However, Josiah would not go back; but keeping to his purpose of fighting against him, and giving no attention to the words of Neco, which came from God, he went forward to the fight in the valley of Megiddo.

For I would not, for shame, make request to the king for a band of armed men and horsemen to give us help against those who might make attacks on us on the way: for we had said to the king, The hand of our God is on his servants for good, but his power and his wrath are against all those who are turned away from him.

Are we again to go against your orders, taking wives from among the people who do these disgusting things? would you not be angry with us till our destruction was complete, till there was not one who got away safe?

Then Ezra got up, and made the chiefs of the priests and the Levites and all Israel take an oath that they would do this. So they took an oath.

And that if anyone did not come before three days were past, as ordered by the rulers and the responsible men, all his goods would be put under the curse, and he himself would be cut off from the meeting of the people who had come back.

And they gave their word that they would put away their wives; and for their sin, they gave an offering of a male sheep of the flock.

And I said to them, We have given whatever we were able to give, to make our brothers the Jews free, who were servants and prisoners of the nations: and would you now give up your brothers for a price, and are they to become our property? Then they said nothing, answering not a word.

Then they said, We will give them back, and take nothing for them; we will do as you say. Then I sent for the priests and made them take an oath that they would keep this agreement.

And I said, Am I the sort of man to go in flight? what man, in my position, would go into the Temple to keep himself safe? I will not go in.

For this reason they had given him money, in order that I might be overcome by fear and do what he said and do wrong, and so they would have reason to say evil about me and put shame on me.

And when the seventh month came, the children of Israel were in their towns. And all the people came together like one man into the wide place in front of the water-doorway; and they made a request to Ezra the scribe that he would put before them the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had given to Israel.

And would not do them, and gave no thought to the wonders you had done among them; but made their necks stiff, and turning away from you, made a captain over themselves to take them back to their prison in Egypt: but you are a God of forgiveness, full of grace and pity, slow to wrath and great in mercy, and you did not give them up.

And that we would not give our daughters to the peoples of the lands, or take their daughters for our sons;

And if the peoples of the lands come to do trade in goods or food on the Sabbath day, that we would do no trade with them on the Sabbath or on a holy day: and that in the seventh year we would take no payment from any debtor.

And that we would take the first of our rough meal, and our lifted offerings, and the fruit of every sort of tree, and wine and oil, to the priests, to the rooms of the house of our God; and the tenth of the produce of our land to the Levites; for they, the Levites, take a tenth in all the towns of our ploughed land.

But when the servants gave her the king's order, Vashti the queen said she would not come: then the king was very angry, and his heart was burning with wrath.

And every day Mordecai took his walk before the square of the women's house, to see how Esther was and what would be done to her.

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.

And Esther's women and her servants came and gave her word of it. Then great was the grief of the queen: and she sent robes for Mordecai, so that his clothing of haircloth might be taken off; but he would not have them.

And Mordecai gave him an account of what had taken place, and of the amount of money which Haman had said he would put into the king's store for the destruction of the Jews.

So Haman came in. And the king said to him, What is to be done to the man whom the king has delight in honouring? Then the thought came into Haman's mind, Whom, more than myself, would the king have pleasure in honouring?

For we are given up, I and my people, to destruction and death and to be cut off. If we had been taken as men-servants and women-servants for a price, I would have said nothing, for our trouble is little in comparison with the king's loss.

Then Esther again came before the king, falling down at his feet, and made request to him with weeping, that he would put a stop to the evil purposes of Haman the Agagite and the designs which he had made against the Jews.

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;

And that those days were to be kept in memory through every generation and every family, in every division of the kingdom and every town, that there might never be a time when these days of Purim would not be kept among the Jews, or when the memory of them would go from the minds of their seed.

But as for me, I would make my prayer to God, and I would put my cause before him:

For then its weight would be more than the sand of the seas: because of this my words have been uncontrolled.

If only I might have an answer to my prayer, and God would give me my desire!

If only he would be pleased to put an end to me; and would let loose his hand, so that I might be cut off!

So I would still have comfort, and I would have joy in the pains of death, for I have not been false to the words of the Holy One.

Truly, you are such as would give up the child of a dead man to his creditors, and would make a profit out of your friend.

I have no desire for life, I would not be living for ever! Keep away from me, for my days are as a breath.

If a man was desiring to go to law with him, he would not be able to give him an answer to one out of a thousand questions.

Even if my cause was good, I would not be able to give an answer; I would make request for grace from him who was against me.

If I had sent for him to be present, and he had come, I would have no faith that he would give ear to my voice.

For I would be crushed by his storm, my wounds would be increased without cause.

He would not let me take my breath, but I would be full of bitter grief.

Though I was in the right, he would say that I was in the wrong; I have done no evil; but he says that I am a sinner.

