14Moreover, from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, until his thirty-second year—twelve years—neither I nor my brothers ate the food allotted to the governor. 15But the earlier governors—those preceding me—placed a heavy burden on the people and took forty shekels That is, about 1 pound or about 460 grams of silver from them in addition to food and wine. Their assistants also lorded it over the people. But out of reverence for God I did not act like that.