Now there was a famine and the poor came to Nehemiah in their vulnerable situation saying that they were being exploited by the nobles who were charging them interest upon loans which was contrary to the law, taking their children into slavery and they were being forced to mortgage their fields in order to pay their debts. In other words for many who had returned from exile in Babylon their lot had not improved! When Nehemiah heard this outcry of charges he confronted the nobles and told them straight that what they were doing was not right and he told them to stop charging interest and to return the confiscated fields and vineyards. The nobles agreed to do this, so Nehemiah summoned the priests to make the nobles and officials take an oath to fulfill their promise. Then during the 12 years that Nehemiah was governor he did not use all his food allowance so as not to be a burden on the people as previous governors had been.
Amém!
ReplyDeleteRoberto