Nehemiah 5:12 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise.

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

Then they said, 'We will give everything back, and we won't demand anything more from them. We'll do exactly what you've said.' So I called the priests over and made the leaders swear an oath that they would keep this promise.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

The writer is describing how the wealthy leaders agreed to stop exploiting the poor and made a binding promise before God to restore what they had taken.

📚 Historical Context

This takes place during the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls after the Jewish exile to Babylon. Nehemiah had confronted wealthy Jews who were charging excessive interest and taking advantage of their poor neighbors during this difficult time. The involvement of priests in oath-taking made this promise especially sacred and binding in Jewish culture.

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