And this house, which is exalted, shall be an astonishment to everyone that passes by it; so that he shall say, Why has the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house?

And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshiped them, and served them: therefore has he brought all this evil upon them.

And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh out of the city of David unto the house that he had built for her: for he said, My wife shall not dwell in the house of David king of Israel, because the places are holy, to which the ark of the LORD has come.

Yet Jeroboam the son of Nebat, the servant of Solomon the son of David, has risen up, and has rebelled against his lord.

Therefore he said unto Judah, Let us build these cities, and make about them walls, and towers, gates, and bars, while the land is yet before us; because we have sought the LORD our God, we have sought him, and he has given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered.

Now for a long time Israel has been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.

And at that time Hanani the seer came to Asa king of Judah, and said unto him, Because you have relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD your God, therefore has the army of the king of Syria escaped out of your hand.

Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of these your prophets, and the LORD has spoken evil against you.

And Micaiah said, If you ever return in peace, then has not the LORD spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, all you people.

Then Eliezer the son of Dodavahu of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because you have joined yourself with Ahaziah, the LORD has broken your works. And the ships were broken, that they were not able to go to Tarshish.

And all the congregation made a covenant with the king in the house of God. And he said unto them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the LORD has said of the sons of David.

And the spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus says God, Why transgress you the commandments of the LORD, that you cannot prosper? because you have forsaken the LORD, he has also forsaken you.

But if you will go, do it, be strong for the battle: but God shall make you fall before the enemy: for God has power to help, and to cast down.

And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Are you made the king's counselor? stop; why should you be killed? Then the prophet stopped, and said, I know that God has determined to destroy you, because you have done this, and have not hearkened unto my counsel.

But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded: and he went out before the army that came to Samaria, and said unto them, Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was angry with Judah, he has delivered them into your hand, and you have slain them in a rage that reaches up unto heaven.

Therefore the wrath of the LORD was upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he has delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as you see with your eyes.

My sons, be not now negligent: for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him, to serve him, and that you should minister unto him, and burn incense.

Now be you not stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves unto the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he has sanctified forever: and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of his wrath may turn away from you.

And Azariah the chief priest of the house of Zadok answered him, and said, Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the LORD, we have had enough to eat, and have plenty left: for the LORD has blessed his people; and that which is left is this great abundance.

Has not the same Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem, saying, You shall worship before one altar, and burn incense upon it?

Then Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.

Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth has the LORD God of heaven given me; and he has charged me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.

Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of the fathers' houses of Israel, said unto them, You have nothing to do with us to build a house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the LORD God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.

The letter which you sent unto us has been plainly read before me.

And I commanded, and search has been made, and it is found that this city from of old has made insurrection against kings, and that rebellion and sedition have been made in it.

At the same time came to them Tattenai, governor on this side of the river, and Shethar-bozenai, and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who has commanded you to build this house, and to restore this wall?

Then came the same Sheshbazzar, and laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem: and since that time even until now has it been in building, and yet it is not finished.

And the God that has caused his name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that shall put their hand to alter it and to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done diligently.

Blessed be the LORD God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which is in Jerusalem:

And has extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counselors, and before all the king's mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel leading men to go up with me.

For they have taken of their daughters as wives for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy race has mixed itself with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the leaders and rulers has been foremost in this trespass.

And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to you, my God: for our iniquities have risen higher than our head, and our trespass has grown up unto the heavens.

And now for a little while grace has been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us security in his holy place, that our God may enlighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.

For we were slaves; yet our God has not forsaken us in our bondage, but has extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to rebuild the house of our God, and to repair its ruins, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that you our God has punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and has given us such deliverance as this;

Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As you has said, so must we do.

And I said unto the king, If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you would send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchers, that I may rebuild it.

Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before you, that has come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all your people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day.

What shall we do unto queen Vashti according to law, because she has not obeyed the commandment of king Ahasuerus by the eunuchs?

And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti the queen has not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the people that are in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus.

Then the king said, Cause Haman to make haste, that he may do as Esther has said. So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my petition, and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shall prepare for them, and I will do tomorrow as the king has said.

And the king said, What honor and dignity has been bestowed upon Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.

Let the royal robes be brought which the king has worn, and the horse that the king rides upon, and the royal crown which is set upon his head:

Have not you made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he has on every side? you have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions are increased in the land.

But put forth your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face.

And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power; only upon himself put not forth your hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.

While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God has fallen from heaven, and has burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I alone am escaped to tell you.

And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there: the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man has will he give for his life.

Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God has hedged in?

For the thing which I greatly feared has come upon me, and that which I was afraid of has come unto me.

So the poor has hope, and injustice shuts her mouth.

Does the wild donkey bray when it has grass? or the ox lows over its fodder?

The eye of him that has seen me shall see me no more: your eyes are upon me, and I am not.

If your children have sinned against him, and he has cast them away for their transgression;

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

You have granted me life and favor, and your care has preserved my spirit.

Who knows not among all these that the hand of the LORD has done this?

With him is wisdom and strength, he has counsel and understanding.

Lo, my eye has seen all this, my ear has heard and understood it.

But now he has made me weary: you have made desolate all my company.

God has delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over into the hands of the wicked.

I was at ease, but he has broken me asunder: he has also taken me by my neck, and shaken me to pieces, and set me up for his mark.

He has made me also a byword of the people; and I was as one before whom men spit.

The righteous also shall hold to his way, and he that has clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.

Know now that God has overthrown me, and has compassed me with his net.

He has fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and he has set darkness in my paths.

He has stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head.

He has destroyed me on every side, and I am gone: and my hope has he removed like a tree.

He has also kindled his wrath against me, and he counts me unto him as one of his enemies.

He has put my brethren far from me, and my acquaintances are wholly estranged from me.

Have pity upon me, have pity upon me, O you my friends; for the hand of God has touched me.

He has swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly.

Because he has oppressed and has forsaken the poor; because he has violently taken away a house which he built not;

For what pleasure has he in his house after him, when the number of his months is cut off in the midst?

Who shall declare his way to his face? and who shall repay him what he has done?

But he knows the way that I take: when he has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.

My foot has held fast to his steps, his way have I kept, and not turned aside.

Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither has he covered the darkness from my face.

How have you helped him that is without power? how save you the arm that has no strength?

How have you counseled him that has no wisdom? and how have you plentifully declared the thing as it is?

Sheol is naked before him, and destruction has no covering.

He has drawn a circle on the waters at the boundary where the day and night come together.

By his spirit he has adorned the heavens; his hand has pierced the fleeing serpent.

As God lives, who has taken away my right; and the Almighty, who has made bitter my soul;

For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he has gained, when God takes away his soul?

The stones of it are the place of sapphires: and it has dust of gold.

There is a path which no fowl knows, and which the falcon's eye has not seen:

Yea, how might the strength of their hands profit me, in whom vigor has perished?

Because he has loosed my cord, and afflicted me, they have also cast off restraint before me.

He has cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.

If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot has hastened to deceit;

If my step has turned out of the way, and my heart walked after my eyes, and if any spot has cleaved to my hands;

If my heart has been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbor's door;

Or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless has not eaten of it;

If his heart has not blessed me, and if he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;

And my heart has been secretly enticed, or my mouth has kissed my hand:

Now he has not directed his words against me: neither will I answer him with your speeches.