And Zichri, a warrior of Ephraim, killed Maaseiah the king’s son, and Azrikam the governor of the house, and Elkanah, who was second [in power] to the king.

He also told (ordered) the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion that was due to the priests and Levites, so that they might [be free to] devote themselves to the Law of the Lord.

he decided, together with his officers and his soldiers, to stop up the water [supply] from the springs which were outside the city [by enclosing them with masonry and concealing them], and they helped him.

They shouted it loudly in the language of Judah to the people of Jerusalem who were on the wall, to frighten and terrify them, so that they might take the city [without a long siege].

And the Lord sent an angel who destroyed every brave warrior, commander, and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So the king returned to his own land in shame. And when he entered the house (temple) of his god, some of his own children killed him there with the sword.

And so in the matter of the envoys of the rulers of Babylon, who were sent to him to inquire about the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone only to test him, in order to know everything that was in his heart.

Because they have abandoned (rejected) Me and have burned incense to other gods, in order to provoke Me to anger with all the works of their hands, My wrath will be poured out on this place and it will not be extinguished.”’

Then they removed the burnt offerings, to distribute them to the sections of the fathers’ households of the lay people to offer to the Lord, as it is written in the Book of Moses. They did the same with the bulls.

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia—in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah—the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying,

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia [that is, the first year he ruled Babylon], in order to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah [the prophet], the Lord stirred up (put in motion) the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying:

There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem who have ruled over all the provinces west of the [Euphrates] River, and tax, custom, and toll were paid to them.

We also asked them their names so that we might notify you, and so that we might record the names of the men in charge.

and has extended His mercy and lovingkindness to me before the king, his advisers, and all the king’s mighty officials. I was strengthened and encouraged, for the hand of the Lord my God was upon me, and I gathered together outstanding men of Israel to go up with me [to Jerusalem].

Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river Ahava, so that we might humble ourselves before our God to seek from Him a safe journey for us, our children, and all our possessions.

He was hired for this reason, that I would be frightened and do as he said and sin, so that they would have [grounds to make] a malicious report in order to censure and disgrace me.

Then my God put it into my heart to assemble the nobles, the officials, and the people to be registered by genealogy. Then I found the register of the genealogy of those who came [from Babylon] first, and I found the following record:

“You divided the sea before them,
So that they passed through the midst of the sea on dry land;
You hurled their pursuers into the depths,
Like a stone into mighty and raging waters.

“They refused to listen and obey,
And did not remember Your wondrous acts which You had performed among them;
So they stiffened their necks and [in their rebellion] appointed a leader in order to return them to slavery in Egypt.
But You are a God of forgiveness,
Gracious and merciful and compassionate,
Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness;
And You did not abandon them.

“So their sons (descendants) went in and took possession of the land;
And You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites,
And You gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land,
To do with them as they pleased.

And You admonished them and warned them to turn them back to Your law.
Yet they acted presumptuously and arrogantly and did not heed Your commandments, but sinned against Your ordinances,
Which by keeping, a man will live.
But they turned a stubborn shoulder, stiffened their neck, and would not listen.

“Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps the covenant and lovingkindness,
Do not let all the hardship seem insignificant before You,
Which has come upon us, our kings, our princes, our priests, our prophets, our fathers and on all Your people,
Since the time of the kings of Assyria to this day.

and their brothers, brave men, 128. Their overseer was Zabdiel the son of Haggedolim [one of the great men].

He went [only] as far as the king’s gate, because no one was to enter the king’s gate dressed in sackcloth.

Mordecai also gave him a copy of the text of the decree which had been issued in Susa for the Jews destruction, so that he might show Esther and explain it to her, and order her to go in to the king to seek his favor and plead with him for [the lives of] her people.

In it the king granted the Jews who were in every city the right to assemble and to defend their lives; to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force that might attack them, their little children, and women; and to take the enemies’ goods as plunder,

And all the accomplishments of his authority and strength, and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai to which the king had raised him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Media and Persia?

“But God saves [the innocent] from the sword of the mouth of the devious,
And the poor from the hand of the mighty.

“Oh, that my grief could actually be weighed
And placed in the balances together with my tragedy [to see if my grief is the grief of a coward]!

“Oh that my request would come to pass,
And that God would grant me the thing that I long for!

“How long will you say these things?
And will the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?

“God is wise in heart and mighty in strength;
Who has [ever] defied or challenged Him and remained unharmed?

“If it is a matter of strength and power, behold, He is mighty!
And if of justice, who can summon and challenge Him?

“There is no arbitrator between us,
Who could lay his hand upon us both [would that there were].

“Let Him take His rod away from me,
And let not the dread and fear of Him terrify me.

“But I have intelligence and understanding as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
Who does not know such things as these [of God’s wisdom and might]?

“But [only] with Him are [perfect] wisdom and might;
He [alone] has [true] counsel and understanding.

“With Him are might and sound wisdom,
The misled and the misleader are His [and in His power].

“Oh, that you would be completely silent,
And that silence would be your wisdom!

“Oh, that a man would mediate and plead with God [for me]
Just as a man [mediates and pleads] with his neighbor and friend.

“Why do the wicked still live,
Become old, and become mighty in power?

“Oh, that I knew where I might find Him,
That I might [even] come to His seat!

“Yet God draws away the mighty by His power;
He rises, but no one has assurance of life.

“You have become harsh and cruel to me;
With the might of Your hand You [keep me alive only to] persecute me.

“No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin
By cursing my enemy and asking for his life.

“Shall one who hates justice [and is an enemy of right] govern?
And will you condemn Him who is just and mighty?

“In a moment they die, even at midnight
The people are shaken and pass away,
And the powerful are taken away without a [human] hand.

“He breaks mighty men without inquiry,
And sets others in their place.

“Because of the multitudes of oppressions the people cry out;
They cry for help because of the [violent] arm of the mighty.

“Behold, God is mighty, and yet does not despise anyone [nor regard any as trivial];
He is mighty in the strength and power of understanding.

“For He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’;
And [He speaks] to the showers and to the downpour [of His mighty rains], ‘Be strong.’

“Have you given the horse his might?
Have you clothed his neck with quivering and a shaking mane?

“[If you can do all this, Job, proving your divine power] then I [God] will also praise you and acknowledge
That your own right hand can save you.

“I will not keep silence concerning his limbs,
Nor his mighty strength, nor his orderly frame.

“When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid;
Because of the crashing they are bewildered.

“He looks on everything that is high [without terror];
He is monarch over all the sons of pride. [And now, Job, who are you who does not dare to disturb the beast, yet who dares resist Me, the beast’s creator? Everything under the heavens is Mine; therefore, who can have a claim against God?]”

Many are saying, “Oh, that we might see some good!”
Lift up the light of Your face upon us, O Lord.

Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babes You have established strength
Because of Your adversaries,
That You might silence the enemy and make the revengeful cease.

He crushes [his prey] and crouches;
And the unfortunate fall by his mighty claws.

You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me [in defeat],
And I silenced and destroyed those who hated me.

All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship;
All those who go down to the dust (the dead) will bow before Him,
Even he who cannot keep his soul alive.

Who is the King of glory?
The Lord strong and mighty,
The Lord mighty in battle.

Ascribe to the Lord, O sons of the mighty,
Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

The king is not saved by the great size of his army;
A warrior is not rescued by his great strength.

I will give You thanks in the great congregation;
I will praise You among a mighty people.

Strap Your sword on Your thigh, O mighty One,
In Your splendor and Your majesty!

God is our refuge and strength [mighty and impenetrable],
A very present and well-proved help in trouble.

The mighty One, God, the Lord, has spoken,
And summoned the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting [from east to west].

May our God come and not keep silent;
Fire devours before Him,
And around Him a mighty tempest rages.

Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?
The lovingkindness of God endures all day long.

Save me, O God, by Your name;
And vindicate me by Your [wondrous] power.

For it is not an enemy who taunts me—
Then I could bear it;
Nor is it one who has hated me who insolently exalts himself against me—
Then I could hide from him.

Do you indeed speak righteousness, O gods (heavenly beings)?
Do you judge fairly, O sons of men?

Look! They lie in wait for my life;
Fierce and powerful men [are uniting together to] launch an attack against me,
Not for my wrongdoing nor for any sin of mine, O Lord.

But as for me, I will sing of Your mighty strength and power;
Yes, I will sing joyfully of Your lovingkindness in the morning;
For You have been my stronghold
And a refuge in the day of my distress.

Who creates the mountains by His strength,
Being clothed with power,

Who rules by His might forever,
His eyes keep watch on the nations;
Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

You have ascended on high, You have led away captive Your captives;
You have received gifts among men,
Even from the rebellious also, that the Lord God may dwell there.

Your God has commanded your strength [your power in His service and your resistance to temptation];
Show Yourself strong, O God, who acted on our behalf.

To Him who rides in the highest heavens, the ancient heavens,
Behold, He sends out His voice, a mighty and majestic voice.

Ascribe strength to God;
His majesty is over Israel
And His strength is in the skies.

O God, You are awesome and profoundly majestic from Your sanctuary;
The God of Israel gives strength and power to His people.
Blessed be God!

Those who hate me without cause are more than the hairs of my head;
Those who would destroy me are powerful, being my enemies wrongfully;
I am forced to restore what I did not steal.

I will come with the mighty acts of the Lord God [and in His strength];
I will make mention of Your righteousness, Yours alone.

And even when I am old and gray-headed, O God, do not abandon me,
Until I declare Your [mighty] strength to this generation,
Your power to all who are to come.

You divided the [Red] Sea by Your strength;
You broke the heads of the sea monsters in the waters.

You broke open fountains and streams;
You dried up ever-flowing rivers.

The stouthearted have been stripped of their spoil,
They have slept the sleep [of death];
And none of the warriors could use his hands.

I will meditate on all Your works
And thoughtfully consider all Your [great and wondrous] deeds.

You have with Your [great] arm redeemed Your people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.

We will not hide them from their children,
But [we will] tell to the generation to come the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
And [tell of] His great might and power and the wonderful works that He has done.

That the generation to come might know them, that the children still to be born
May arise and recount them to their children,

That they should place their confidence in God
And not forget the works of God,
But keep His commandments,

And not be like their fathers—
A stubborn and rebellious generation,
A generation that did not prepare its heart to know and follow God,
And whose spirit was not faithful to God.

Man ate the bread of angels;
God sent them provision in abundance.

Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up Your power
And come to save us!

“So I gave them up to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk in [the path of] their own counsel.

Turn to me, and be gracious to me;
Grant Your strength [Your might and the power to resist temptation] to Your servant,
And save the son of Your handmaid.

For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord?
Who among the divine beings is like the Lord,

O Lord God of hosts, who is like You, O mighty Lord?
Your faithfulness surrounds You [as an intrinsic, unchangeable part of Your very being].

You have crushed Rahab (Egypt) like one who is slain;
You have scattered Your enemies with Your mighty arm.