And you gave them bread from heaven when they were in need, and made water come out of the rock for their drink, and gave them orders to go in and take for their heritage the land which your hand had been lifted up to give them.

Even when they had made for themselves an ox of metal, and said, This is your God who took you up out of Egypt, and had done so much to make you angry;

And you gave your good spirit to be their teacher, and did not keep back your manna from their mouths, and gave them water when they had need of it.

And so you gave them up into the hands of their haters who were cruel to them: and in the time of their trouble, when they made their prayer to you, you gave ear to them from heaven; and in your great mercy gave them saviours, who made them free from the hands of their haters.

But when they had rest, they did evil again before you: so you gave them into the hands of their haters, who had rule over them: but when they came back and made their prayer to you, you gave ear to them from heaven; again and again, in your mercy, you gave them salvation;

And the priest, the son of Aaron, is to be with the Levites, when the Levites take the tenths: and the Levites are to take a tenth of the tenths into the house of our God, to the rooms, into the store-house;

The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, were listed as heads of families; and the priests, when Darius the Persian was king.

And when the time came for the wall of Jerusalem to be made holy, they sent for the Levites out of all their places to come to Jerusalem, to keep the feast with joy, and with praise and melody, with brass and corded instruments of music.

Because they did not give the children of Israel bread and water when they came to them, but got Balaam to put a curse on them: though the curse was turned into a blessing by our God.

In those days, I saw in Judah some who were crushing grapes on the Sabbath, and getting in grain and putting it on asses; as well as wine and grapes and figs and all sorts of goods which they took into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day: and I gave witness against them on the day when they were marketing food.

And so, when the streets of Jerusalem were getting dark before the Sabbath, I gave orders for the doors to be shut and not to be open again till after the Sabbath: and I put some of my servants by the door so that nothing might be taken in on the Sabbath day.

That in those days, when King Ahasuerus was ruling in Shushan, his strong town,

On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was glad with wine, he gave orders to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven unsexed servants who were waiting before Ahasuerus the king,

But when the servants gave her the king's order, Vashti the queen said she would not come: then the king was very angry, and his heart was burning with wrath.

For news of what the queen has done will come to the ears of all women, and they will no longer give respect to their husbands when it is said to them, King Ahasuerus gave orders for Vashti the queen to come before him and she came not.

And when this order, given by the king, is made public through all his kingdom (for it is great), all the wives will give honour to their husbands, great as well as small.

After these things, when the king's feelings were calmer, the thought of Vashti and what she had done and the order he had made against her, came back to his mind.

Who had been taken away from Jerusalem among those who had been made prisoner with Jeconiah, king of Judah, when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had taken him away.

And he had been a father to Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his father's brother: for she had no father or mother, and she was very beautiful; and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his daughter.

So when the order made by the king was publicly given out, and a number of girls had been placed in the care of Hegai in the king's house in Shushan, Esther was taken into the king's house and put in the care of Hegai, the keeper of the women.

Now every girl, when her turn came, had to go in to King Ahasuerus, after undergoing, for a space of twelve months, what was ordered by the law for the women (for this was the time necessary for making them clean, that is, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with sweet perfumes and such things as are needed for making women clean):

Now when the time came for Esther, the daughter of Abihail, his father's brother, whom Mordecai had taken as his daughter, to go in to the king, she made request for nothing but what Hegai, the king's servant and keeper of the women, had given her. And Esther was looked on kindly by all who saw her.

And when the virgins came together in the second house of the women, Mordecai took his seat in the doorway of the king's house.

Esther had still said nothing of her family or her people, as Mordecai had given her orders; for Esther did what Mordecai said, as when she was living with him.

And when the thing had been looked into, it was seen to be true, and the two of them were put to death by hanging on a tree: and it was put down in the records before the king.

Now when they had said this to him day after day and he gave no attention, they let Haman have news of it, to see if Mordecai's behaviour would be overlooked: for he had said to them that he was a Jew.

And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not go down before him and give him honour, Haman was full of wrath.

A copy of the writing, to be made public in every part of the kingdom, was sent out to all the peoples, so that they might be ready when that day came.

Now when Mordecai saw what was done, pulling off his robe, he put on haircloth, with dust on his head, and went out into the middle of the town, crying out with a loud and bitter cry.

And when the king saw Esther the queen waiting in the inner room, looking kindly on her he put out the rod of gold in his hand to her. So Esther came near and put her fingers on the top of the rod.

Then on that day Haman went out full of joy and glad in heart; but when he saw Mordecai in the king's doorway, and he did not get to his feet or give any sign of fear before him, Haman was full of wrath against Mordecai.

A copy of the writing, to be made public as an order in every division of the kingdom, was given out to all the peoples, so that the Jews might be ready when that day came to give punishment to their haters.

Now on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, when the time came for the king's order to be put into effect, on the very day when the haters of the Jews had been hoping to have rule over them; though the opposite had come about, and the Jews had rule over their haters;

But when the business was put before the king, he gave orders by letters that the evil design which he had made against the Jews was to be turned against himself; and that he and his sons were to be put to death by hanging.

And that those days were to be kept in memory through every generation and every family, in every division of the kingdom and every town, that there might never be a time when these days of Purim would not be kept among the Jews, or when the memory of them would go from the minds of their seed.

And there was a day when the sons of the gods came together before the Lord, and the Satan came with them.

And there was a day when his sons and daughters were feasting in the house of their oldest brother,

And this one was still talking when another came, and said, The fire of God came down from heaven, burning up the sheep and the goats and the young men completely, and I was the only one who got away safe to give you the news.

And this one was still talking when another came, and said, The Chaldaeans made themselves into three bands, and came down on the camels and took them away, putting the young men to the sword, and I was the only one who got away safe to give you the news.

And this one was still talking when another came, and said, Your sons and your daughters were feasting together in their oldest brother's house,

When a great wind came rushing from the waste land against the four sides of the house, and it came down on the young men, and they are dead; and I was the only one who got away safe to give you the news.

And there was a day when the sons of the gods came together before the Lord, and the Satan came with them.

And he said to her, You are talking like one of the foolish women. If we take the good God sends us, are we not to take the evil when it comes? In all this Job kept his lips from sin.

And lifting up their eyes when they were still far off, it did not seem that the man they saw was Job because of the change in him. And they gave way to bitter weeping, with signs of grief, and put dust on their heads.

Why did death not take me when I came out of my mother's body, why did I not, when I came out, give up my last breath?

Who are glad with great joy, and full of delight when they come to their last resting-place;

Have you ever seen destruction come to an upright man? or when were the god-fearing ever cut off?

In troubled thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep comes on men,

When there is need of food he will keep you from death, and in war from the power of the sword.

He will keep you safe from the evil tongue; and you will have no fear of wasting when it comes.

Does the ass of the fields give out his voice when he has grass? or does the ox make sounds over his food?

When I go to my bed, I say, When will it be time to get up? but the night is long, and I am turning from side to side till morning light.

When I say, In my bed I will have comfort, there I will get rest from my disease;

When it is still green, without being cut down, it becomes dry and dead before any other plant.

The time will come when your mouth will be full of laughing, and cries of joy will come from your lips.

And so a hollow-minded man will get wisdom, when a young ass of the field gets teaching.

Truly, there is no building up of what is pulled down by him; when a man is shut up by him, no one may let him loose.

If only you would keep me safe in the underworld, putting me in a secret place till your wrath is past, giving me a fixed time when I might come to your memory again!

Even young children have no respect for me; when I get up their backs are turned on me.

Have you knowledge of this from early times, when man was placed on the earth,

Even when his wealth is great, he is full of care, for the hand of everyone who is in trouble is turned against him.

For what interest has he in his house after him, when the number of his months is ended?

Why then do you give me comfort with words in which there is no profit, when you see that there is nothing in your answers but deceit?

For you have taken your brother's goods when he was not in your debt, and have taken away the clothing of those who have need of it.

For what is the hope of the sinner when he is cut off, when God takes back his soul?

Will his cry come to the ears of God when he is in trouble?

When those of his house who are still living come to their end by disease, they are not put into the earth, and their widows are not weeping for them.

He makes a deep mine far away from those living in the light of day; when they go about on the earth, they have no knowledge of those who are under them, who are hanging far from men, twisting from side to side on a cord.

When he made a weight for the wind, measuring out the waters;

When he made a law for the rain, and a way for the thunder-flames;

If only I might again be as I was in the months which are past, in the days when God was watching over me!

When his light was shining over my head, and when I went through the dark by his light.

As I was in my flowering years, when my tent was covered by the hand of God;

When my steps were washed with milk, and rivers of oil were flowing out of the rock for me.

When I went out of my door to go up to the town, and took my seat in the public place,

For when it came to their ears, men said that I was truly happy; and when their eyes saw, they gave witness to me;

For I was a saviour to the poor when he was crying for help, to the child with no father, and to him who had no supporter.

I was laughing at them when they had no hope, and the light of my face was never clouded by their fear.

If I did wrong in the cause of my man-servant, or my woman-servant, when they went to law with me;

What then will I do when God comes as my judge? and what answer may I give to his questions?

If my hand had been lifted up against him who had done no wrong, when I saw that I was supported by the judges;

If, when I saw the sun shining, and the moon moving on its bright way,

If I was glad at the trouble of my hater, and gave cries of joy when evil overtook him;

And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, he was very angry.

In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep comes on men, while they take their rest on their beds;

How much less when you say that you do not see him; that the cause is before him, and you are waiting for him.

Those who have no fear of God keep wrath stored up in their hearts; they give no cry for help when they are made prisoners.

You, whose clothing is warm, when the earth is quiet because of the south wind,

Where were you when I put the earth on its base? Say, if you have knowledge.

When the morning stars made songs together, and all the sons of the gods gave cries of joy?

Or where were you when the sea came to birth, pushing out from its secret place;

When I made the cloud its robe, and put thick clouds as bands round it,

When the earth becomes hard as metal, and is joined together in masses?

When they are stretched out in their holes, and are waiting in the brushwood?

Who gives in the evening the meat he is searching for, when his young ones are crying to God; when the young lions with loud noise go wandering after their food?

Is the number of their months fixed by you? or is the time when they give birth ordered by you?

When she is shaking her wings on high, she makes sport of the horse and of him who is seated on him.

When it comes to his ears he says, Aha! He is smelling the fight from far off, and hearing the thunder of the captains, and the war-cries.

Will anyone take him when he is on the watch, or put metal teeth through his nose?

When he gets ready for the fight, the strong are overcome with fear.