Still others were saying,“ We’ve had to borrow money. We needed it to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.

有的说：“我们已经指着田地、葡萄园，借了钱给王纳税。

有的说：“我们借了钱付田地和葡萄园的税给王。

有的说：“我们借了钱付田地和葡萄园的税给王。

有的说：“我们要借钱才能缴纳王对我们的田地和葡萄园征收的税。

有些人说：“我们为了要借钱向王纳税，只好抵押了我们的田地和葡萄园。

有的說：「我們已經指着田地、葡萄園，借了錢給王納稅。

有的說：「我們借了錢付田地和葡萄園的稅給王。

有的說：「我們借了錢付田地和葡萄園的稅給王。

有的說：「我們要借錢才能繳納王對我們的田地和葡萄園徵收的稅。

有些人說：“我們為了要借錢向王納稅，只好抵押了我們的田地和葡萄園。

有的說：『我們已把我們的田地和葡萄園作抵押去借銀錢來交王的貢物稅了。

或曰、我以田畝、及葡萄園、貸金納王之稅、

或曰、我之田園、已質於人、得金以納稅。

或曰、我已質田畝、葡萄園、貸銀以納王之稅、

Still others were saying,“ We have had to borrow money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.

And there were those who said,“ We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards.

And others said,“ We have had to borrow money on our fields and vineyards to pay our taxes.

Still others were saying,“ We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.

There also were those who said,“ We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our fields and our vineyards.

There were also those who said,“ We have borrowed money for the king’s tax on our lands and vineyards.

There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute upon our fields and our vineyards.

Still others were saying,“ We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.

There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute,[ and that upon] our lands and vineyards.

Then there were those who said,“ We have borrowed money to pay our taxes to the king on our fields and our vineyards.

There were also some who said,“ We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute using our fields and our vineyards as collateral.

Here is something else we want you to know. Suppose this city is rebuilt. And suppose its walls are made like new again. Then no more taxes, gifts or fees will be collected. And sooner or later there will be less money for you.

Jerusalem has had powerful kings. Some of them ruled over everything west of the Euphrates. Taxes, gifts and fees were paid to them.

The people of Ephraim didn’t drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer. The Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim to this day. But they are forced to work hard for the people of Ephraim.

But we have sinned against you. So its great harvest goes to the kings of Persia. You have placed them over us. They rule over our bodies and cattle just as they please. And we are suffering terribly.

You didn’t serve the Lord your God with joy and gladness when times were good.So he will send enemies against you. You will have to serve them. You will be hungry and thirsty. You will be naked and poor. The Lord will put the iron chains of slavery around your necks until he has destroyed you.

They were children of the people who had lived in the land before the Israelites came. Those people had been set apart to the Lord in a special way to be destroyed. But the Israelites hadn’t been able to kill all of them. Solomon forced them to work very hard as his slaves. And they still work for Israel as slaves to this day.

Here is something else I want you to know. You have no authority to collect taxes, gifts or fees from these people. You may not collect them from the priests, Levites or musicians. You may not collect them from those who guard the temple gates. You may not collect them from the temple servants. And you may not collect them from other workers at the house of God in Jerusalem.