Nehemiah 5:14-16

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Good and Bad Governors

¹⁴ Furthermore, from the day King Artaxerxes^(A) appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah—from the twentieth year until his thirty-second year, 12 years^(B)—I and my associates never ate from the food allotted to the governor. ¹⁵ The governors^(C) who preceded me had heavily burdened the people, taking food and wine from them, as well as a pound^[a] of silver. Their subordinates also oppressed the people, but I didn’t do this, because of the fear of God.^{(D) 16} Instead, I devoted myself to the construction of the wall,^(E) and all my subordinates were gathered there for the work. We didn’t buy any land.^(F)