who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.

The maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness from him. He quickly gave her cosmetics and her portions of food, and the seven choice maidens who were to be given her out of the king's house. He moved her and her maidens to the best place in the women's house.

In the first month, which 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, and chose the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.

The king took his ring from his hand, and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy.

For if you remain silent now, then relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. Who knows if you haven't come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

The king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into the palace garden. Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.

The king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

Then the king's scribes were called at that time, in the third month Sivan, on the twenty-third day of the month; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded to the Jews, and to the satraps, and the governors and officials of the provinces which are from India to Ethiopia, one hundred twenty-seven provinces, to every province according to its writing, and to every people in their language, and to the Jews in their writing, and in their language.

He wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king's ring, and sent letters by courier on horseback, riding on royal horses that were bread from swift steeds.

In every province, and in every city, wherever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had gladness, joy, a feast, and a good day. Many from among the peoples of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews was fallen on them.

The other Jews who were in the king's provinces gathered themselves together, defended their lives, had rest from their enemies, and killed seventy-five thousand of those who hated them; but they did not lay their hand on the plunder.

as the days in which the Jews had rest from their enemies, and the month which was turned to them from sorrow to gladness, and from mourning into a good day; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending presents of food to one another, and gifts to the needy.

Therefore they called these days "Purim," from the word "Pur." Therefore because of all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and that which had come to them,

and that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memory of them perish from their seed.

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

The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, "From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it."

The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant, Job? For there is none like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil."

The LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power. Only on himself do not put forth your hand." So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

While he was still speaking, there also came another, and said, "The fire of God has fallen from the sky, and has burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you."

and behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young men, and they are dead. I alone have escaped to tell you."

The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the LORD, and said, "From going back and forth in the earth, and from walking up and down in it."

The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? For there is none like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil. He still maintains his integrity, although you incited me against him, to ruin him without cause."

So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful sores from the sole of his foot to his head.

Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come on him, they each came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him.

When they lifted up their eyes from a distance, and did not recognize him, they raised their voices, and wept; and they each tore his robe, and sprinkled dust on their heads toward the sky.

Let that day be darkness. Do not let God from above seek for it, neither let the light shine on it.

because it did not shut up the doors of my mother's womb, nor did it hide trouble from my eyes.

"Why did I not die from the womb? Why did I not give up the spirit when my mother bore me?

There the wicked cease from troubling. There the weary are at rest.

The small and the great are there. The servant is free from his master.

"If someone ventures to talk with you, will you be grieved? But who can withhold himself from speaking?

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

His children are far from safety. They are crushed in the gate. Neither is there any to deliver them,

For affliction doesn't come forth from the dust, neither does trouble spring out of the ground;

But he saves from the sword of their mouth, even the needy from the hand of the mighty.

In famine he will redeem you from death; in war, from the power of the sword.

You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, neither shall you be afraid of destruction when it comes.

Isn't it that I have no help in me, That wisdom is driven quite from me?

"To him who is ready to faint, kindness should be shown from his friend; even to him who forsakes the fear of Shaddai.

Did I say, 'Give to me?' or, 'Offer a present for me from your substance?'

or, 'Deliver me from the adversary's hand?' or, 'Redeem me from the hand of the oppressors?'

How long will you not look away from me, nor leave me alone until I swallow down my spittle?

If he is destroyed from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, 'I have not seen you.'

Let him take his rod away from me. Let his terror not make me afraid;

if I sin, then you mark me. You will not acquit me from my iniquity.

I should have been as though I had not been. I should have been carried from the womb to the grave.

before I go where I shall not return from, to the land of darkness and of the shadow of death;

He takes away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth, and causes them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way.

"Only do not do two things to me; then I will not hide myself from your face:

withdraw your hand far from me; and do not let your terror make me afraid.

Look away from him, that he may rest, until he shall accomplish, as a hireling, his day.

As the waters fail from the sea, and the river wastes and dries up,

For when a few years are come, I shall go the way from whence I shall not return.

For you have hidden their heart from understanding, Therefore you shall not exalt them.

His memory shall perish from the earth. He shall have no name in the street.

He shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world.

He has stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head.

"He has put my brothers far from me. My acquaintances are wholly estranged from me.

Do you not know this from old time, since man was placed on earth,

He shall flee from the iron weapon. The bronze arrow shall strike him through.

This is the portion of a wicked man from God, the heritage appointed to him by God."

Their houses are safe from fear, neither is the rod of God upon them.

They tell God, 'Depart from us, for we do not want to know about your ways.

Behold, their prosperity is not in their hand. The counsel of the wicked is far from me.

For you have taken pledges from your brother for nothing, and stripped the naked of their clothing.

You haven't given water to the weary to drink, and you have withheld bread from the hungry.

who said to God, 'Depart from us;' and, 'What can Shaddai do for us?'

Yet he filled their houses with good things, but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

Please receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart.

If you return to Shaddai, you shall be built up, if you put away unrighteousness far from your tents.

There the upright might reason with him, so I should be delivered forever from my judge.

I haven't gone back from the commandment of his lips. I have treasured up the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither did he cover the thick darkness from my face.

There are those who pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor,

From out of the populous city, men groan. The soul of the wounded cries out, yet God doesn't regard the folly.

To whom have you uttered words? Whose spirit came forth from you?

Far be it from me that I should justify you. Until I die I will not put away my integrity from me.

"This is the portion of a wicked man with God, the heritage of oppressors, which they receive from Shaddai.

For it hurls at him, and does not spare, as he flees away from his hand.

He breaks open a shaft away from where people live. They are forgotten by the foot. They hang far from men, they swing back and forth.

Sapphires come from its rocks. It has dust of gold.

Seeing it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the birds of the sky.

To man he said, 'Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.'"

The princes refrained from talking, and laid their hand on their mouth.

They are gaunt from lack and famine. They gnaw the dry ground, in the gloom of waste and desolation.

They are driven out from the midst of men. They cry after them as after a thief;

They abhor me, they keep their distance from me, and do not hesitate to spit in my face.

My skin grows black and peels from me. My bones are burned with heat.

For what is the portion from God above, and the heritage from Shaddai on high?

"If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

(no, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, her have I guided from my mother's womb);

then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade, and my arm be broken from the bone.

For calamity from God is a terror to me. Because his majesty, I can do nothing.

and my heart has been secretly enticed, and my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,

That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man.

He keeps back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.

then God is gracious to him, and says, 'Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom.'

He has redeemed my soul from going into the pit. My life shall see the light.'

to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of the living.

"Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness, from Shaddai, that he should commit iniquity.