Also therewere those whosaid,"We have borrowedmoneyfor the king'stax[on] our fieldsand our vineyards.
their descendantswhowere leftafterthem in the landwhomthe sonsof Israelwere unableto destroyutterly,from them Solomonleviedforcedlaborers,evento thisday.
"Nowlet it be knownto the king,that ifthat cityis rebuiltand the wallsare finished,they will not paytribute,customor toll,and it will damagethe revenueof the kings.
that mightykingshave ruledoverJerusalem,governingall[the provinces] beyondthe River,and that tribute,customand tollwere paidto them.
"We also informyou that it is not allowedto imposetax,tributeor toll[on] anyof the priests,Levites,singers,doorkeepers,Nethinimor servantsof thishouseof God.
Therewere others whosaid,"We are mortgagingour fields,our vineyardsand our housesthat we might getgrainbecause of the famine."
"Its abundantproduceis for the kingsWhomYou have setoverus because of our sins;They also ruleoverour bodiesAnd over our cattleas they please,So we are in greatdistress.
The richrulesover the poor,And the borrower[becomes] the lender'sslave.
But they did not driveout the Canaaniteswho livedin Gezer,so the Canaaniteslivein the midstof Ephraimto thisday,and they becameforcedlaborers.
