that Your eye may be open toward this house day and night, toward the place of which You have said that You would put Your name there, to listen to the prayer which Your servant shall pray toward this place.

and whoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, man or woman.

Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

But Jehoshabeath the king’s daughter took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of King Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest (for she was the sister of Ahaziah), hid him from Athaliah so that she would not put him to death.

Then Jehoiada made a covenant between himself and all the people and the king, that they would be the Lord’s people.

He stationed the gatekeepers of the house of the Lord, so that no one would enter who was in any way unclean.

It came about whenever the chest was brought in to the king’s officer by the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, then the king’s scribe and the chief priest’s officer would come, empty the chest, take it, and return it to its place. Thus they did daily and collected much money.

Yet He sent prophets to them to bring them back to the Lord; though they testified against them, they would not listen.

You said, ‘Behold, you have defeated Edom.’ And your heart has become proud in boasting. Now stay at home; for why should you provoke trouble so that you, even you, would fall and Judah with you?”

But Amaziah would not listen, for it was from God, that He might deliver them into the hand of Joash because they had sought the gods of Edom.

However, Josiah would not turn away from him, but disguised himself in order to make war with him; nor did he listen to the words of Neco from the mouth of God, but came to make war on the plain of Megiddo.

shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who commit these abominations? Would You not be angry with us to the point of destruction, until there is no remnant nor any who escape?

Then Ezra rose and made the leading priests, the Levites and all Israel, take oath that they would do according to this proposal; so they took the oath.

and that whoever would not come within three days, according to the counsel of the leaders and the elders, all his possessions should be forfeited and he himself excluded from the assembly of the exiles.

Then the king said to me, “What would you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.

Now Tobiah the Ammonite was near him and he said, “Even what they are building—if a fox should jump on it, he would break their stone wall down!”

I said to them, “We according to our ability have redeemed our Jewish brothers who were sold to the nations; now would you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us?” Then they were silent and could not find a word to say.

Then they said, “We will give it back and will require nothing from them; we will do exactly as you say.” So I called the priests and took an oath from them that they would do according to this promise.

“But they, our fathers, acted arrogantly;
They became stubborn and would not listen to Your commandments.

And admonished them in order to turn them back to Your law.
Yet they acted arrogantly and did not listen to Your commandments but sinned against Your ordinances,
By which if a man observes them he shall live.
And they turned a stubborn shoulder and stiffened their neck, and would not listen.

“However, You bore with them for many years,
And admonished them by Your Spirit through Your prophets,
Yet they would not give ear.
Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.

It came about that just as it grew dark at the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the doors should be shut and that they should not open them until after the sabbath. Then I stationed some of my servants at the gates so that no load would enter on the sabbath day.

the young lady would go in to the king in this way: anything that she desired was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace.

In the evening she would go in and in the morning she would return to the second harem, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not again go in to the king unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.

Now it was when they had spoken daily to him and he would 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.

So Haman came in and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man whom the king desires to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?”

for we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed and to be annihilated. Now if we had only been sold as slaves, men and women, I would have remained silent, for the trouble would not be commensurate with the annoyance to the king.”

Then King Ahasuerus asked Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who would presume to do thus?”

A copy of the edict to be issued as law in each and every province was published to all the peoples, so that the Jews would be ready for this day to avenge themselves on their enemies.

the Jews established and made a custom for themselves and for their descendants and for all those who allied themselves with them, so that they would not fail to celebrate these two days according to their regulation and according to their appointed time annually.

His sons used to go and hold a feast in the house of each one on his day, and they would send and invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.

When the days of feasting had completed their cycle, Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, “Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.” Thus Job did continually.

“For now I would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept then, I would have been at rest,

“Or like a miscarriage which is discarded, I would not be,
As infants that never saw light.

“But as for me, I would seek God,
And I would place my cause before God;

“For then it would be heavier than the sand of the seas;
Therefore my words have been rash.

“Oh that my request might come to pass,
And that God would grant my longing!

“Would that God were willing to crush me,
That He would loose His hand and cut me off!

“You would even cast lots for the orphans
And barter over your friend.

So that my soul would choose suffocation,
Death rather than my pains.

