Hear, O our God; for we are despised: and turn their reproach upon their own head, and give them for a prey in the land of captivity:

And we pray unto our God, and appoint a watch against them, by day and by night, because of them.

And Judah saith, 'The power of the burden-bearers hath become feeble, and the rubbish is abundant, and we are not able to build on the wall.'

They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon.

Now there was a great outcry of the [poorer] people and their wives against their Jewish brothers [to whom they were deeply in debt].

But some said, "Let us borrow money of the king's tribute for our lands and vineyards.

Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought unto bondage already: neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards.

I likewise, and my brethren, and my servants, might exact of them money and corn: I pray you, let us leave off this usury.

Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the corn, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.

Moreover from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year even to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, [that is], twelve years, I and my brothers have not eaten the bre

But the former governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the people, and had taken of them bread and wine, beside forty shekels of silver; yea, even their servants bare rule over the people: but so did not I, because of the fear of God.

And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun be hot; and while they stand by, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one in his watch, and every one to be over against his house.

So You handed them over to their enemies,
who oppressed them.
In their time of distress, they cried out to You,
and You heard from heaven.
In Your abundant compassion
You gave them deliverers, who rescued them
from the power of their enemies.

But as soon as they had relief,
they again did what was evil in Your sight.
So You abandoned them to the power of their enemies,
who dominated them.
When they cried out to You again,
You heard from heaven and rescued them
many times in Your compassion.

Yet many years didst thou bear with them, and testifiedst against them by thy Spirit through thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.

And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have power over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great distress.

and their brothers, mighty men of power, were a hundred and twenty-eight. And their overseer was Zabdiel, the son of one of the great men.

and in Hazar-shual, and in Beer-sheba and the towns thereof,

Zanoah, Adullam, and their villages, Lachish and the fields thereof, Azekah and the towns thereof. So they encamped from Beer-sheba unto the valley of Hinnom.

In the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him:

And for a long time, even a hundred and eighty days, he let them see all the wealth and the glory of his kingdom and the great power and honour which were his.

And the drink was carried in vessels of gold, and there was ever change of vessel. And the king's wine was much according to the power of the king.

For he sent letters into all the king's provinces, into every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language, that every man should bear rule in his own house, and that it should be published according to the language of every people.

After these things, did King Ahasuerus promote to power Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and exalted him, - and placed his seat above all the rulers who were with him.

In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar.

The king's scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and all that Haman commanded was written to the regional authorities of the king, to the governors who were over each province, and to the officials of each people. This order was translated in the name of King Ahasuerus into the language of each province and bore the seal of the king's signet ring.

And the letters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey.

and Haman recounted unto them the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, - and all the things wherein the king had promoted him to power, and how he had advanced him, above the rulers and the servants of the king.

And Mordecai came again to the king's gate, but Haman gat him home in all the haste, mourning bare-headed,

For {how can I bear} to look on the disaster that will find my people, and {how can I bear} to look on the destruction of my family?"

Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,

Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)

For Mordecai exercised great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful.

the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the oppressor of the Jews, they slew; but they laid not their hands on the prey.

For the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men at Shushan; but on the prey they laid not their hand.

But the other Jews that were in the king's provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey,

As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.

Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them;

Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,

Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full power and authority to confirm this second letter about Purim.

And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job. And that man was pure and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.

And his possession will be seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred pair of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and service exceedingly much; and that man shall be great above all the sons of the east.

So the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a pure and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil."

The work of his hands Thou hast blessed, and his substance hath spread in the land, and yet, put forth, I pray Thee, Thy hand, and strike against anything that he hath -- if not: to Thy face he doth bless Thee!'

And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a pure and upright man, one who fears God and turns away from evil. And he still holds firmly to his integrity, so that you stirred me up to destroy him without reason."

Yet, put forth, I pray Thee, Thy hand, and strike unto his bone and unto his flesh -- if not: unto Thy face he doth bless Thee!'

So Yahweh said to Satan, "{All right}, he [is] in your {power}. Only spare his life."

Because it shut not up the doors of the womb that bore me, and hid not trouble from mine eyes.

Why died I not from the womb? Why did I not give up the ghost when my mother bare me?

There the wicked have ceased troubling, And there rest do the wearied in power.

I sigh when food is put before me,
and my groans pour out like water.

Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?

The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, and the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad.

Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?

Call, I pray thee! Is there any that answereth thee? and to which of the holy ones wilt thou turn?

Their produce is taken by him who has no food, and their grain goes to the poor, and he who is in need of water gets it from their spring.

But he saveth the poor from the sword, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty.

So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.

In famine he shall redeem thee from death: and in war from the power of the sword.

Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder?

that He would decide to crush me,
to unleash His power and cut me off!

What is my power that I should hope? And what mine end That I should prolong my life?

Is not my power to help myself nothing, and has not every resource been driven from me?

Is it because I said, Give to me? And, By your power bribe for me?

or “Deliver me from the enemy’s power”
or “Redeem me from the grasp of the ruthless”?

Do ye take deliberacy to check men's sayings, and judge a poor word spoken in vain?

Return, I pray you, let it not be iniquity; yea, return again, my righteousness is in it.

“If your children have sinned against Him,
Then He has handed them over to the power of their transgression and punished them.

If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.

For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:

Wise in heart and strong in power -- Who hath hardened toward Him and is at peace?

That maketh the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south;

Behold, he seizeth the prey , who can hinder him? Who will say unto him, What doest thou?

If of power, lo, the Strong One; And if of judgment -- who doth convene me?

The land is given into the power of the evil-doer; the faces of its judges are covered; if not by him, then who has done it?

They are passed away as the swift ships: as the eagle that hasteth to the prey.

Remember, I pray Thee, That as clay Thou hast made me, And unto dust Thou dost bring me back.

Dost Thou not as milk pour me out? And as cheese curdle me?

And it increaseth: thou huntest me as a fierce lion; and ever again thou shewest thy marvellous power upon me.

For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes.

“The tents of the destroyers prosper;
And those who provoke God are [apparently] secure,
Whom God brings into their power.

And yet, ask, I pray thee, One of the beasts, and it doth shew thee, And a fowl of the heavens, And it doth declare to thee.

With him there is wisdom and strength; power and knowledge are his.

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

He puts shame on chiefs, and takes away the power of the strong;

Hear, I pray you, my argument, And to the pleadings of my lips attend,

Wherefore do I bear my flesh in my teeth, and put my soul in my hands?

Lo, I pray you, I have set in order the cause, I have known that I am righteous.

“Will You cause a windblown leaf to tremble?
Will You pursue the chaff of the dry stubble?

Who can produce something pure from what is impure?
No one!

What is man, that he should be pure? and he that is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

Behold, he putteth no trust in his holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in his sight:

He hath no confidence to come back out of darkness, he, being destined to the power oft the sword;

To conceive misery, and to bear iniquity, Even their heart doth prepare deceit.

God gives me over to the power of sinners, sending me violently into the hands of evil-doers.

His multitudes will surround upon me, he will cleave my reins asunder, and not spare; he will pour my gall upon the earth.

Not for any injustice in mine hands: also my prayer is pure.

My friends scoff at me. My eyes pour out tears to God,