same way the fifth time with an open letter in his hand, in which was written, 'It is reported among the nations, and Gashmu confirms it, that you and the Jews plan to rebel, and that this is the reason you are building the wall, and that you would be their king, and that you also have appointed prophets to preach of you at Jerusalem, saying, “There is a king in Judah.' And now it will be reported to the king to this effect. Come now, therefore, and let us take counsel together.' Then I sent to him, saying, 'No such things have been done as you say, but you have devised them in your own mind.' 9For they all would have made us afraid, thinking, 'Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it may not be done.' But now, O God, strengthen thou my hands. aiah's at to 10 And when I went to the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, the son Shemof Mehetabel, who was shut up at home, he said, 'Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple, and let us shut the doors of the temple: tempt for they are coming to slay you in the night; yes, in the night they are coming frightto slay you!' 11And I said, 'Should such a man as I flee? And how en Necould anyone like me [a layman] enter the chief room of the temple and still live? I will not enter.' 12Then I perceived and it was clear that God had not sent him; but he pronounced this prophecy against me, because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him, 13that I should be alarmed and act accord 518 So Luc. The Heb. is doubtful. It may possibly mean, all kinds of wine. h 66 So Gk. The Heb. adds, to this effect (lit., to these words), which has no place in the context. They were probably introduced here by mistake from 7. i 610 Perhaps to emphasize his advice to Nehemiah to seek refuge in the temple. His proposal to go to the temple seems to indicate that he was not confined by ceremonial uncleanness. 610 The Gk. does not repeat the last clause. It is possibly a scribal error, although the repetition may well have been intended to carry conviction. 613 Following Luc. in omitting the unintelligible words found in the Heb. at the beginning of this verse. They are evidently due to a scribal repetition of the last words of 12. hemiah Nehemiah's Memoirs ingly and sin; and it would have given them occasion for an evil report, that they might reproach me. 14Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their acts, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who would have made me afraid. Com- 15So the wall was finished in the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul,' in pletion 16 And when all our enemies heard, all the surrounding of the fifty-two days. nations feared and fell in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been done by our God. walls Con cies of the friends 17 Moreover in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, spira- and those of Tobiah came to them. 18For many in Judah had taken oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shechaniah the son of Arah and of To his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam, the son of Berechiah, as wife. 19 Also they praised his good deeds before me and reported my words to him. Then Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid. biah The accu sation of the local § 155. An Appeal to Artaxerxes to Stop the Rebuilding of Jerusalem, Ezra 47-23 (I Esdr. 215-22) Aramaic Document Ezra 4 'Now in the days of Artaxerxes, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their associates wrote to Artaxerxes king of Persia. 8aAnd Rehum the commander and Shimshai the recorder 9and the rest of their associates, the Persian judges, the rulers, the scribes, the Archevaites, the Babylonians, the officials men from Susa, that is" the Elamites, 10and the rest of the peoples whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal transported and settled in the city of Samaria and in the rest of the province beyond the River, 8bwrote the letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes, as follows: 1615 August-September. m616 Or, were filled with wonder. n 619 So Gk. and Luc. The Heb. omits the introductory conjunction. $155 Nehemiah 615-19 tells of the many letters written by the enemies of the Judean community to frighten Nehemiah and put a stop to the work. After speaking of the letters sent to himself and to other Jews, Nehemiah's account ends abruptly with the statement, Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid. It seems probable that the Chronicler has here cut his source short, for in 7 the theme is the careful measures instituted to guard the city permanently from attack. Nehemiah also leaves the trusty men in charge of the city, implying that he found it necessary to depart. To whom were Tobiah's letters sent? In their efforts to check the building of the walls, the enemies of the community certainly would not fail to invoke the authority of Persia. In all probability the sequel in Nehemiah's memoirs recorded such an attempt. Nehemiah's extreme haste in pushing the work of rebuilding the walls to completion would suggest that he feared an interruption. His implied departure in 71-5 may well have been because he found it necessary to answer the charge before the king. The Chronicler's omission of this incident is most naturally explained, because he had already introduced the account of it in an entirely different setting. As has already been shown (note § 145), the Aramaic section in Ezra 47-23 has no real connection with its context. Not only does it relate solely to the re • 47 Heb., Arthasastha. P 47 The Heb., but not the Gk., has the explanatory gloss, the writing of the letter was in Aram, and it was translated into Aramaic (Persian?). It was probably added by a scribe to introduce the Aramaic section which follows. 