and when the king's edict which he shall make shall be heard throughout his realm for it is great all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, from the greatest to the least.

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.

And Haman said to king Ahasuerus, There is a people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from those of every people, and they keep not the king's laws; and 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.

And Esther's maids and her chamberlains came and told it her; and the queen was 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 altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there arise relief and deliverance to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall perish. And who knows whether thou art not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

On that night sleep fled from the king. And he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.

And the king in his wrath rose up from the banquet of wine, and went into the palace garden; but Haman stayed 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 thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews, and to the satraps, and the governors, and the princes of the provinces which are from India even to Ethiopia, a hundred and twenty-seven provinces, to every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people according to 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 mantle of byssus and purple; and the city of Shushan shouted and was glad.

And the other Jews that were in the king's provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their life, and had rest from their enemies; and they slew of them that hated them seventy-five thousand (but they laid not their hand on the prey),

as the days on which the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month that 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 observed throughout every generation, in 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 cease from among their seed.

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and this man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God and abstained from evil.

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

And Jehovah said to Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and abstaineth from evil?

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

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

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

And Jehovah said to Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

And Jehovah said to Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and abstaineth from evil? and still he remaineth firm in his integrity, though thou movedst me against him, to swallow him up without cause.

And Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah; and he smote Job with a grievous botch from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

And his wife said to him, Dost thou still remain firm in thine integrity? curse God and die.

But he said to her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. We have also received good from God, and should we not receive evil? In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

And three friends of Job heard of all this evil that was come upon him. And they came each one from his place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to condole with him and to comfort him.

That day let it be darkness, let not +God care for it from above, neither let light shine upon it:

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

Wherefore did I not die from the womb, come forth from the belly and expire?

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

The small and great are there, and the bondman freed from his master.

If a word were essayed to thee, wouldest thou be grieved? But who can refrain from speaking?

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

It stood still; I could not discern the appearance thereof: a form was before mine eyes; I heard a slight murmur and a voice:

From morning to evening are they smitten: without any heeding it, they perish for ever.

His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, and there is no deliverer:

For evil cometh not forth from the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground;

And he saveth the needy 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 hidden from the scourge of the tongue; and thou shalt not be afraid of destruction when it cometh.

Is it not that there is no help in me, and soundness is driven away from me?

For him that is fainting kindness is meet from his friend; or he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.

At the time they diminish, they are dried up; when heat affecteth them, they vanish from their place:

Did I say, Bring unto me, and make me a present from your substance?

Or, rescue me from the hand of the oppressor, and redeem me from the hand of the violent?

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

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

Let him take his rod away from me, and let not his terror make me afraid,

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

But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and all refuge shall vanish from them, and their hope shall be the breathing out of life.

Hold your peace from me, and I will speak, and let come on me what will!

Only do not two things unto me; then will I not hide myself from thee.

Withdraw thy hand far from me; and let not thy terror make me afraid:

Look away from him; and let him rest, till he accomplish, as a hireling, his day.

The waters recede from the lake, and the river wasteth and drieth up:

Which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hidden;

For thou hast hidden their heart from understanding; therefore thou wilt not exalt them.

His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name on the pasture-grounds.

He is 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 mine acquaintance are quite estranged from me.

And if after my skin this shall be destroyed, yet from out of my flesh shall I see +God;

If he have fled from the iron weapon, the bow of brass shall strike him through.

This is the portion of the 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.

And they say unto God, Depart from us, for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways!

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

Thou hast not given water to the fainting to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.

Who said unto God, Depart from us! and what could the Almighty do to them?

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

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

If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up. If thou remove unrighteousness far from thy tents,

There would an upright man reason with him; and I should be delivered for ever from my judge.

Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have laid up the words of his mouth more than the purpose of my own heart.

Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither hath he hidden the gloom from me.

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

Men groan from out of the city, and the soul of the wounded crieth out; and +God imputeth not the impiety.

For whom hast thou uttered words? and whose spirit came from thee?

Be it far from me that I should justify you; till I die I will not remove my blamelessness from me.

This is the portion of the wicked man with God, and the heritage of the violent, which they receive from the Almighty: --

He openeth a shaft far from the inhabitants of the earth: forgotten of the foot, they hang suspended; away below men they hover.

For it is hidden from the eyes of all living, and concealed from the fowl of the heavens.

And unto man he said, Lo, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Princes refrained from talking, and laid the hand on their mouth;

They are driven forth from among men they cry after them as after a thief --

They abhor me, they stand aloof from me, yea, they spare not to spit in my face.

The night pierceth through my bones and detacheth them from me, and my gnawing pains take no rest:

For what would have been my portion of +God from above, and what the heritage of the Almighty from on high?

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

(For from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, and I have guided the widow from my mother's womb;)

Then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder-blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone!

For calamity from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his excellency I was powerless.

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

He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from passing away by the sword.

His flesh is consumed away from view, and his bones that were not seen stick out;

Then he will be gracious unto him, and say, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.

He hath delivered my soul from going into the pit, and 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 hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: Far be wickedness from God, and wrong from the Almighty!

Because they have turned back from him, and would consider none of his ways;