⁸ I said to them, “·As much as possible [To the best of our ability], we have ·bought freedom for [redeemed] our fellow Jews who had been sold to ·foreigners [^Lthe Gentiles]. Now you are selling your fellow Jews to us [^Cthe creditors were selling their fellow Jews into slavery, requiring Nehemiah and others to buy them back]!” ·The leaders [^LThey] were ·quiet [silent] and ·had nothing [^Lcouldn’t find a word] to say.

⁹ Then I said, “What you are doing is not ·right [good]. ·Don’t you fear [^LShould you not walk in fear of] God [Prov. 1:7]? Don’t let our ·foreign [Gentile] enemies shame us. ¹⁰ I, my ·brothers [colleagues], and my ·men [servants] are lending money and grain to the people. But stop charging them ·for this [interest].