So he said unto them - Go your way, eat the fat and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared, for holy is the day, unto our Lord, - and be not grieved, for, the joy of Yahweh, is your strength.

And, the Levites, were quieting all the people, saying - Hush! for, the day, is holy, - and be not grieved.

and that they should publish and send along a proclamation throughout all their cities and throughout Jerusalem, saying, Forth to the mountain, and bring in branches of olive, and branches of oleaster, and branches of myrtle, and branches of palms, and branches of thick trees, - to make booths, as it is written.

Then said the Levites - Jeshua and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, Pethahiah, Stand up, bless Yahweh your God, from age to age, - Yea let them bless thy glorious Name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

Thou, art Yahweh, thou alone, Thou, didst make the heavens, the heavens of heavens, and all their host, the earth and all that is thereon, the seas and all that is therein, and, thou, holdest them all in life, - and, the host of the heavens, unto thee, are bowing down.

and didst grant signs and wonders against Pharaoh, and against all his servants, and against all the people of his land, for thou hadst taken note, that they ruled proudly over them, - and so thou didst make thee a name, as at this day.

Yea, although they made them a molten calf, and said, This, is thy God, that brought thee up out of Egypt, - and wrought great insults,

But, as soon as they had rest, they again wrought wickedness before thee, - and thou didst leave them in the hand of their enemies, who bare rule over them, yet, when they again made outcry unto thee, thou, from the heavens, didst hear and didst deliver them according to thy compassions, many times;

Now, therefore, O our God - the GOD great, mighty, and fearful - keeping the covenant and the lovingkindness, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, which hath come upon us - on our kings, on our rulers, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, - from the days of the kings of Assyria, until this day.

But, thou, art righteous, as to all that hath fallen upon us, - for, faithfulness, hast thou wrought, whereas, we, have been lawless;

and, the increase thereof, aboundeth unto the kings whom thou hast set over us, for our sins, - and, over our bodies, are they bearing rule, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and, in great distress, we are.

Also, lots, did we cast, concerning the offering of wood among the priests, the Levites, and the people, to bring it unto the house of our God, by our ancestral houses, at times arranged, year by year, - to burn upon the altar of Yahweh our God, as it is written in the law.

also that, the firstborn of our sons, and of our cattle, as it is written in the law, - and the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks, we would bring in unto the house of our God, unto the priests who should be in attendance in the house of our God;

And, in Jerusalem, dwelt certain of the sons of Judah and of the sons of Benjamin, - Of the sons of Judah, Athaiah son of Uzziah, son of Zechariah, son of Amariah, son of Shephatiah, son of Mahalalel, of the sons of Perez;

And, Joel son of Zichri, was in charge over them, - and, Judah son of Hassenuah, was over the city, as second.

and his brethren, ancestral chiefs, two hundred and forty-two, - and Amashsai son of Azarel, son of Ahzai, son of Meshillemoth, son of Immer;

And, the overseer of the Levites in Jerusalem, was Uzzi son of Bani, son of Hashabiah, son of Mattaniah, son of Mica, - of the sons of Asaph the singers, to take lead in the business of the house of God.

For, the commandment of the king, was upon them, - as to a fixed provision for the singers, the need of a day upon its day.

And, as for the villages in their fields, some of the sons of Judah, dwelt in Kiriath-arba, and the hamlets thereof, and in Dibon, and the hamlets thereof, and in Jekabzeel, and the villages thereof;

and, of Joiarib, Mattenai, - of Jedaiah, Uzzi;

The Levites - in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, were recorded as ancestral chiefs, - also the priests, unto the reign of Darius the Persian.

and, over they fountain gate and straight before them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the going up of the wall, - above the house of David, even as far as the water-gate, eastward.

And, the second choir, was going over against them, I, following it, - with the half of the people upon the wall, above the tower of the ovens, even as far as the broad wall;

and above the gate of Ephraim, and upon the old gate, and upon the fish-gate, and the tower of Hananel, and the tower of Hammeah, even as far as the sheep-gate, - and they came to a stand, at the gate of the guard.

and Maaseiah and Shemaiah and Eleazar and Uzzi and Jehohanan and Malchijah and Elam and Ezer, - and the musicians sounded, aloud with Jezrahiah who was over them.

Therefore contended I with the deputies, and said, Wherefore is the house of God, forsaken? So I gathered them together, and set them in their place.

In those days, saw I in Judah - some treading winepresses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves and lading asses, moreover also wine, grapes, and figs, and every kind of burden, which they were bringing into Jerusalem on the sabbath day, - so I protested against it, as a day for them to sell provisions.

so I contended with the nobles of Judah, - and said unto them, What is this wicked thing which, ye, are doing, and profaning the sabbath day?

Was it not, thus, your fathers did, and our God brought upon us all this calamity, and upon this city? - and, ye, would add indignation against Israel, by profaning the sabbath!

And I gave word to the Levites, that they should be purifying themselves and coming in, as keepers of the gates, to hallow the sabbath day. This also, remember to me, O my God, and have pity upon me, according to the abundance of thy lovingkindness.

Was it not, over these things, that Solomon king of Israel sinned - though, among many nations, there was no king such as he, and he was, beloved by his God, and so God gave him to be king over all Israel, - even him, did foreign women, cause to sin.

Then said the king unto the wise men having knowledge of the times, - for, so, was the manner of the king before all having knowledge of law and judgment;

For the report of the queen, will go forth, unto all women, so putting contempt upon their lords, in their eyes, - when it is reported to them, King Ahasuerus, commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.

If, unto the king, it seem good, let there go forth a royal declaration from before him, and let it be written among the laws of Persia and Media, so that it shall not pass away, - That Vashti, is not to come in, before King Ahasuerus, and, her royal estate, let the king give unto her neighbour, who is better than she.

When the edict of the king which he shall make, is published throughout all his kingdom, for, great, it is, then, all wives, will give honour unto their lords, both great and small.

and, the maiden that is pleasing in the eyes of the king, let her be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing seemed good in the eyes of the king, and he did so.

A certain Jew, there was, in Shusan the palace, - whose, name, was Mordecai, son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a man of Benjamin;

But, when the turn came for Esther daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai - who had taken her as his own daughter - to go in unto the king, she requested nothing, save what Hegai the king's eunuch who kept the women might direct, - but so it was, that Esther obtained favour in the eyes of all who beheld her.

Esther had not told of her kindred, nor her people, as, Mordecai, had laid charge upon her, - and, the command of Mordecai, Esther performed, like as when she was being brought up with him.

In the first month - the same, was the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, was Pur cast - the same, is the Lot, before Haman, from day to day, and from month to month, - and the lot fell on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the same, is the month Adar.

Then said Haman unto King Ahasuerus, There is a certain people, scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples, throughout all the provinces of thy kingdom, - whose laws, are diverse from every people, and, the laws of the king, they observe not, for the king, therefore, it is not fit, to suffer them.

and the king said unto Haman, The silver, is granted thee, - and the people, to do with them, as may seem good in thine eyes.

Then were sent letters, by the hand of the runners, into all the provinces of the king, To destroy, to slay and to cause to perish all Jews, both young and old, little ones and women, in one day, on the thirteenth of the twelfth month, the same, is the month Adar, - and the spoil of them to be a prey.

A copy of the writing, to be delivered as an edict throughout every province, was published to all the peoples, - that they should be ready against this day.

and went in as far as before the gate of the king, - for, none, might enter into the gate of the king, clothed with sackcloth.

All the servants of the king, and the people of the provinces of the king, do know, that, whatsoever man or woman shall go in unto the king - into the inter court - who hath not been called, one, is his law, to put him to death, saving any to whom the king may hold out the golden sceptre, who then shall live, - but, I, have not been called to go in unto the king, these thirty days.

But, if thou, do indeed hold thy peace, at this time, respite and deliverance, will be appointed for the Jews, from another place, but, thou, and thy father's house, will perish, - and who knoweth whether, for a time such as this, thou hast attained unto the royal estate?

Go! gather ye together all the Jews who are to be found in Shusan, and fast ye for me - and neither eat nor drink - three days, night nor day, and, I and my maidens, will fast so, - and, in this manner, will I go in unto the king, though it is not according to the law, and, when I have perished, I have perished!

Then said the king unto her, What aileth thee, Queen Esther? and what is thy request? Unto the half of the kingdom, shall it be given thee.

Then said the king unto Esther, during the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, that it may be granted thee? - and what is thy request - -unto the half of the kingdom - that it may be performed?

Then answered Esther, and said, - As touching my petition and my request,

Yet, all this, sufficeth me not, - so long as, I, see Mordecai the Jew, sitting in the gate of the king.

Then said the king, Who is in the court? Now, Haman, had come into the outer court of the kings house, to speak unto the king, to hang Mordecai, upon the gallows which he had prepared for him.

So Haman came in, and the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man in whose honour, the king delighteth? Then said Haman, in his own heart, Unto whom will the king delight to do honour, more than unto me?

So Haman said unto the king, - As touching the man in whose honour, the king, delighteth,

and let the apparel and the horse be delivered unto the hand of one of the king's rulers, one of the nobles, and so let them array the man, in whose honour, the king, delighteth, - and cause him to ride upon the horse through the broadway of the city, and let them proclaim before him, Thus and thus, shall it be done unto the man in whose honour, the king, delighteth!

Then said the king unto Haman, Haste, take the apparel and the horse, just as thou hast said, and do even so unto Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting in the kings gate, - do not let fail a thing, of all which thou hast spoken!

So Haman took the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, - and caused him to ride through the broadway of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus and thus, shall it be done unto the man in whoso honour, the king, delighteth!

And Haman recounted unto Zeresh his wife, and unto all his friends, everything that had befallen him. Then said his wise men, and Zeresh his wife, unto him, If, of the seed of the Jews, is Mordecai before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt, utterly fall, before him.

Then said the king unto Esther, on the second day also, during the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, Queen Esther, that it may be granted thee? and what is thy request - unto the half of the kingdom - that it may be performed?

Then answered Esther the queen, and said, If I have found favour in thine eyes, O king, and if, unto the king, it seem good, let my life be granted me, as my petition, and my people, as my request;

Then spake King Ahasuerus, and said unto Esther the queen, - Who is he now, and where is he, whose heart is set to act thus?

And Esther said, A man who is an adversary and enemy, this wicked Haman. And, Haman, was terrified, before the king and the queen.

Then said Harbonah - one of the eunuchs before the king - Yea lo! the gallows that Haman made ready for Mordecai, who had spoken well for the king, is standing in Haman's house, of a height of fifty cubits. Then said the king, Hang him thereon.

Ye, therefore, write concerning the Jews as may seem good in your own eyes, in the name of the king, and seal it with the kings signet-ring, - for a writing which hath been written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's signet-ring, none can reverse.

Then were called the kings scribes at that time - in the third month, the same, is the month Siwan, on the twenty-third thereof, and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and unto the satraps and pashas and rulers of the provinces, which are from India even unto Ethiopia, a hundred and twenty-seven provinces, every province according to the writing thereof, and every people according to their tongue, - and unto the Jews, according to their writing, and according to their tongue;

That the king had granted unto the Jews who were in every city, to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay and to cause to perish - all the force of the people and province who should distress them, their little ones and women, - and to take the spoil of them as a prey:

upon one day, throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, - upon the thirteenth of the twelfth month, the same, is the month Adar:

A copy of the writing to be given, as an edict, throughout every province, was published to all the peoples, - and that the Jews be ready against that day, to avenge themselves on their enemies.

And, in the twelfth month, the same, is the month Adar, on the thirteenth day thereof, when the word of the king and his edict arrived to be put in execution, - on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, though it, was changed, so that the Jews themselves should have power over them who hated them,

Then said the king unto Esther the queen, In Shusan the palace, have the Jews slain and caused to perish five hundred men, and the ten sons of Haman, - in the rest of the provinces of the king, what have they done? What, then, is thy petition, that it may be granted thee? and what is thy request further, that it may he performed?

because, Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the adversary of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews, to cause them to perish, - and had cast Pur, the same, is the Lot, to terrify them, and to destroy them;

to establish these days of the Purim, in their set times, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined upon them, and according as they had enjoined upon their own soul, and upon their seed, - the story of the fastings and of their outcry.

A man, there was - in the land of Uz, Job, his name, - and that man was blameless and upright, and one who revered God, and avoided evil.

And Yahweh said unto the accuser, Hast thou applied thy heart unto my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a man blameless and upright, one revering God and avoiding evil?

And the accuser answered Yahweh, and said, Is it, for nought, that Job revereth God?

And Yahweh said unto the accuser, Lo! all that he hath, is in thy hand, only, against himself, do not put forth thy hand. So the accuser went forth from the presence of Yahweh.

And Yahweh said unto the accuser, Hast thou applied thy heart unto my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a man blameless and upright, one who revereth God, and avoideth evil; and still he is holding fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to swallow him up without cause.

And he said unto her, As one of the base women speaketh, speakest thou? Blessing, shall we accept from God, and, misfortune, shall we not accept? In all this, Job sinned not with his lips.

Small and great, there, they are, and, the slave, is free from his master.

Who long for death, and it is not, And have digged for it, beyond hid treasures:

To a man, whose way is concealed, And GOD hath straitly enclosed him?

Is not, thy reverence, thy confidence? And is not, thy hope, the very integrity of thy ways?

So far as I have seen, They who plow for iniquity and sow misery, reap the same:

Is not their tent-rope within them, torn away? They die, disrobed of wisdom!

Call, I pray thee - is there one to answer thee? Or, to which of the holy ones, wilt thou turn?

For, to the foolish man, death is caused by vexation, and, the simple one, is slain by jealousy.

His children are far removed from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, and there is none to deliver:

Whose harvest, the hungry, eateth up, and, even out of thorn hedges, he taketh it, and the snare gapeth for their substance.

Though, man, to trouble, were born, as, sparks, on high, do soar,

Who captureth the wise in their own craftiness, yea the headlong counsel of the crooked:

By day, they encounter darkness, and, as though it were night, they grope at high noon.

Lo! how happy is the man whom God correcteth! Therefore, the chastening of the Almighty, do not thou refuse;

And thou shalt know that, at peace, is thy tent, and shalt visit thy fold, and miss nothing;

And thou shalt know, that numerous is thy seed, and, thine offspring, like the young shoots of the field.

Thou shalt come, yet robust, to the grave, as a stack of sheaves mounteth up in its season.

Lo! as for this, we have searched it out - so, it is, Hear it, and know, thou, for thyself.

For, the arrows of the Almighty, are in me, The heat whereof, my spirit is drinking up, The, terrors of GOD, array themselves against me.

Doth the wild ass bray over grass? Or loweth the ox over his fodder?

Can that which hath no savour be eaten without salt? Or is there any taste in the white of an egg?