And I said unto them, Let not the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while they stand guard, let them shut the doors, and bar them: and appoint guards from the inhabitants of Jerusalem, every one at his station, and every one to be opposite his house.

Now the city was large and great: but the people in it were few, and the houses were not rebuilt.

And these were they who went up also from Tel-melah, Tel-harsha, Cherub, Addon, and Immer: but they could not prove their father's house, nor their descendants, whether they were of Israel.

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

And the governor said unto them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till a priest could consult with Urim and Thummim.

And Nehemiah, who is the governor, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto the LORD your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.

And all the congregation of them that were come again out of the captivity made booths, and sat under the booths: for since the days of Joshua the son of Nun unto that day had not the children of Israel done so. And there was very great gladness.

Moreover you led them in the day by a cloudy pillar; and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way in which they should go.

But they and our fathers acted presumptuously, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to your commandments,

And refused to obey, neither were mindful of your wonders that you did among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a leader to return to their bondage: but you are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsook them not.

Yet you in your manifold mercies forsook them not in the wilderness: the pillar of 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.

You gave also your good spirit to instruct them, and withheld not your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.

Yea, forty years did you sustain them in the wilderness, so that they lacked nothing; their clothes grew not old, and their feet swelled not.

And testified against them, that you might bring them again unto your law: yet they acted presumptuously, and hearkened not unto your commandments, but sinned against your judgments, (which if a man does, he shall live in them;) and turned the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear.

Yet many years did you bear with them, and testified against them by your spirit in your prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore you gave them into the hand of the people of the lands.

Nevertheless for your great mercies' sake you did not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for you are a gracious and merciful God.

Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before you, that has come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.

For they have not served you in their kingdom, or in your great goodness that you gave them, or in the large and rich land which you gave before them, neither turned they from their wicked works.

And that we would not give our daughters unto the people of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons:

And if the people of the land bring in wares or any grain on the sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy it from them on the sabbath, or on the holy day: and that we would forego the crops of the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.

For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the grain, of the new wine, and the oil, unto the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the gatekeepers, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of our God.

On that day they read in the book of Moses in the hearing of the people; and in it was found written, that the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God forever;

Because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them: however our God turned the curse into a blessing.

But in all this time I was not at Jerusalem: for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon came I unto the king, and after certain days obtained I leave of the king:

And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them: for the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his field.

Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of my God, and for its service.

Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet you bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the sabbath.

And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the sabbath: and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the sabbath day.

And their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the language of Judah, but according to the language of each people.

And I contended with them, and pronounced them cursed, and struck certain of them, and plucked off their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, You shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for yourselves.

Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? yet among many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel: nevertheless even him did foreign women cause to sin.

What shall we do unto queen Vashti according to law, because she has not obeyed the commandment of king Ahasuerus by the eunuchs?

And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti the queen has not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the people that are in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus.

For this deed of the queen shall become known to all women, so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be said, King Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.

If it please the king, let there go a royal commandment 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 unto another that is better than she.

Esther had not revealed her people nor her kindred: for Mordecai had charged her that she should not show it.

Esther had not yet made known her kindred nor her people; as Mordecai had charged her: for Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai, just as when she was brought up with him.

And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and paid homage to Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor paid him homage.

Now it came to pass, when they spoke daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's words would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew.

And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor paid him homage, then was Haman full of wrath.

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

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

All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, do know, that whosoever, whether man or woman, shall come unto the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is one law of his to put him to death, except such to whom the king shall hold out the golden scepter, that he may live: but I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days.

Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not to yourself that you shall escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews.

Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.

Then went Haman forth that day joyful and with a glad heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he stood not up, nor trembled before him, he was full of indignation against Mordecai.

On that night the king could not sleep, and he commanded to be brought the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.

And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the descendants of the Jews, before whom you have begun to fall, you shall not prevail against him, but shall surely fall before him.

The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, they killed; but on the spoil they laid not their hand.

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

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

The Jews ordained, and took upon themselves, and upon their descendants, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so that it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to what was written, and according to their appointed time every year;

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 fall into disuse among the Jews, nor the memory of them perish from their descendants.

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

Have not you made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he has on every side? you have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions are increased in the land.

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

In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God with wrong.

But he said unto her, You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they tore every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.

Let the day perish on which I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a male child conceived.

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

As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not rejoice among the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months.

Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come into it.

Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hid sorrow from my eyes.

Why died I not from the womb? why did I not expire when I came out of the womb?

Or as a hidden untimely birth, I had not been; as infants who never saw light.

There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.

Who long for death, but it comes not; and dig for it more than for hidden treasures;

I was not at ease, neither had I quiet, neither was I at rest; yet trouble came.

Is not this your fear, your confidence, your hope, and the uprightness of your ways?

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

It stood still, but I could not discern its form: an image was before my eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying,

Does not their excellence which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.

For affliction comes not forth from the dust, neither does trouble spring out of the ground;

They meet with darkness in the daytime, and grope in the noonday as in the night.

Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects: therefore despise not the chastening of the Almighty:

Then should I still have comfort; yea, I would exult myself in sorrow: let him not spare; for I have not concealed the words of the Holy One.

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

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

Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of a hireling?

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

The eye of him that has seen me shall see me no more: your eyes are upon me, and I am not.

Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

I loathe it; I would not live always: let me alone; for my days are vanity.

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

And why do you not pardon my transgression, and take away my iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and you shall seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.

Shall not they teach you, and tell you, and utter words out of their heart?

While it is yet green, and not cut down, it withers before any other plant.

He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.

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

Behold, God will not cast away a blameless man, neither will he help the evil doers:

Who removes the mountains, and they know not: who overturns them in his anger.

Who commands the sun, and it rises not; and seals up the stars.

Lo, he goes by me, and I see him not: he passes on also, but I perceive him not.

If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do bow before him.

For, though I were righteous, yet could I not answer, but I would make supplication to my judge.

If I had called, and he had answered me; yet would I not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice.

He will not permit me to take my breath, but fills me with bitterness.

Though I were blameless, yet would I not know my soul: I would despise my life.

The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covers the faces of its judges; if not he, who then is it?