If it please the king, let a royal commandment go from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it cannot be altered, that Vashti may never again come before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate to another who is better than she.

Then the king's servants who served him said, "Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king.

The maiden pleased him, and she obtained kindness from him. He quickly gave her cosmetics and her portions of food, and the seven choice maidens who were to be given her out of the king's house. He moved her and her maidens to the best place in the women's house.

Esther had not yet made known her relatives nor her people, as Mordecai had commanded her; for Esther obeyed Mordecai, like she did when she was brought up by him.

After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the officials who were with him.

All the king's servants who were in the king's gate bowed down, and paid homage to Haman; for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay him homage.

Now it came to pass, when they spoke daily to him, and he did not listen to them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's reason would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew.

When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down, nor pay him homage, Haman was full of wrath.

But he scorned the thought of laying hands on Mordecai alone, for they had made known to him Mordecai's people. Therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even Mordecai's people.

Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs, whom he had appointed to attend her, and commanded him to go to Mordecai, to find out what this was, and why it was.

Mordecai told him of all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of the money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the destruction of the Jews.

He also gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given out in Shushan to destroy them, to show it to Esther, and to declare it to her, and to urge her to go in to the king, to make supplication to him, and to make request before him, for her people.

Then Esther spoke to Hathach, and gave him a message to Mordecai:

"All the king's servants, and the people of the king's provinces, know, that whoever, whether man or woman, comes to the king into the inner court without being called, there is one law for him, that he be put to death, except those to whom the king might hold out the golden scepter, that he may live. I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days."

So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.

Esther said, "If it seems good to the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him."

Then Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart, but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he did not stand up nor move for him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai.

Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches, the multitude of his children, all the things in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and servants of the king.

Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, "Let a gallows be made fifty cubits high, and in the morning speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on it. Then go in merrily with the king to the banquet." This pleased Haman, so he had the gallows made.

The king said, "What honor and dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?" Then the king's servants who attended him said, "Nothing has been done for him."

The king said, "Who is in the court?" Now Haman had come into the outer court of the king's house, to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.

The king's servants said to him, "Behold, Haman stands in the court." The king said, "Let him come in."

So Haman came in. The king said to him, "What shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?" Now Haman said in his heart, "Who would the king delight to honor more than myself?"

And let the clothing and the horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble officials, and let him clothe the man whom the king delights to honor with them, and have him ride on horseback through the city square, and proclaim before him, 'Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.'"

Then Haman took the clothing and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and had him ride through the city square, and proclaimed before him, "Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor."

Haman recounted to Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, "If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against him, but you will surely fall before him."

While they were yet talking with him, the king's eunuchs came, and hurried to bring Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

The king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into the palace garden. 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.

Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs who were with the king said, "Behold, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman has made for Mordecai, who spoke good for the king, is standing at Haman's house." The king said, "Hang him on it."

Esther spoke yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and begged him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his plot that he had devised against the Jews.

Then King Ahasuerus said to Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, "See, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged on the gallows, because he laid his hand on the Jews.

All the acts of his power and of his might, and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, aren't they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?

There were born to him seven sons and three daughters.

The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant, Job? For there is none like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil."

Haven't you made a hedge around him, and around his house, and around all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? For there is none like him in the earth, a blameless and an upright man, one who fears God, and turns away from evil. He still maintains his integrity, although you incited me against him, to ruin him without cause."

Then his wife said to him, "Do you still maintain your integrity? Renounce God, and die."

Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come on him, they each came from his own place: Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, and they made an appointment together to come to sympathize with him and to comfort him.

When they lifted up their eyes from a distance, and did not recognize him, they raised their voices, and wept; and they each tore his robe, and sprinkled dust on their heads toward the sky.

So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.

"Why is light given to him who is in misery, life to the bitter in soul,

Your words have supported him who was falling, You have made firm the feeble knees.

"To him who is ready to faint, kindness should be shown from his friend; even to him who forsakes the fear of Shaddai.

The eye of him who sees me shall see me no more. Your eyes shall be on me, but I shall not be.

He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.

What is man, that you should magnify him, that you should set your mind on him,

that you should visit him every morning, and test him every moment?

If your children have sinned against him, He has delivered them into the hand of their disobedience.

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

If he is pleased to contend with him, he can't answer him one time in a thousand.

God who is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who has hardened himself against him, and prospered?

Behold, he goes by me, and I do not see him. He passes on also, but I do not perceive him.

Behold, he snatches away. Who can hinder him? Who will ask him, 'What are you doing?'

"God will not withdraw his anger. The helpers of Rahab stoop under him.

How much less shall I answer him, And choose my words to argue with him?

Though I were righteous, yet I wouldn't answer him. I would make supplication to my judge.

For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, that we should come together in judgment.

Let him take his rod away from me. Let his terror not make me afraid;

then I would speak, and not fear him, for I am not so in myself.

If he passes by, or confines, or convenes a court, then who can oppose him?

"If you set your heart aright, stretch out your hands toward him.

In the thought of him who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune. It is ready for them whose foot slips.

With him is strength and wisdom. The deceived and the deceiver are his.

Will you speak unrighteously for God, and talk deceitfully for him?

Will you show partiality to him? Will you contend for God?

Is it good that he should search you out? Or as one deceives a man, will you deceive him?

Behold, he will kill me. I have no hope. Nevertheless, I will maintain my ways before him.

This also shall be my salvation, that a godless man shall not come before him.

Look away from him, that he may rest, until he shall accomplish, as a hireling, his day.

You forever prevail against him, and he departs. You change his face, and send him away.

But his flesh on him has pain, and his soul within him mourns."

A sound of terrors is in his ears. In prosperity the destroyer shall come on him.

Distress and anguish make him afraid. They prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle.

he runs at him with a stiff neck, with the thick shields of his bucklers;

Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; for emptiness shall be his reward.

The light shall be dark in his tent. His lamp above him shall be put out.

The steps of his strength shall be shortened. His own counsel shall cast him down.

A snare will take him by the heel. A trap will catch him.

A noose is hidden for him in the ground, a trap for him in the way.

Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall chase him at his heels.

Surely such are the dwellings of the unrighteous. This is the place of him who doesn't know God."

I call to my servant, and he gives me no answer. I beg him with my mouth.

If you say, 'How we will persecute him.' because the root of the matter is found in me,

yet he shall perish forever like his own dung. Those who have seen him shall say, 'Where is he?'

The eye which saw him shall see him no more, neither shall his place any more see him.

His bones are full of his youth, but youth shall lie down with him in the dust.

yet his food in his bowels is turned. It is cobra venom within him.

He shall suck cobra venom. The viper's tongue shall kill him.

"Because he knew no quietness within him, he shall not save anything of that in which he delights.

In the fullness of his sufficiency, distress shall overtake him. The hand of everyone who is in misery shall come on him.

When he is about to fill his belly, God will cast the fierceness of his wrath on him. It will rain on him while he is eating.

He shall flee from the iron weapon. The bronze arrow shall strike him through.

He draws it forth, and it comes out of his body. Yes, the glittering point comes out of his liver. Terrors are on him.

All darkness is laid up for his treasures. An unfanned fire shall devour him. It shall consume that which is left in his tent.

The heavens shall reveal his iniquity. The earth shall rise up against him.

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

What is Shaddai, that we should serve him? What profit should we have, if we pray to him?'

You say, 'God lays up his iniquity for his children.' Let him recompense it to himself, that he may know it.

Let his own eyes see his destruction. Let him drink of the wrath of Shaddai.

For what does he care for his house after him, when the number of his months is cut off?