Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah's son, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph's son, the recorder.

And the singers the sons of Asaph were in their place, according to the commandment of David, and Asaph, and Heman, and Jeduthun the king's seer; and the gatekeepers waited at every gate; they did not need to depart from their service; for their brethren the Levites prepared for them.

Of the sons of Asaph; Zaccur, and Joseph, and Nethaniah, and Asharelah, the sons of Asaph under the direction of Asaph, who prophesied according to the order of the king.

And his brother Asaph, who stood on his right hand, even Asaph the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea,

Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, Jeiel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehiel, and Mattithiah, and Eliab, and Benaiah, and Obed-edom: and Jeiel with lyres and with harps; but Asaph made music with cymbals;

And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which pertains to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the temple that I shall enter into. And the king so granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

So he left there before the ark of the covenant of the LORD Asaph and his brethren, to minister before the ark continually, as every day's work required:

All these were under the direction of their father in the music in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, lyres, and harps, for the service of the house of God, according to the king's order to Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman.

Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;

And of the sons of Elizaphan; Shimri, and Jeuel: and of the sons of Asaph; Zechariah, and Mattaniah:

Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. And they sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped.

The singers: the children of Asaph, a hundred twenty and eight.

And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, they set the priests in their apparel with trumpets, and the Levites the sons of Asaph with cymbals, to praise the LORD, according to the ordinance of David king of Israel.

The singers: the children of Asaph, a hundred forty and eight.

And Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, was the leader to begin the thanksgiving in prayer: and Bakbukiah the second among his brethren, and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun.

The overseer also of the Levites at Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica, of the sons of Asaph, the singers, were over the business of the house of God.

And certain of the priests' sons with trumpets; namely, Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph:

For in the days of David and Asaph of old there was a leader of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving unto God.

Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

[A Psalm of Asaph.] The mighty God, even the LORD, has spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.

[A Psalm of Asaph.] Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.

[A maschil of Asaph.] O God, why have you cast us off forever? why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?

[To the Chief Musician, altaschith. A Psalm or Song of Asaph.] Unto you, O God, do we give thanks, unto you do we give thanks: for that your name is near, your wondrous works declare.

[To the Chief Musician on neginoth. A Psalm or Song of Asaph.] In Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel.

[To the Chief Musician. To Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.] I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.

[A maschil of Asaph.] Give ear, O my people, to my law: incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

And when they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder.

Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of Rab-shakeh.

[A Psalm of Asaph.] O God, the nations have come into your inheritance; your holy temple have they defiled; they have laid Jerusalem in ruins.

[To the Chief Musician upon shoshannim- Eduth. A Psalm of Asaph.] Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you that lead Joseph like a flock; you that dwell between the cherubim, shine forth.

[To the Chief Musician upon gittith. A Psalm of Asaph.] Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

[A Psalm of Asaph.] God stands in the congregation of the mighty; he judges among the gods.

[A Psalm or Song of Asaph.] Keep not silence, O God: hold not your peace, and be not still, O God.

And Bakbakkar, Heresh, and Galal, and Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of Zichri, the son of Asaph;

So the Levites appointed Heman the son of Joel; and of his brethren, Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of the sons of Merari their brethren, Ethan the son of Kushaiah;

So the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were appointed to sound with cymbals of bronze;

Then on that day David delivered first this psalm to thank the LORD into the hand of Asaph and his brethren.

Moreover David and the captains of the army separated for the service some of the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who should prophesy with harps, with lyres, and with cymbals: and the number of the workmen according to their service was:

Now the first lot came forth for Asaph to Joseph: the second to Gedaliah, who with his brethren and sons were twelve:

Concerning the divisions of the gatekeepers: Of the Korahites was Meshelemiah the son of Kore, of the sons of Asaph.

Also the Levites which were the singers, all of them of Asaph, of Heman, of Jeduthun, with their sons and their brethren, being arrayed in white linen, having cymbals and lyres and harps, stood at the east end of the altar, and with them a hundred and twenty priests sounding with trumpets:)

Write you also for the Jews, as it pleases you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse.

And if the man desires not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuses to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother.

And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.

And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the two maidservants' tents; but he found them not. Then went he out of Leah's tent, and entered into Rachel's tent.

Now it came to pass, that at whatsoever time the chest was brought unto the king's office by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king's scribe and the high priest's officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to its place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.

And if a man shall take his sister, his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he has uncovered his sister's nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.

But if the priest's daughter be a widow, or divorced, and have no child, and is returned unto her father's house, as in her youth, she shall eat of her father's food: but there shall no stranger eat of it.

Neither shall you desire your neighbor's wife, neither shall you covet your neighbor's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's.

Then the king's servants, who were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgress you the king's commandment?

Then were the king's scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king's satraps, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people according to their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king's ring.

And Gilead's wife bore him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, you shall not inherit in our father's house; for you are the son of another woman.

And Boaz said unto the elders, and unto all the people, You are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and all that was Chilion's and Mahlon's, of the hand of Naomi.

Choose the best and fittest of your master's sons, and set him on his father's throne, and fight for your master's house.

And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits tall; and in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear.

And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob has taken away all that was our father's; and of that which was our father's has he gotten all this wealth.

And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand: and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.

And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth.

And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.

You shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor any thing that is your neighbor's.

And if he knocks out his manservant's tooth, or his maidservant's tooth; he shall let him go free for his tooth's sake.

And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest's office in his father's stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments:

The nakedness of your father's wife shall you not uncover: it is your father's nakedness.

The nakedness of your son's daughter, or of your daughter's daughter, even their nakedness you shall not uncover: for theirs is your own nakedness.

The nakedness of your father's wife's daughter, begotten of your father, she is your sister, you shall not uncover her nakedness.

You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister: she is your father's near kinswoman.

You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister: for she is your mother's near kinswoman.

You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife: it is your brother's nakedness.

You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shall you take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness.

And the man that commits adultery with another man's wife, even he that commits adultery with his neighbor's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.

And the man that lies with his father's wife has uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.

And you shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister, nor of your father's sister: for he uncovers his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.

And if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife, he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.

And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing: he has uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

Only the firstling of the animals, which should be the LORD'S firstling, no man may dedicate it; whether it be ox, or sheep: it is the LORD'S.

And the Israelitish woman's son blasphemed the name of the LORD, and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses: (and his mother's name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan:)

Now because we receive support from the king's palace, and it was not proper for us to see the king's dishonor, therefore have we sent and informed the king;

And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quail from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, about a day's journey on this side, and about a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and about two cubits high above the face of the earth.

Your own friend, and your father's friend, forsake not; neither go into your brother's house in the day of your calamity: for better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off.

Many seek the ruler's favor; but every man's judgment comes from the LORD.

A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left.

And they delivered the king's orders unto the king's satraps, and to the governors on this side the river: and they aided the people, and the house of God.

Therefore you and your sons with you shall keep your priest's office for everything at the altar, and within the veil; and you shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a gift for service: and the stranger that comes near shall be put to death.

So it came to pass, when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the citadel, to the custody of Hegai, that Esther was brought also unto the king's house, to the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women.

In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king's gate, two of the king's eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, of those who kept the door, were angry, and sought to lay hands on king Ahasuerus.

One shall say, I am the LORD's; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall write on his hand, The LORD's, and surname himself by the name of Israel.

And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and paid homage to Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor paid him homage.

And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of your kingdom; and their laws are different from all people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to tolerate them.

And came even before the king's gate: for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.

All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden scepter, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.

Now it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on her royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, opposite the king's house: and the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, opposite the entrance of the house.

Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed on which Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face.

Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews who are in Shushan to do tomorrow also according unto this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows.