The accusation brought against the leaders in the assembly was that they sell their own brethren. This would seem to argue in favor of the meaning “taking pledges” in verse 7. This practice was being abused by actually seizing the persons and property when the loans were not repaid.

We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brethren who have been sold to the nations: Buying back from the nations (see the comments on the next verse) to which Jewish brethren (New Revised Standard Version “Jewish kindred”; Revised English Bible “fellow-Jews”; compare verse 1 above) had been sold may refer to the redemption of exiles from the Persian authorities or from the surrounding nations such as Tyre, Sidon and Philistia (see Joel 3.3-8). Some translations understand who have been sold to the nations to refer to people being forced to sell themselves (so Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible). Nehemiah says that the Jews have redeemed their own people from the nations as much as they were able to do so. As far as we are able does not refer to geographic distance but to capability, so it may be translated “as much as we are able.”

But you even sell your brethren that they may be sold to us: Nehemiah’s accusation is more serious than that their people had been sold to other nations. Now he even accuses the leaders of selling their people to other Jews. Although the rendering in Revised Standard Version is not very natural English, it expresses the most natural sense of the Hebrew text, which is also reflected in the Latin Vulgate. Traduction œcuménique de la Bible renders this “but you, you sell your brothers and it is to us ourselves that they are sold!” Bible en français courant translates similarly: “And now, you yourselves, you sell your own countrymen, and it is to people who are of our own people!” These are models that the translator may follow.

Nehemiah’s whole utterance in this verse is a very dramatic accusation that is heightened in Hebrew by the use of independent pronouns that show strong contrast: “We, we have bought back … but you, you even sell…!” Translators must express this emphatically using appropriate grammar, syntax and punctuation.

They were silent, and could not find a word to say: The response of the leaders contrasts with the victims’ actions that roused Nehemiah’s anger in verse 6. In place of an “outcry,” now there was silence; while the victims found “words” to tell about their suffering, the perpetrators found no word to defend themselves. Nehemiah’s rebuke left them speechless for they had no defense to make against his accusations. In some languages silent may be expressed by an ideophone, in others by an expression such as “their mouths were closed.” An equivalent to the second clause should also be found. Some translations explain the reason for their failure to respond to Nehemiah’s words (so Contemporary English Version “because they knew this was true”). If this is not necessary for comprehension, the explanation should remain implicit.

Quoted with permission from Noss, Philip A. and Thomas, Kenneth J. A Handbook on Nehemiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2005. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .