Then said Solomon, The LORD hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness.

And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who hath with his hands fulfilled that which he spoke with his mouth to my father David, saying,

The LORD therefore hath performed his word that he hath spoken; for I am raised up in the room of David my father, and am set on the throne of Israel, as the LORD promised, and have built the house for the name of the LORD God of Israel.

Moreover concerning the stranger, who is not of thy people Israel, but hath come from a distant country for thy great name's sake, and thy mighty hand, and thy out-stretched arm; if they come and pray in this house;

And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus to this land, and to this house?

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

And Solomon brought up the daughter of Pharaoh from the city of David to 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 hath come.

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

Therefore he said to 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 hath given us rest on every side. So they built, and prospered.

Now for a long season Israel hath 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 to him, Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore hath the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thy hand.

And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may inquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesieth good to me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.

Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil against thee.

And Micaiah said, If thou shalt certainly return in peace, then hath not the LORD spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, all ye people.

And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldst thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD.

And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place hath been called, The valley of Berachah, to this day.

Then Eliezer the son of Dodavah of Mareshah prophesied against Jehoshaphat, saying, Because thou hast joined thyself with Ahaziah, the LORD hath broken thy 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 to them, Behold, the king's son shall reign, as the LORD hath 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 to them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the LORD, he hath also forsaken you.

But if thou wilt go, do it, be strong for the battle: God will make thee fall before the enemy: for God hath power to help, and to cast down.

And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said to him, Art thou made of the king's council? forbear? why shouldst thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbore, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened to 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 to them, Behold, because the LORD God of your fathers was wroth with Judah, he hath delivered them into your hand, and ye have slain them in a rage that reacheth to heaven.

Wherefore the wrath of the LORD hath been upon Judah and Jerusalem, and he hath delivered them to trouble, to astonishment, and to hissing, as ye see with your eyes.

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

Now be ye not stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD, and enter into his sanctuary, which he hath sanctified for ever: 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 left plenty: for the LORD hath blessed his people; and that which is left is this great abundance.

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

Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you in this manner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom hath been able to deliver his people out of my hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of my hand?

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

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

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

The letter which ye sent to us hath been plainly read before me.

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

At the same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side of the river, and Shethar-boznai, and their companions, and said thus to them, Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up 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 hath it been in building, and yet it is not finished.

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

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

And hath extended mercy to 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 assembled out of Israel chief men to go up with me.

For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.

And now for a little space grace hath been shown from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage.

For we were bond-men; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy to us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations of it, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

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

And I said to the king, If it should please the king, and if thy servant hath found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldst send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' sepulchers, that I may build it.

Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria to this day.

What shall we do to the queen Vashti according to law, because she hath not performed the commandment of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains?

And Memucan answered before the king and the princes, Vashti the queen hath 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 the king Ahasuerus.

Then the king said, Cause Haman to make haste, that he may do as Esther hath 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 shall 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 to-morrow as the king hath said.

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

Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

But put forth thy hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

And the LORD said to Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thy 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 hath fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I only have escaped alone to tell thee.

And said, Naked came I from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

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

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

For the thing which I greatly feared hath come upon me, and that which I dreaded hath come to me.

But now it hath come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.

So the poor hath hope, and iniquity stoppeth her mouth.

Doth the wild ass bray when he hath grass? or loweth the ox over his fodder?

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

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

They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to naught.

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

Thou hast granted me life and favor, and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit.

Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?

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

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

But now he hath made me weary: thou hast made desolate all my company.

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

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

He hath made me also a by-word of the people; and in former time I was as a tabret.

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

Know now that God hath overthrown me, and hath encompassed me with his net.

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

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

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

He hath also kindled his wrath against me, and he counteth me to him as one of his enemies.

He hath put my brethren far from me, and my acquaintance are verily estranged from me.

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

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

Because he hath oppressed and hath forsaken the poor; because he hath violently taken away a house which he did not build.

For what pleasure hath 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 hath done?

But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.

My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.

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

How hast thou helped him that is without power? how savest thou the arm that hath no strength?

How hast thou counseled him that hath no wisdom? and how hast thou abundantly declared the thing as it is?

Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.

He hath encompassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.

By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.

As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty who hath afflicted my soul;

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

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

There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vultur's eye hath not seen:

Because he hath loosed my cord, and afflicted me, they have also let loose the bridle before me.

He hath cast me into the mire, and I have become like dust and ashes.

If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit;