many a cry of distress caused by the unjust means used by the pacha to
increase his stipend by putting fresh burdens on the people. The former
Jewish governors had made as much as forty shekels a day, or £1,800 a
year out of the people in their province. But when Nehemiah came to
Jerusalem, he found the people so poverty-stricken and oppressed that he
would not take a single penny for himself. It is probable that his
salary as cup-bearer had been continued, and on this he lived and kept
his household going all the time of his government. Not only so; not
only did Nehemiah pay all his private expenses, but he kept open house
for the people of Jerusalem; every day 150 of the rulers and chief men
dined with him, besides all the visitors to Jerusalem, Jews from other
countries, strangers from foreign nations who were staying but a short
time in the city, all of whom were invited to the governor's house, and
sat down at the governor's table.

Nehemiah himself gives us his daily bill of fare, ver. 18.

1 ox.
6 fat sheep.
Fowls without number.
A fresh supply of wine of all kinds stored in every tenth day.

It was no small expense to have above 150 men to dinner daily, yet for
all this Nehemiah took not a penny from his province, so touched was he
to the heart by the poverty of the people. Not only so, but all the time
the walls were being built he toiled away, and allowed all his household
servants to work both night and day, and yet looked for no payment or
compensation, ver. 16. Then besides all this, Nehemiah had been most
generous in the time of the famine; he had supplied the poor people with
money and with corn, and yet he had firmly refused to allow them to