Neh 4:17 Those who were rebuilding the wall and those who carried burdens took their load with one hand doing the work and the other holding a weapon.
Neh 4:18 As for the builders, each wore his sword girded at his side as he built, while the trumpeter stood near me.
Neh 4:19 I said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, "The work is great and extensive, and we are separated on the wall far from one another.
Neh 4:20 "At whatever place you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us."
Neh 4:21 ¶ So we carried on the work with half of them holding spears from dawn until the stars appeared.
Neh 4:22 At that time I also said to the people, "Let each man with his servant spend the night within Jerusalem so that they may be a guard for us by night and a laborer by day."
Neh 4:23 So neither I, my brothers, my servants, nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us removed our clothes, each took his weapon even to the water.
Neh 5:1 Now there was a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers.
Neh 5:2 For there were those who said, "We, our sons and our daughters are many; therefore let us get grain that we may eat and live."
Neh 5:3 There were others who said, "We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards and our houses that we might get grain because of the famine."
Neh 5:4 Also there were those who said, "We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards.
Neh 5:5 "Now our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers, our children like their children. Yet behold, we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters are forced into bondage already, and we are helpless because our fields and vineyards belong to others."
Neh 5:6 ¶ Then I was very angry when I had heard their outcry and these words.
Neh 5:7 I consulted with myself and contended with the nobles and the rulers and said to them, "You are exacting usury, each from his brother!" Therefore, I held a great assembly against them.
Neh 5:8 I said to them, "We according to our ability have redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?" Then they were silent and could not find a word to say.
Neh 5:9 Again I said, "The thing which you are doing is not good; should you not walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies?
Neh 5:10 "And likewise I, my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Please, let us leave off this usury.
Neh 5:11 "Please, give back to them this very day 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 exacting from them."
Neh 5:12 Then they said, "We will give it back and will require nothing from them; we will do exactly as you say." So I called the priests and took an oath from them that they would do according to this promise.
Neh 5:13 I also shook out the front of my garment and said, "Thus may God shake out every man from his house and from his possessions who does not fulfill this promise; even thus may he be shaken out and emptied." And all the assembly said, "Amen!" And they praised the LORD. Then the people did according to this promise.