These sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but it was not found: therefore were they, as polluted, put from the priesthood.

And he read therein before the street that was before the water-gate from the morning until mid-day, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the book of the law.

And all the congregation of them that had returned from the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Jeshua the son of Nun to that day, had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.

Also day by day, from the first day to the last day, he read in the book of the law of God. And they kept the feast seven days; and on the eighth day was a solemn assembly, according to the manner.

And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers.

Thou art the LORD the God, who chosest Abram, and broughtest him forth from Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham;

Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spokest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments:

And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.

Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way in which they should go.

Thou gavest also thy good spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst.

Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who distressed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried to thee, thou hearedest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them deliverers, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.

But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore thou leftest them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had the dominion over them: yet when they returned and cried to thee, thou hearedest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies;

For they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.

And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the porters, the singers, the Nethinims, and all they that had separated themselves from the people of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons, and their daughters, every one having knowledge, and having understanding;

Zanoah, Adullam, and in their villages, at Lachish, and its fields, at Azekah, and in its villages. And they dwelt from Beer-sheba to the valley of Hinnom.

The children also of Benjamin from Geba dwelt at Michmash, and Aija, and Beth-el, and in their villages.

And the sons of the singers assembled, both out of the plain country around Jerusalem, and from the villages of Netophathi;

Also from the house of Gilgal, and from the fields of Geba and Azmaveth: for the singers had built them villages around Jerusalem.

And the other company of them that gave thanks went over against them, and I after them, and the half of the people upon the wall, from beyond the tower of the furnaces even to the broad wall;

And from above the gate of Ephraim, and above the old gate, and above the fish-gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, even to the sheep-gate: and they stood still in the prison-gate.

Now it came to pass, when they had heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude.

Then I testified against them, and said to them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth they came no more on the sabbath.

And one of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite: therefore I chased him from me.

Thus I cleansed them from all strangers, and appointed the wards of the priests and the Levites, every one in his business;

Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus who reigned from India even to Cush, over a hundred and seven and twenty provinces:)

And they gave them drink in vessels of gold, (the vessels being diverse one from another,) and royal wine in abundance, according to the state of the king.

If it pleaseth the king, let a royal commandment go from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it be not altered, That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate to another that is better than she.

Who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captivity which had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.

And the maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness from him; and he speedily gave her her things for purification, with such things as belonged to her, and seven maidens who were meet to be given her, out of the king's house: and he preferred her and her maids to the best place of the house of the women.

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.

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

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

So Esther's maids and her chamberlains came and told it to her. Then was the queen exceedingly grieved; and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him: but he received it not.

For if thou shalt altogether hold thy peace at this time, then will there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house will be destroyed: and who knoweth, whether thou hast come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace-garden: and 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.

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

Then were the king's scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day of it; and it was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India to Cush, a hundred twenty and seven provinces, to every province according to the writing of it, and to every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.

And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced, and was glad:

But the other Jews that were in the king's provinces assembled, 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 in which the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned to 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.

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 memorial of them perish from their seed.

And the LORD said to Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down upon it.

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

While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God hath fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I only have escaped alone to tell thee.

And behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only have escaped alone to tell thee.

And said, Naked came I from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

And the LORD said to Satan, Whence comest thou? and Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down upon it.

So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to his crown.

Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him, and to comfort him.

Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.

Because it prevented not my birth, nor hid sorrow from my eyes.

Why died I not from the womb? why did I not expire at the time of my birth?

There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary are at rest.

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

If we essay to commune with thee, wilt thou be grieved? but who can refrain from speaking?

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

They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it.

His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them.

Although affliction cometh not forth from the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;

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

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

Thou shalt be hid from the scourge of the tongue: neither shalt thou be afraid of destruction when it cometh.

Is not my help in me? and is wisdom driven quite from me?

To him that is afflicted pity should be shown from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.

Or, Deliver me from the enemy's hand? or, Redeem me from the hand of the mighty?

When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro to the dawning of the day.

How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow my spittle?

If he shall destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.

Let him take away his rod from me, and let not his fear terrify me:

If I sin, then thou markest me, and thou wilt not acquit me from my iniquity.

Why then hast thou brought me forth from the womb? O that I had expired, and no eye had seen me!

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

Only do not two things to me: then will I not hide myself from thee.

Withdraw thy hand far from me: and let not thy dread make me afraid.

Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble?

Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as a hireling, his day.

As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:

Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it:

For thou hast hid their heart from understanding: therefore shalt thou not exalt them.

His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street.

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

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

He hath put my brethren far from me, and my acquaintance are verily estranged from me.

He shall flee from the iron weapon, and the bow of steel shall strike him through.

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

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

Therefore they say to God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.

Lo, their good is not in their hand: the counsel of the wicked is far from me.

For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for naught, and stripped the naked of their clothing.

Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withheld bread from the hungry.

Who said to God, depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them!

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

Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thy heart.

If thou shalt return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.

There the righteous might dispute with him; so should I be delivered for ever from my judge.

Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither hath he covered the darkness from my face.

Why, seeing times are not hid from the Almighty, do they that know him not see his days?

They pluck the fatherless from the breast, and take a pledge of the poor.

They cause him to go naked without clothing, and they take away the sheaf from the hungry;