²⁵ “If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not treat it like a business deal; charge no interest.^(A)

⁶ When I heard their outcry and these charges, I was very angry. ⁷ I pondered them in my mind and then accused the nobles and officials. I told them, “You are charging your own people interest!”^(A) So I called together a large meeting to deal with them ⁸ and said: “As far as possible, we have bought^(B) back our fellow Jews who were sold to the Gentiles. Now you are selling your own people, only for them to be sold back to us!” They kept quiet, because they could find nothing to say.^(C)

⁹ So I continued, “What you are doing is not right. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach^(A) of our Gentile enemies?