But, when Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant the Ammonite, and Geshem the Arabian, heard it, they laughed at us, and poured contempt upon us, - and said, What is this thing which ye would do? against the king, would ye rebel?

And, the old gate, did Joiada son of Paseah, and Meshullam, son of Besodeiah, repair, - they, laid the beams thereof, and set up the doors thereof, and the locks thereof, and the bars thereof;

Now, Tobiah the Ammonite, was beside him, - so he said, Even that which they are building, if a fox should go up, he would break down their stone wall!

Then said I, Should, such a man as I, flee? Who then, being such as I, would enter the temple to save his life? I will not enter.

Have remembrance, O my God, of Tobiah and of Sanballat, according to these their doings, - moreover also, of Noadiah the prophetess, and of the rest of the prophets, who would have put me in fear.

Yea, forty years, didst thou sustain them in the desert, they lacked nothing, - their mantles, waxed not old and, their feet, swelled not.

and that we would not give our daughters unto the peoples of the land, - and, their daughters, would we not take for our sons;

and, if the peoples of the land should be bringing in wares, or any corn on the sabbath day, to sell, we would not buy of them on the sabbath, or on a holy day, - and that we would remit the seventh year, and the loan of every hand.

And that we would bring in the firstfruits of our ground, and the firstfruit of all fruit of all trees, year by year, - unto the house of Yahweh;

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, the first part of our meal and our heave-offerings and the fruit of all trees, new wine and oil, would we bring in unto the priests, into the chambers of the house of our God, and the tithe of our ground unto the Levites, - the Levites themselves, taking the tithes in all our cities of agriculture.

For, into the chambers, should the sons of Israel and the sons of Levi bring in the heave-offering of the corn, the new wine and the oil, since, there, are the utensils of the sanctuary, and the priests who are in attendance, and the doorkeepers, and the singers, - so would we not neglect the house of our God.

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.

For, in the days of David and Asaph, of old, there were chiefs of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgiving, unto God.

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, throughout every day, Mordecai, used to walk to and fro, before the court of the house of the women, - to get to know the welfare of Esther, and what would be done with her.

Wherefore art, thou, transgressing the command of the king? And it came to pass, when they had spoken unto him day by day, and he had not hearkened unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether the account of Mordecai would stand, for he had told them, that, he, was a Jew.

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.

The Jews established and took upon themselves - and upon their seed, and upon all who should join themselves unto them, that it might not pass away, that they would continue to keep these two days, according to the writing concerning them and at their set time, - always year by year.

If one attempt a word unto thee, wilt thou be impatient? But, to restrain speech, who, can endure?

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

Yet indeed, I, would seek unto El, and, unto Elohim, would I set forth any cause: -

At destruction and at hunger, shalt thou laugh, and, of the wild beast of the earth, be not thou afraid;

For, with the stones of the field, shall be thy covenant, and, the wild beast of the field, hath been made thy friend;

Oh that, weighed, were my vexation, and, my engulfing ruin - into the balances, they would lift up all at once!

For, now, beyond the sand of the seas, would it be heavy, On this account, my words, have wandered.

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

Oh that my request would come! and, my hope, oh that GOD would grant!

That it would please GOD to crush me, That he would set free his hand, and cut me off!

So might it still be my comfort, And I might exult in the anguish he would not spare, - That I had not concealed the sayings of the Holy One.

Surely, the fatherless, ye would assail, and make merchandise of your friend!

How long wilt thou not look away from me? Wilt thou not let me alone, till I can swallow my spittle?

And why wilt thou not remove my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? For, now, in the dust, should I lie down, and thou shouldst seek me diligently, and I should not be.

How long wilt thou speak these things? Or, as a mighty wind, shall be the sayings of thy mouth?

Yet, if, thou thyself, wilt diligently seek unto GOD, - and, unto the Almighty, wilt make supplication;

Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, to be absolved, I would make supplication.

Though I had called, and he had answered me, I could not believe, that he would lend an ear to my voice.

For, with a tempest, would he fall upon me, and would multiply my wounds without need;

He would not suffer me to recover my breath, for he would surfeit me with bitter things.

If I should justify myself, mine own mouth, would condemn me, - I blameless? then had it shewn me perverse.

I am afraid of all my pains, I know, that thou wilt not pronounce me innocent.

Though it is, within thine own knowledge, that I would not be lawless, and, none, out of thy hand, can deliver?

Remember, I pray thee, that, as clay, thou didst make me, and, unto dust, thou wilt cause me to return.

But, in very deed, oh that GOD would speak, that he would open his lips with thee:

That he would declare to thee the secrets of wisdom, for they are double to that which actually is, - -Know then that GOD could bring into forgetfulness for thee, a portion of thine iniquity.

But, an empty person, will get sense, when, a wild ass's colt, is born a man!

If, thou, hast prepared thy heart, and wilt spread forth, unto him, thy hands -

But indeed, I, unto the Almighty, would speak, and, to direct my argument unto GOD, would I be well pleased.

Oh that ye would, altogether held your peace, and it should serve you for wisdom!

Is it, for God, ye would speak perversely? And, for him, would ye speak deceit:

Even, for him, would ye be partial? Or, for GOD, would ye so plead?

Would it be well, when he searched you out? Or, as one might jest with a mortal, would ye jest, with him?

A driven leaf, wilt thou cause to tremble? Or, dry stubble, wilt thou pursue?

If its root, should become old in the earth, and, in the dust, its stock should die:

If a man die, can he live again? All the days of my warfare, would I wait, until my relief should come: -

Thou shouldst call, and, I, would answer thee, - For the work of thine own hand, thou shouldst long.

For, now, my steps, thou countest, Thou wilt not pass over my sin:

For thine own mouth would teach thine iniquity, and thou wouldst choose the tongue of the crafty.

And had inhabited demolished cities, houses, wherein men would not dwell, that were destined to become heaps.

For, their heart, hast thou kept back from understanding, On this account, thou wilt not exalt them.

Where then would be my hope? And, as for my blessedness, who should see it!

With me to hades, would they go down, If, wholly - into the dust, is the descent!

Lo! I cry - out: Violence! but receive no answer, I cry aloud, but there is no vindication;

To mine own servant, I called, and he would not answer, With mine own mouth, I kept entreating him;

They rejoice aloud as with timbrel and lyre, and make merry to the sound of the pipe;

Lo! I know your plans, and the devices, wherewith ye would do me violence!

Wilt thou say then, What doth GOD know? Out through a thick cloud, can he judge?

The path of the ancient time, wilt thou mark, which the men of iniquity trod?

Oh that I knew where I might find him! I would come even unto his dwelling-place;

I would set out, before him, a plea, and, my mouth, would I fill with arguments;

I would note the words wherewith he would respond to me, and would mark what he would say to me.

Would he, with fulness of might, contend with me? Nay, surely, he, would give heed to me!

The command of his lips, and would not go back, and, in my bosom, have I treasured the words of his lips.

Lo! as wild asses in the wilderness, they go forth with their work, eager seekers for prey, the waste plain, yieldeth them food for their young;

I would teach you, by the hand of GOD, That which is with the Almighty, will I not conceal.

Oh that it were with me as in the months of old, as in the days, when, GOD, used to watch over me;

Then said I, Like a stem, shall I grow old, yea, as the sand, shall I multiply days:

For I know that, unto death, thou wilt bring me back, even unto the house of meeting for every one living.

Or what would have been my portion of GOD from above? Or what inheritance of the Almighty from on high?

Would, he, not see my ways? and of all my steps, take account?

Surely, a fire, had that been, which, unto destruction, would have consumed, and, of all mine increase, had it torn up the root.

Oh that I had one to hear me, Lo! my crossmark, May, the Almighty, answer me! And would that, a book, mine opponent had written!

Oh! would I not, upon my shoulder, lift it, or bind it as a crown upon me;

The number of my footsteps, I would declare to him, Like a noble, would I draw near to him.

Lo! occasions of hostility, would he find against me, He counteth me an enemy to him;

All flesh together, would cease to breathe, and, the earth-born, unto dust, would return.

Shall, the very hater of right, control? Or, the just - the mighty one, wilt thou condemn?

Would that Job might be tested to the uttermost, for replying with the men of iniquity:

How much less when thou sayest thou wilt not regard him! The cause, is before him, and thou must wait for him.

If they would hearken, and serve, they should complete their days, in prosperity, and their years, in pleasantness;

But, if they would not hearken, by a weapon, should they pass away, and breathe their last, no one knowing.

He would deliver the humbled in his humiliation, and would uncover - in oppression - their ear.

So then the wild-beast hath gone into covert, and, in its lairs, doth it remain.

Shall it be declared to him - that I would speak? Were any man to say aught, he might he destroyed?

To satisfy the wild and the wilderness, to cause to spring forth the meadow of young grass?

Wilt thou hunt - for the Lioness - prey? Or, the craving of the Strong Lion, wilt thou satisfy;

Knowest thou the season when the Wild Goats of the crags beget? The bringing forth of the hinds, canst thou observe?

Who hath sent forth the Wild Ass free? And, the bands of the swift-runner, who hath loosed?

Will the Wild-Ox be pleased to be thy servant? or lodge for the night by thy crib?