Then I would say what is in my mind without fear of him; for there is no cause of fear in myself.

That, if I did wrong, you would take note of it, and would not make me clear from sin:

That, if I was an evil-doer, the curse would come on me; and if I was upright, my head would not be lifted up, being full of shame and overcome with trouble.

And that if there was cause for pride, you would go after me like a lion; and again put out your wonders against me:

That you would send new witnesses against me, increasing your wrath against me, and letting loose new armies on me.

Why then did you make me come out of my mother's body? It would have been better for me to have taken my last breath, and for no eye to have seen me,

But if only God would take up the word, opening his lips in argument with you;

And would make clear to you the secrets of wisdom, and the wonders of his purpose!

But I would have talk with the Ruler of all, and my desire is to have an argument with God.

If only you would keep quiet, it would be a sign of wisdom!

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

Is any one able to take up the argument against me? If so, I would keep quiet and give up my breath.

If only you would keep me safe in the underworld, putting me in a secret place till your wrath is past, giving me a fixed time when I might come to your memory again!

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.

At the sound of your voice I would give an answer, and you would have a desire for the work of your hands.

It would not be hard for me to say such things if your souls were in my soul's place; joining words together against you, and shaking my head at you:

I would put my cause in order before him, and my mouth would be full of arguments

I would see what his answers would be, and have knowledge of what he would say to me.

Would he make use of his great power to overcome me? No, but he would give attention to me.

There an upright man might put his cause before him; and I would be free for ever from my judge.

But now those who are younger than I make sport of me; those whose fathers I would not have put with the dogs of my flocks.

For that would be a crime; it would be an act for which punishment would be measured out by the judges:

It would be a fire burning even to destruction, and taking away all my produce.

That would have been another sin to be rewarded with punishment by the judges; for I would have been false to God on high.

If only God would give ear to me, and the Ruler of all would give me an answer! or if what he has against me had been put in writing!

Truly I would take up the book in my hands; it would be to me as a crown;

I would make clear the number of my steps, I would put it before him like a prince! The words of Job are ended.

For I am not able to give names of honour to any man; and if I did, my Maker would quickly take me away.

All flesh would come to an end together, and man would go back to the dust.

Have all the workers of evil no knowledge? they take my people for food as they would take bread; they make no prayer to the Lord.

Even if an army came against me with its tents, my heart would have no fear: if war was made on me, my faith would not be moved.

Let them be overcome and put to shame who make attempts to take my soul; let those who would do me damage be turned back and made foolish.

O Lord my God, great are the wonders which you have done in your thought for us; it is not possible to put them out in order before you; when I would give an account of them, their number is greater than I may say.

You have no desire for an offering or I would give it; you have no delight in burned offerings.

Have the workers of evil no knowledge? they take my people for food, as they would take bread; they make no prayer to God.

And I said, If only I had wings like a dove! for then I would go in flight from here and be at rest.

I would go wandering far away, living in the waste land. (Selah.)

I would quickly take cover from the driving storm and from the violent wind.

For it was not my hater who said evil of me; that would have been no grief to me; it was not one outside the number of my friends who made himself strong against me, or I would have kept myself from him in a secret place;

If I would make clear what it is like, I would say, You are false to the generation of your children.

In the day of my trouble, my heart was turned to the Lord: my hand was stretched out in the night without resting; my soul would not be comforted.

So that the generation to come might have knowledge of them, even the children of the future, who would give word of them to their children;

They were not ruled by God's word, and they would not go in the way of his law;

But my people did not give ear to my voice; Israel would have nothing to do with me.

If only my people would give ear to me, walking in my ways!

I would quickly overcome their haters: my hand would be turned against those who make war on them.

The haters of the Lord would be broken, and their destruction would be eternal.

I would give them the best grain for food; you would be full of honey from the rock.

If the Lord had not been my helper, my soul would quickly have gone down into death.

For he is our God; and we are the people to whom he gives food, and the sheep of his flock. Today, if you would only give ear to his voice!

You made a limit over which they might not go, so that the earth would never again be covered by them.

He would not let anyone do them wrong; he even kept back kings because of them,

Then I would not be put to shame, as long as I have respect for all your teaching.

So that I may have an answer for the man who would put me to shame; for I have faith in your word.

The Lord is my heritage: I have said that I would be ruled by your words.

If your law had not been my delight, my troubles would have put an end to me.

If I made up their number, it would be more than the grains of sand; when I am awake, I am still with you.

If only you would put the sinners to death, O God; go far from me, you men of blood.

My son, if sinners would take you out of the right way, do not go with them.

You were not controlled by my guiding, and would have nothing to do with my sharp words:

And two attacked by one would be safe, and three cords twisted together are not quickly broken.

Oh that you were my brother, who took milk from my mother's breasts! When I came to you in the street, I would give you kisses; yes, I would not be looked down on.