44 Probably a Persian title. It was the policy of the Persian rulers to send to each province a military commander and a civil governor, each personally responsible to the king. 49 Cf. § 147, note ". 4o The exact meaning of these titles can only be conjectured. They apparently designate minor Persian officials. 49 Perhaps the colonists from the southern Babylonian city of Uruk. u 49 Or, the Dehaites. 410 Aram., Osnappar. Aramaic Document con mal ac tion 11This is the copy of the letter that they sent to Artaxerxes the king: Thy Letter servants the men of the province beyond the River. And now 12be it known taining to the king, that the Jews who have come up from you to us, have arrived the forat Jerusalem. This rebellious and bad city they are rebuilding and have cusafinished its walls and repaired the foundations. 13And now be it known to the king, that, if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, they will not pay custom or toll, and it will impair the royal income.w 14Now because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not proper for us to see the king suffer loss, therefore have we sent and informed the king, 15that search may be made in the books of the records of your fathers; then will you find in the books of the records and know that this city is a rebellious city and one that brings harm to kings and provinces and that the Jews have been rebellious in it from ancient times, for which cause this city was laid waste. 16 Therefore now we declare to the king that, if this city is rebuilt, and its walls finished, you will have as a result no portion in the lands beyond the River. 17Then the king sent a message to Rehum the commander and to Shim- The shai the scribe and to the rest of their associates who dwelt in Samaria and comin the rest of the province beyond the River: Greeting, and as follows:d mand 18The letter which you sent to us has been plainly read before me. 19 And the reI gave command and search has been made, and it has been found that this city from ancient times has been rebellious against kings and that rebellion Jeruand sedition have been stirred up in it. 20 There have been mighty kings also over Jerusalem, who have ruled over all the country beyond the River; and tribute, custom, and toll was paid to them. 21 Now give command building of the walls, but it plainly and repeatedly states, 8, 11, 23, that it belongs to the reign of Artaxerxes. If not so stated originally, it is incredible that the Chronicler would have changed it and put it in its present context. Since Nehemiah's words in 1 and 2 strongly suggest that no recent attempt had been made to rebuild the walls, Ezra 47-23 must refer to his own work. This is confirmed by the plain statements in the letter itself, 12, that the Jews, who had come up from Artaxerxes to Jerusalem, had already finished the walls and repaired the foundations and were going on to rebuild the city. The king's reply says nothing about the walls, presumably because they had been practically completed, but simply commands that further rebuilding of the city cease until he should issue a decree, 21. The first part of the section is in confusion. Vs. being in Heb., and, unlike the rest of the section using the term king of Persia, is evidently the Chronicler's epitome of the introduction to the Aramaic document. Many have been the reconstructions offered. The probability is that contains the list of local Palestinian officials who appealed to Artaxerxes. Their appeal would naturally be transmitted through the Persian rulers of the province beyond the River. The names of these are given in 8. This conclusion is confirmed by 17, for the king's reply is addressed to the two officials who wrote the letter and to the rest of their associates who dwelt at Samaria and in the rest of the province beyond the River. Of the names of the officials who appealed to Artaxerxes, one, Bishlam, is of doubtful derivation. Some have even regarded it as a title. Mithredath is a Persian name, probably of the local governor of Samaria. Tabeel appears to be the Aram. equivalent of Tobiah (el=jah), confirming still further the assignment of this chapter to the days of Nehemiah. The parallel in I Esdr. 215. 16 is much simpler and combines the names in 7, 8. It certainly indicates that the repetition in 8. 9 of the Heb. is due to the error of a copyist who apparently omitted in part of his list of names and then added them in 9, 10, repeating the entire list. Possibly the additional names and lists of officials and peoples in 9. 16 are themselves secondary. A certain formal and repetitious element, however, characterizes the document, and the greater brevity of I Esdr. may be due in part to abridgment. 413 Or deriving the word from a Babylonian or Persian root, in the future or, finally. * 415 I Esdr. 223 supplies the subject required in the Aram. b 416 Restoring the lost introduction found in I Esdr. 224. 416 So I Esdr. 224 and Syr. d 417 This represents an epitome of the address and introductory words which is characteristic of every oriental letter. king's to stop build ing of salem |