If at this time you say nothing, then help and salvation will come to the Jews from some other place, but you and your father's family will come to destruction: and who is to say that you have not come to the kingdom even for such a time as this?

Go, get together all the Jews who are present in Shushan, and go without food for me, taking no food or drink night or day for three days: and I and my women will do the same; and so I will go in to the king, which is against the law: and if death is to be my fate, then let it come.

Then the king said, What is your desire, Queen Esther, and what is your request? I will give it to you, even to the half of my kingdom.

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.

If I have the king's approval, and if it is the king's pleasure to give me my prayer and do my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast which I will make ready for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.

Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, Let a pillar, fifty cubits high, be made ready for hanging him, and in the morning get the king to give orders for the hanging of Mordecai: then you will be able to go to the feast with the king with a glad heart. And Haman was pleased with the suggestion, and he had the pillar made.

And Haman gave his wife Zeresh and all his friends an account of what had taken place. Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, If Mordecai, who is starting to get the better of you, is of the seed of the Jews, you will not be able to do anything against him, but you will certainly go down before him.

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.

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.

But now, put out your hand against all he has, and he will be cursing you to your face.

With nothing I came out of my mother's body, and with nothing I will go back there; the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; let the Lord's name be praised.

And the Satan said in answer to the Lord, Skin for skin, all a man has he will give for his life.

But now, if you only put your hand on his bone and his flesh, he will certainly be cursing you to your face.

If one says a word, will it be a weariness to you? but who is able to keep from saying what is in his mind?

Give now a cry for help; is there anyone who will give you an answer? and to which of the holy ones will you make your prayer?

He will keep you safe from six troubles, and in seven no evil will come near you.

When there is need of food he will keep you from death, and in war from the power of the sword.

He will keep you safe from the evil tongue; and you will have no fear of wasting when it comes.

You will make sport of destruction and need, and will have no fear of the beasts of the earth.

For you will be in agreement with the stones of the earth, and the beasts of the field will be at peace with you.

And you will be certain that your tent is at peace, and after looking over your property you will see that nothing is gone.

You will be certain that your seed will be great, and your offspring like the plants of the earth.

You will come to your last resting-place in full strength, as the grain is taken up to the crushing-floor in its time.

Will a man take food which has no taste without salt? or is there any taste in the soft substance of purslain?

Give me teaching and I will be quiet; and make me see my error.

Now then, let your eyes be turned to me, for truly I will not say what is false to your face.

When I go to my bed, I say, When will it be time to get up? but the night is long, and I am turning from side to side till morning light.

O, keep in mind that my life is wind: my eye will never again see good.

The eye of him who sees me will see me no longer: your eyes will be looking for me, but I will be gone.

He will not come back to his house, and his place will have no more knowledge of him.

So I will not keep my mouth shut; I will let the words come from it in the pain of my spirit, my soul will make a bitter outcry.

When I say, In my bed I will have comfort, there I will get rest from my disease;

How long will it be before your eyes are turned away from me, so that I may have a minute's breathing-space?

And why do you not take away my sin, and let my wrongdoing be ended? for now I go down to the dust, and you will be searching for me with care, but I will be gone.

How long will you say these things, and how long will the words of your mouth be like a strong wind?

If you will make search for God with care, and put your request before the Ruler of all;

If you are clean and upright; then he will certainly be moved to take up your cause, and will make clear your righteousness by building up your house again.

And though your start was small, your end will be very great.

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

Will the river-plant come up in its pride without wet earth? will the grass get tall without water?

If he is taken away from his place, then it will say, I have not seen you.

Truly, God will not give up him who is without sin, and will not take evil-doers by the hand.

The time will come when your mouth will be full of laughing, and cries of joy will come from your lips.

Your haters will be clothed with shame, and the tent of the sinner will not be seen again.

If it is a question of strength, he says, Here I am! and if it is a question of a cause at law, he says, Who will give me a fixed day?

If I say, I will put my grief out of mind, I will let my face be sad no longer and I will be bright;

I go in fear of all my pains; I am certain that I will not be free from sin in your eyes.

You will not let me be clear of sin! why then do I take trouble for nothing?

Then you will have me pushed into the dust, so that I will seem disgusting to my very clothing.

My soul is tired of life; I will let my sad thoughts go free in words; my soul will make a bitter outcry.

I will say to God, Do not put me down as a sinner; make clear to me what you have against me.

O keep in mind that you made me out of earth; and will you send me back again to dust?

Before I go to the place from which I will not come back, to the land where all is dark and black,

And so a hollow-minded man will get wisdom, when a young ass of the field gets teaching.

Then truly your face will be lifted up, with no mark of sin, and you will be fixed in your place without fear:

For your sorrow will go from your memory, like waters flowing away:

And your life will be brighter than day; though it is dark, it will become like the morning.

And you will be safe because there is hope; after looking round, you will take your rest in quiet;

Sleeping with no fear of danger; and men will be desiring to have grace in your eyes;

But the eyes of the evil-doers will be wasting away; their way of flight is gone, and their only hope is the taking of their last breath.

No doubt you have knowledge, and wisdom will come to an end with you.

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.

Will you say in God's name what is not right, and put false words into his mouth?

Will you have respect for God's person in this cause, and put yourselves forward as his supporters?

Will it be good for you to be searched out by him, or have you the thought that he may be guided into error like a man?

He will certainly put you right, if you have respect for persons in secret.

Will not his glory put you in fear, so that your hearts will be overcome before him?

I will take my flesh in my teeth, and put my life in my hand.

Truly, he will put an end to me; I have no hope; but I will not give way in argument before him;

And that will be my salvation, for an evil-doer would not come before him,

See now, I have put my cause in order, and I am certain that I will be seen to be right.

Only two things do not do to me, then I will come before your face:

Then at the sound of your voice I will give answer; or let me put forward my cause for you to give me an answer.

Will you be hard on a leaf in flight before the wind? will you make a dry stem go more quickly on its way?

For there is hope of a tree; if it is cut down, it will come to life again, and its branches will not come to an end.

Still, at the smell of water, it will make buds, and put out branches like a young plant.

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.

If death takes a man, will he come to life again? All the days of my trouble I would be waiting, till the time came for me to be free.

Will a wise man make answer with knowledge of no value, or will he give birth to the east wind?

Will he make arguments with words in which is no profit, and with sayings which have no value?

Take note and give ear to my words; and I will say what I have seen:

A sound of fear is in his ears; in time of peace destruction will come on him:

He has no hope of coming safe out of the dark, and his fate will be the sword;

Let him not put his hope in what is false, falling into error: for he will get deceit as his reward.

For in a short time I will take the journey from which I will not come back.

Be pleased, now, to be responsible for me to yourself; for there is no other who will put his hand in mine.

You have kept their hearts from wisdom: for this cause you will not give them honour.

As for him who is false to his friend for a reward, light will be cut off from the eyes of his children.

But come back, now, all of you, come; and I will not see a wise man among you.

Where then is my hope? and who will see my desire?

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

How long will it be before you have done talking? Get wisdom, and then we will say what is in our minds.

But come back, now, come: you who are wounding yourself in your passion, will the earth be given up because of you, or a rock be moved out of its place?

In his tent will be seen that which is not his, burning stone is dropped on his house.

How long will you make my life bitter, crushing me with words?

But I am certain that he who will take up my cause is living, and that in time to come he will take his place on the dust;

And ... without my flesh I will see God;

Whom I will see on my side, and not as one strange to me. My heart is broken with desire.

If you say, How cruel we will be to him! because the root of sin is clearly in him: