Nehemiah 5:15-17

The Voice

¹⁵ Every governor who had come before me had exploited his authority and levied a stiff tax—a pound of silver a day—and taken food and wine to supply his own table, often using unmerciful servants to extract this payment. But my fear of the True God kept me from ever acting in the same way. ¹⁶ (All my attention and resources were devoted to rebuilding the wall. Land acquisition was not the goal of my followers or me.) ¹⁷ I went beyond that, however. I also supplied food for 150 Jews and officials—in addition to diplomats from the surrounding pagan nations.