ΕΣΔΡΑΣ 15

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¹Καὶ ἡ κραυγὴ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ γυναικῶν αὐτῶν μεγάλη πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς αὐτῶν τοὺς Ἰουδαίους.

²Καὶ ἦσάν τινες λέγοντες, ἐν υἱοῖς ἡμῶν καὶ ἐν θυγατράσιν ἡμῶν ἡμεῖς πολλοὶ, καὶ λημψόμεθα σῖτον καὶ φαγόμεθα καὶ ζησόμεθα.

³Καὶ εἰσί τινες λέγοντες, ἀγροὶ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀμπελῶνες ἡμῶν καὶ οἰκίαι ἡμῶν, ἡμεῖς διεγγυῶμεν καὶ ληψόμεθα σῖτον καὶ φαγόμεθα.

⁴Καὶ εἰσί τινες λέγοντες, ἐδανεισάμεθα ἀργύριον εἰς φόρους τοῦ βασιλέως, ἀγροὶ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀμπελῶνες ἡμῶν καὶ οἰκίαι ἡμῶν.

⁵Καὶ νῦν ὡς σὰρξ ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν, σὰρξ ἡμῶν· ὡς υἱοὶ αὐτῶν, υἱοὶ ἡμῶν· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἡμεῖς καταδυναστεύομεν τοὺς υἱοὺς ἡμῶν καὶ τὰς θυγατέρας ἡμῶν εἰς δούλους, καὶ εἰσὶν ἀπὸ θυγατέρων ἡμῶν καταδυναστευόμεναι, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι δύναμις χειρῶν ἡμῶν, καὶ ἀγροὶ ἡμῶν καὶ ἀμπελῶνες ἡμῶν τοῖς ἐντίμοις.

⁶Καὶ ἐλυπήθην σφόδρα καθὼς ἤκουσα τὴν κραυγὴν αὐτῶν καὶ τοὺς λόγους τούτους.

⁷Καὶ ἐβουλεύσατο καρδία μου ἐπʼ ἐμέ· καὶ ἐμαχεσάμην πρὸς τους ἐντίμους καὶ τοὺς ἄρχοντας, καὶ εἶπα αὐτοῖς, ἀπαιτήσει ἀνὴρ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, ἃ ὑμεῖς ἀπαιτεῖτε; καὶ ἔδωκα ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς ἐκκλησίαν μεγάλην,

⁸καὶ εἶπα αὐτοῖς, ἡμεῖς κεκτήμεθα τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἡμῶν τοὺς Ἰουδαίους τοὺς πωλουμένους τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐν ἑκουσίῳ ἡμῶν· καὶ ὑμεῖς πωλεῖτε τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ὑμῶν, καὶ παραδοθήσονται ἡμῖν; καὶ ἡσύχασαν, καὶ οὐχ εὕροσαν λόγον.

⁹Καὶ εἶπα, οὐκ ἀγαθὸς ὁ λόγος ὃν ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε· οὐχ οὕτως ἐν φόβῳ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἀπελεύσεσθε ἀπὸ ὀνειδισμοῦ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἡμῶν.

¹⁰Καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί μου καὶ οἱ γνωστοί μου καὶ ἐγὼ ἐθήκαμεν αὐτοῖς ἀργύριον καὶ σῖτον· ἐγκατελίπωμεν δὴ τὴν ἀπαίτησιν ταύτην.

¹¹Ἐπιστρέψατε δὴ αὐτοῖς ὡς σήμερον ἀγροὺς αὐτῶν καὶ ἀμπελῶνας αὐτῶν καὶ ἐλαιῶνας αὐτῶν καὶ οἰκίας αὐτῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀργυρίου τὸν σῖτον καὶ τὸν οἶνον καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον ἐξενέγκατε ἑαυτοῖς.

¹²Καὶ εἶπαν, ἀποδώσομεν, καὶ παρʼ αὐτῶν οὐ ζητήσομεν, οὕτως ποιήσομεν καθὼς σὺ λέγεις· καὶ ἐκάλεσα τοὺς ἱερεῖς καὶ ὥρκισα αὐτοὺς ποιῆσαι ὡς τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο.

¹³Καὶ τὴν ἀναβολήν μου ἐξετίναξα, καὶ εἶπα, οὕτως ἐκτινάξαι ὁ Θεὸς πάντα ἄνδρα, ὃς οὐ στήσει τὸν λόγον τοῦτον, ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκ κόπου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσται οὕτως ἐκτετιναγμένος καὶ κενός· καὶ εἶπε πᾶσα ἡ ἐκκλησία, ἀμην· καὶ ᾔνεσαν τὸν Κύριον· καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ λαὸς τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο.

¹⁴Ἀπὸ ἡμέρας ἧς ἐνετείλατό μοι εἶναι εἰς ἄρχοντα αὐτῶν ἐν γῇ Ἰούδα, ἀπὸ ἔτους εἰκοστοῦ καὶ ἕως ἔτους τριακοστοῦ καὶ δευτέρου τῷ Ἀρθασασθὰ ἔτη δώδεκα, ἐγὼ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοί μου βίαν αὐτῶν οὐκ ἔφαγον.

¹⁵Καὶ τὰς βίας τὰς πρώτας ἃς πρὸ ἐμοῦ ἐβάρυναν ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐλάβοσαν παρʼ αὐτῶν ἐν ἄρτοις καὶ ἐν οἴνῳ ἔσχατον ἀργύριον δίδραχμα τεσσαράκοντα· καὶ οἱ ἐκτετιναγμένοι αὐτῶν ἐξουσιάζονται ἐπὶ τὸν λαόν· κᾀγὼ οὐκ ἐποίησα οὕτως ἀπὸ προσώπου φόβου Θεοῦ.

¹⁶Καὶ ἐν ἔργῳ τοῦ τείχους τούτων οὐκ ἐκράτησα, ἀγρὸν οὐκ ἐκτησάμην, καὶ πάντες οἱ συνηγμένοι ἐκεῖ ἐπὶ τὸ ἔργον.

¹⁷Καὶ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἑκατὸν καὶ πεντήκοντα ἄνδρες, καὶ ἐρχόμενοι πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν τῶν κύκλῳ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τράπεζάν μου.

¹⁸Καὶ ἦν γινόμενον εἰς ἡμέραν μίαν μόσχος εἷς, καὶ πρόβατα ἓξ ἐκλεκτὰ καὶ χίμαρος ἐγίνοντό μοι· καὶ ἀναμέσον δέκα ἡμερῶν ἐν πᾶσιν οἶνος τῷ πλήθει· καὶ σὺν τούτοις ἄρτους τῆς βίας οὐκ ἐζήτησα, ὅτι βαρεῖα ἡ δουλεία ἐπὶ τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον.

¹⁹Μνήσθητί μου ὁ Θεὸς εἰς ἀγαθὸν πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησα τῷ λαῷ τούτῳ.