OET interlinear NEH 5:15

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

וְ⁠הַ⁠פַּחוֹת֩ הָ⁠רִאשֹׁנִ֨ים אֲשֶׁר־לְ⁠פָנַ֜⁠י

and,the,governors the,former which/who to/for=my=face/front

Former and before my face mean similar things. If it would be helpful in your language, you could combine them. Alternate translation: “The men who were governors before me”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / synecdoche

לְ⁠פָנַ֜⁠י

to/for=my=face/front

Here face describes an entire person by reference to one part of them, the “face.” Alternate translation: “before me”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

הִכְבִּ֣ידוּ עַל־הָ⁠עָ֗ם

laid_burdens on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in the,people

Here Nehemiah speaks as if these governors had been a great burden that the people were carrying, making their lives very difficult. Alternate translation: “made life very difficult for the people”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וַ⁠יִּקְח֨וּ מֵ⁠הֶ֜ם בְּ⁠לֶ֤חֶם וָ⁠יַ֨יִן֙ אַחַר֙ כֶּֽסֶף־שְׁקָלִ֣ים אַרְבָּעִ֔ים

and=they_took from=them in/on/at/with,food and,wine after silver shekels forty

After indicates that the supplies of bread and wine were in addition to the money. Nehemiah is likely describing what the former governors required of the people each day. If it would be helpful in your language, you could say that explicitly. Alternate translation: “They demanded that they supply them with bread and wine and forty silver shekels every day.”

Note 5 topic: translate-bmoney

כֶּֽסֶף־שְׁקָלִ֣ים אַרְבָּעִ֔ים

silver shekels forty

In ancient times, a silver shekel weighed about 11 grams or about a third of an ounce. You could try to express this in terms of modern money values, but if you did, that could cause your Bible translation to become outdated and inaccurate over time, since those values can change from year to year. Instead, you could say something general like “40 silver coins,” or give the equivalent weight, or use the biblical term in the text and give the weight in a note.

Note 6 topic: translate-numbers

כֶּֽסֶף־שְׁקָלִ֣ים אַרְבָּעִ֔ים

silver shekels forty

Alternate translation: “forty silver shekels” or “40 pieces of silver”

גַּ֥ם נַעֲרֵי⁠הֶ֖ם שָׁלְט֣וּ עַל־הָ⁠עָ֑ם

also/yet servants,their mastered on/upon/above/on_account_of//he/it_went_in the,people

Alternate translation: “Even their servants oppressed the people.”

Note 7 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

וַ⁠אֲנִי֙ לֹא־עָשִׂ֣יתִי כֵ֔ן מִ⁠פְּנֵ֖י יִרְאַ֥ת אֱלֹהִֽים

and,I not do so from=face/in_front_of fear ʼElohīm

In this sentence, If it would be helpful in your language, you could put the reason before the result. Alternate translation: “But because of my fear of God, I did not take the food”

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

מִ⁠פְּנֵ֖י יִרְאַ֥ת אֱלֹהִֽים

from=face/in_front_of fear ʼElohīm

Here, face represents Nehemiah’s personal perception. “Fearing” God does not mean being afraid of God, but recognizing that God deserves respect and honor. Nehemiah is speaking of this perception figuratively, as if this recognition was always directly in front of him in a place where he could see it. He means that he was always aware of it. Alternate translation: “because I knew I needed to respect God”