“If you would seek God
And implore the compassion of the Almighty,

If you are pure and upright,
Surely now He would rouse Himself for you
And restore your righteous estate.

“Were He to pass by me, I would not see Him;
Were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him.

“For though I were right, I could not answer;
I would have to implore the mercy of my judge.

Yet You would plunge me into the pit,
And my own clothes would abhor me.

“Then I would speak and not fear Him;
But I am not like that in myself.

‘Your hands fashioned and made me altogether,
And would You destroy me?

‘Remember now, that You have made me as clay;
And would You turn me into dust again?

If I sin, then You would take note of me,
And would not acquit me of my guilt.

‘Should my head be lifted up, You would hunt me like a lion;
And again You would show Your power against me.

‘Why then have You brought me out of the womb?
Would that I had died and no eye had seen me!

“Would He not let my few days alone?
Withdraw from me that I may have a little cheer

“But would that God might speak,
And open His lips against you,

“If you would direct your heart right
And spread out your hand to Him,

“Then, indeed, you could lift up your face without moral defect,
And you would be steadfast and not fear.

“For you would forget your trouble,
As waters that have passed by, you would remember it.

“Your life would be brighter than noonday;
Darkness would be like the morning.

“Then you would trust, because there is hope;
And you would look around and rest securely.

“You would lie down and none would disturb you,
And many would entreat your favor.

“But I would speak to the Almighty,
And I desire to argue with God.

“O that you would be completely silent,
And that it would become your wisdom!

“Who will contend with me?
For then I would be silent and die.

“Oh that You would hide me in Sheol,
That You would conceal me until Your wrath returns to You,
That You would set a limit for me and remember me!

“He has lived in desolate cities,
In houses no one would inhabit,
Which are destined to become ruins.

‘Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him,
And what would we gain if we entreat Him?’

“Behold, I know your thoughts,
And the plans by which you would wrong me.

“I would present my case before Him
And fill my mouth with arguments.

“I would learn the words which He would answer,
And perceive what He would say to me.

“Would He contend with me by the greatness of His power?
No, surely He would pay attention to me.

“There the upright would reason with Him;
And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.

“Therefore, I would be dismayed at His presence;
When I consider, I am terrified of Him.

“For that would be a lustful crime;
Moreover, it would be an iniquity punishable by judges.

“For it would be fire that consumes to Abaddon,
And would uproot all my increase.

That too would have been an iniquity calling for judgment,
For I would have denied God above.

Surely I would carry it on my shoulder,
I would bind it to myself like a crown.

“I would declare to Him the number of my steps;
Like a prince I would approach Him.

“For I do not know how to flatter,
Else my Maker would soon take me away.

All flesh would perish together,
And man would return to dust.

So that godless men would not rule
Nor be snares of the people.

“Shall it be told Him that I would speak?
Or should a man say that he would be swallowed up?

“Behind him he makes a wake to shine;
One would think the deep to be gray-haired.

You would put to shame the counsel of the afflicted,
But the Lord is his refuge.

Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When the Lord restores His captive people,
Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad.

I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.

O Lord, You have brought up my soul from Sheol;
You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit.

For I said, “May they not rejoice over me,
Who, when my foot slips, would magnify themselves against me.”

Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which You have done,
And Your thoughts toward us;
There is none to compare with You.
If I would declare and speak of them,
They would be too numerous to count.

Would not God find this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.

“If I were hungry I would not tell you,
For the world is Mine, and all it contains.

For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;
You are not pleased with burnt offering.

“Behold, the man who would not make God his refuge,
But trusted in the abundance of his riches
And was strong in his evil desire.”

Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores His captive people,
Let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest.

“Behold, I would wander far away,
I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah.

“I would hasten to my place of refuge
From the stormy wind and tempest.”

Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head;
Those who would destroy me are powerful, being wrongfully my enemies;
What I did not steal, I then have to restore.

If I had said, “I will speak thus,”
Behold, I would have betrayed the generation of Your children.

“Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you;
O Israel, if you would listen to Me!

“Oh that My people would listen to Me,
That Israel would walk in My ways!

“I would quickly subdue their enemies
And turn My hand against their adversaries.