So after hearing the law, they took out of Israel all the mixed people.

Had made ready for him a great room, where at one time they kept the meal offerings, the perfume, and the vessels and the tenths of the grain and wine and oil which were given by order to the Levites and the music-makers and the door-keepers, and the lifted offerings for the priests.

Then I gave orders, and they made the rooms clean: and I put back in them the vessels of the house of God, with the meal offerings and the perfume.

And I made controllers over the store-houses, Shelemiah the priest and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah: and with them was Hanan, the son of Zaccur the son of Mattaniah: they were taken to be true men and their business was the distribution of these things to their brothers.

In those days, I saw in Judah some who were crushing grapes on the Sabbath, and getting in grain and putting it on asses; as well as wine and grapes and figs and all sorts of goods which they took into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day: and I gave witness against them on the day when they were marketing food.

Then I gave witness against them and said, Why are you waiting all night by the wall? if you do so again I will have you taken prisoners. From that time they did not come again on the Sabbath.

And their children were talking half in the language of Ashdod; they had no knowledge of the Jews' language, but made use of the language of the two peoples.

Keep them in mind, O my God, because they have put shame on the priests' name and on the agreement of the priests and the Levites.

And they gave them drink in gold vessels, every vessel being different, and wine of the kingdom, freely given by the king.

For news of what the queen has done will come to the ears of all women, and they will no longer give respect to their husbands when it is said to them, King Ahasuerus gave orders for Vashti the queen to come before him and she came not.

Now when they had said this to him day after day and he gave no attention, they let Haman have news of it, to see if Mordecai's behaviour would be overlooked: for he had said to them that he was a Jew.

But it was not enough for him to make an attack on Mordecai only; for they had made clear to him who Mordecai's people were; so Haman made it his purpose to put an end to all the Jews, even Mordecai's people, through all the kingdom of Ahasuerus.

In the first month, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, from day to day and from month to month they went on looking for a sign given by Pur (that is chance) before Haman, till the sign came out for the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar.

And Haman said to King Ahasuerus, There is a certain nation living here and there in small groups among the people in all the divisions of your kingdom; their laws are different from those of any other nation, and they do not keep the king's laws: for this reason it is not right for the king to let them be.

Then on the thirteenth day of the first month, the king's scribes were sent for, and they put in writing Haman's orders to all the king's captains and the rulers of every division of his kingdom and the chiefs of every people: for every division of the kingdom in the writing commonly used there, and to every people in the language which was theirs; it was signed in the name of King Ahasuerus and stamped with the king's ring.

A copy of the writing, to be made public in every part of the kingdom, was sent out to all the peoples, so that they might be ready when that day came.

And they said these words to Mordecai.

And while they were drinking wine the king said to Esther, What is your prayer? for it will be given to you and what is your request? for it will be done, even to the half of my kingdom.

And let the robes and the horse be given to one of the king's most noble captains, so that they may put them on the man whom the king has delight in honouring, and let him go on horseback through the streets of the town, with men crying out before him, So let it be done to the man whom the king has delight in honouring.

While they were still talking, the king's servants came to take Haman to the feast which Esther had made ready.

And the king said to Esther again on the second day, while they were drinking, What is your prayer, Queen Esther? for it will be given to you; and what is your request? for it will be done, even to the half of my kingdom.

Then the king came back from the garden into the room where they had been drinking; and Haman was stretched out on the seat where Esther was. Then the king said, Is he taking the queen by force before my eyes in my house? And while the words were on the king's lips, they put a cloth over Haman's face.

The letters were sent in the name of King Ahasuerus and stamped with his ring, and they were taken by men on horseback, going on the quick-running horses used for the king's business, the offspring of his best horses:

So the Jews overcame all their attackers with the sword and with death and destruction, and did to their haters whatever they had a desire to do.

They put to death Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,

The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the hater of the Jews; but they put not a hand on any of their goods.

And the king said to Esther the queen, The Jews have put five hundred men to death in Shushan, as well as the ten sons of Haman: what then have they done in the rest of the kingdom! Now what is your prayer? for it will be given to you; what other request have you? and it will be done.

For the Jews who were in Shushan came together again on the fourteenth day of the month Adar and put to death three hundred men in Shushan; but they put not a hand on their goods.

And the other Jews in every division of the kingdom came together, fighting for their lives, and got salvation from their haters and put seventy-five thousand of them to death; but they did not put a hand on their goods.

This they did on the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same month they took their rest, and made it a day of feasting and joy.

But the Jews in Shushan came together on the thirteenth and on the fourteenth day of the month; and on the fifteenth day they took their rest, and made it a day of feasting and joy.

As days on which the Jews had rest from their haters, and the month which for them was turned from sorrow to joy, and from weeping to a good day: and that they were to keep them as days of feasting and joy, of sending offerings to one another and good things to the poor.

And the Jews gave their word to go on as they had been doing and as Mordecai had given them orders in writing;

So these days were named Purim, after the name of Pur. And so, because of the words of this letter, and of what they had seen in connection with this business, and what had come to them,

The Jews made a rule and gave an undertaking, causing their seed and all those who were joined to them to do the same, so that it might be in force for ever, that they would keep those two days, as ordered in the letter, at the fixed time every year;

Giving the force of law to these days of Purim at their fixed times, as they had been ordered by Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen, and in keeping with the rules they had made for themselves and their seed, in connection with their time of going without food and their cry for help.

And all his acts of power and his great strength and the full story of the high place which the king gave Mordecai, are they not recorded in the book of the history of the kings of Media and Persia?

His sons regularly went to one another's houses, and every one on his day gave a feast: and at these times they sent for their three sisters to take part in their feasts with them.

When a great wind came rushing from the waste land against the four sides of the house, and it came down on the young men, and they are dead; and I was the only one who got away safe to give you the news.

And Job's three friends had word of all this evil which had come on him. And they came every one from his place, Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. So they came together to a meeting-place, in order that they might go and make clear to Job their grief for him, and give him comfort.

And lifting up their eyes when they were still far off, it did not seem that the man they saw was Job because of the change in him. And they gave way to bitter weeping, with signs of grief, and put dust on their heads.

And they took their seats on the earth by his side for seven days and seven nights: but no one said a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.

Why did the knees take me, or why the breasts that they might give me milk?

Who are glad with great joy, and full of delight when they come to their last resting-place;

By the breath of God destruction takes them, and by the wind of his wrath they are cut off.

How much more those living in houses of earth, whose bases are in the dust! They are crushed more quickly than an insect;

Between morning and evening they are completely broken; they come to an end for ever, and no one takes note.

If their tent-cord is pulled up, do they not come to an end, and without wisdom?

Now his children have no safe place, and they are crushed before the judges, for no one takes up their cause.

Who makes the designs of the wise go wrong, so that they are unable to give effect to their purposes.

In the daytime it becomes dark for them, and in the sunlight they go feeling about as if it was night.

My soul has no desire for such things, they are as disease in my food.

Under the burning sun they are cut off, and come to nothing because of the heat.

The camel-trains go out of their way; they go up into the waste and come to destruction.

They were put to shame because of their hope; they came and their hope was gone.

Will they not give you teaching, and say words of wisdom to you?

My days go quicker than a post-runner: they go in flight, they see no good.

They go rushing on like reed-boats, like an eagle dropping suddenly on its food.

They are higher than heaven; what is there for you to do? deeper than the underworld, and outside your knowledge;

But put now a question to the beasts, and get teaching from them; or to the birds of the heaven, and they will make it clear to you;

Or to the things which go flat on the earth, and they will give you wisdom; and the fishes of the sea will give you news of it.

Truly, he keeps back the waters and they are dry; he sends them out and the earth is overturned.

They go feeling about in the dark without light, wandering without help like those overcome with wine.

So man goes down to his last resting-place and comes not again: till the heavens come to an end, they will not be awake or come out of their sleep.

His sons come to honour, and he has no knowledge of it; they are made low, but he is not conscious of it.

Evil has made them with child, and they give birth to trouble; and the fruit of their body is shame for themselves.

They are changing night into day; they say, The light is near the dark.

Will they go down with me into the underworld? Will we go down together into the dust?

He is overcome by fears on every side, they go after him at every step.

His armies come on together, they make their road high against me, and put up their tents round mine.

He has taken my brothers far away from me; they have seen my fate and have become strange to me.

If only my words might be recorded! if they might be put in writing in a book!

Why is life given to the evil-doers? why do they become old and strong in power?

They send out their young ones like a flock, and their children have pleasure in the dance,

They make songs to the instruments of music, and are glad at the sound of the pipe.

Their days come to an end without trouble, and suddenly they go down to the underworld.

Though they said to God, Go away from us, for we have no desire for the knowledge of your ways.

How frequently are they as dry stems before the wind, or as grass taken away by the storm-wind?

Together they go down to the dust, and are covered by the worm.

Is not God as high as heaven? and see the stars, how high they are!

The landmarks are changed by evil men, they violently take away flocks, together with their keepers.

They send away the ass of him who has no father, they take the widow's ox for debt.

Like asses in the waste land they go out to their work, looking for food with care; from the waste land they get bread for their children.

They get mixed grain from the field, and they take away the late fruit from the vines of those who have wealth.

They take their rest at night without clothing, and have no cover in the cold.

They are wet with the rain of the mountains, and get into the cracks of the rock for cover.

The child without a father is forced from its mother's breast, and they take the young children of the poor for debt.

Others go about without clothing, and though they have no food, they get in the grain from the fields.

Between the lines of olive-trees they make oil; though they have no drink, they are crushing out the grapes.

In the dark he makes holes in the walls of houses: in the daytime they are shutting themselves up, they have no knowledge of the light.

For the middle of the night is as morning to them, they are not troubled by the fear of the dark.

They go quickly on the face of the waters; their heritage is cursed in the earth; the steps of the crusher of grapes are not turned to their vine-garden.

For a short time they are lifted up; then they are gone; they are made low, they are pulled off like fruit, and like the heads of grain they are cut off.

When those of his house who are still living come to their end by disease, they are not put into the earth, and their widows are not weeping for them.

He makes a deep mine far away from those living in the light of day; when they go about on the earth, they have no knowledge of those who are under them, who are hanging far from men, twisting from side to side on a cord.

For when it came to their ears, men said that I was truly happy; and when their eyes saw, they gave witness to me;

After I had said what was in my mind, they were quiet and let my words go deep into their hearts;

They were waiting for me as for the rain, opening their mouths wide as for the spring rains.

I was laughing at them when they had no hope, and the light of my face was never clouded by their fear.

They are wasted for need of food, biting the dry earth; their only hope of life is in the waste land.