9:1And on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them. 9:2And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. 9:3And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of Jehovah their God a fourth part of the day; and a fourth part they confessed, and worshipped Jehovah their God. 9:4Then stood up upon the platform of the Levites, Jeshua, and Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani, Chenani, and cried with a loud voice to Jehovah their God. 9:5And the Levites, Jeshua, and Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabniah, Sherebiah, Hodijah, Shebaniah, Pethahiah, said, Stand up, bless Jehovah your God from eternity to eternity. And let [men] bless the name of thy glory, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. 9:6Thou art the Same, thou alone, Jehovah, who hast made the heaven of heavens, and all their host, the earth and all that is therein, the seas and all that is therein. And thou quickenest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee. 9:7Thou art the Same, Jehovah Elohim, who didst choose Abram and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest him the name of Abraham; 9:8and foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest the covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it to his seed; and thou hast performed thy words, for thou art righteous. 9:9And thou sawest the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red Sea; 9:10and didst shew signs and wonders upon Pharaoh, and upon all his servants, and upon all the people of his land; for thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them, and thou didst make thee a name, as it is this day. 9:11And thou didst divide the sea before them, and they went through the midst of the sea on dry [ground]; and their pursuers thou threwest into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters. 9:12And thou leddest them in the day by a pillar of cloud, and in the night by a pillar of fire, to give them light in the way wherein they should go. 9:13And thou camest down on mount Sinai, and didst speak with them from the heavens, and gavest them right judgments and true laws, good statutes and commandments. 9:14And thou madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and prescribedst for them commandments and statutes and a law, through Moses thy servant. 9:15And thou gavest them bread from the heavens for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and didst say to them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them. 9:16But they, our fathers, dealt proudly, and hardened their neck, and hearkened not to thy commandments, 9:17and refused to obey, neither were they mindful of thy wonders which thou hadst done among them; but hardened their neck, and in their rebellion made a captain to return to their bondage. But thou art a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and of great loving-kindness, and thou forsookest them not. 9:18Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy god that brought thee up out of Egypt! and they had wrought great provocation, 9:19yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness. The pillar of the cloud departed not from over them by day, to lead them on the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to shew them light, and the way wherein they should go. 9:20Thou gavest also thy good Spirit to instruct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst. 9:21Yea, forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing; their clothes grew not old, and their feet swelled not. 9:22And thou gavest them kingdoms and peoples, and didst divide them by countries; and they possessed the land of Sihon, as well the land of the king of Heshbon, as the land of Og king of Bashan. 9:23And their children thou didst multiply as the stars of heaven, and thou broughtest them into the land concerning which thou didst say to their fathers that they should go in to possess it. 9:24And the children went in and possessed the land; and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, both their kings and the peoples of the land, that they might do with them as they would. 9:25And they took strong cities, and a fat land, and possessed houses full of all good things, wells digged, vineyards and olive-gardens, and fruit trees in abundance. And they did eat and were filled, and became fat, and delighted themselves in thy great goodness. 9:26But they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets who testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations. 9:27And thou gavest them into the hand of their oppressors, and they oppressed them; and in the time of their distress, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from the heavens, and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their oppressors. 9:28But when they had rest, they did evil again before thee; and thou didst leave them in the hand of their enemies, and they had dominion over them; and again they cried unto thee, and thou heardest [them] from the heavens, and many times didst thou deliver them, according to thy mercies. 9:29And thou testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law; but they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thine ordinances (which if a man do, he shall live in them); and they withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear. 9:30And many years didst thou forbear with them, and testifiedst against them by thy Spirit through thy prophets; but they would not give ear: and thou gavest them into the hand of the peoples of the lands. 9:31Nevertheless for thy manifold mercies' sake, thou didst not make a full end of them nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God. 9:32And now, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and loving-kindness, 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 days of the kings of Assyria unto this day. 9:33But thou art just in all that is come upon us; for thou hast acted according to truth, and we have done wickedly. 9:34And our kings, our princes, our priests, and our fathers, have not performed thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them. 9:35And they have not served thee in their kingdom, and in thy great goodness that thou gavest them, and in the large and fat land that thou didst set before them, neither turned they from their wicked works. 9:36Behold, we are servants this day, and the land that thou gavest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good thereof, behold, we are bondmen in it. 9:37And it yieldeth much increase unto the kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: and they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure; and we are in great distress. 9:38And because of all this we make a sure covenant, and write it; and our princes, our Levites, [and] our priests are at the sealing.
10:1And at the head of those that sealed were Nehemiah the Tirshatha, the son of Hachaliah, and Zedekiah. 10:2Seraiah, Azariah, Jeremiah, 10:3Pashhur, Amariah, Malchijah, 10:4Hattush, Shebaniah, Malluch, 10:5Harim, Meremoth, Obadiah, 10:6Daniel, Ginnethon, Baruch, 10:7Meshullam, Abijah, Mijamin, 10:8Maaziah, Bilgai, Shemaiah: these were the priests. 10:9And the Levites: Jeshua the son of Azaniah; Binnui, of the sons of Henadad; Kadmiel, 10:10and their brethren, Shebaniah, Hodijah, Kelita, Pelaiah, Hanan, 10:11Mica, Rehob, Hashabiah, 10:12Zaccur, Sherebiah, Shebaniah, 10:13Hodijah, Bani, Beninu. 10:14The chief of the people: Parosh, Pahath-Moab, Elam, Zatthu, Bani, 10:15Bunni, Azgad, Bebai, 10:16Adonijah, Bigvai, Adin, 10:17Ater, Hezekiah, Azzur, 10:18Hodijah, Hashum, Bezai, 10:19Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai, 10:20Magpiash, Meshullam, Hezir, 10:21Meshezabeel, Zadok, Jaddua, 10:22Pelatiah, Hanan, Anaiah, 10:23Hoshea, Hananiah, Hashub, 10:24Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek, 10:25Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah, 10:26and Ahijah, Hanan, Anan, 10:27Malluch, Harim, Baanah. 10:28And the rest of the people, the priests, the Levites, the doorkeepers, the singers, the Nethinim, and all they that had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the law of God, their wives, their sons and their daughters, every one having knowledge [and] having understanding, 10:29joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and into an oath, to walk in the law of God, which had been given by Moses the servant of God, and to keep and do all the commandments of Jehovah our Lord, and his ordinances and his statutes; 10:30and that we would not give our daughters to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons: 10:31and that if the peoples of the land brought wares or any grain on the sabbath day to sell, we would not take it of them on the sabbath, or on [any] holy day; and that we would leave [the land uncultivated] the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt. 10:32And we made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God, 10:33for the bread to be set in rows, and for the continual oblation, and for the continual burnt-offering, [for that] of the sabbaths [and] of the new moons, for the set feasts and for the holy [things], and for the sin-offerings to make an atonement for Israel, and [for] all the work of the house of our God. 10:34And we cast the lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the wood-offering, to bring [it] into the house of our God, according to our fathers' houses, at times appointed year by year, to burn upon the altar of Jehovah our God, as it is written in the law; 10:35and to bring the first-fruits of our land, and the first-fruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year to the house of Jehovah, 10:36and the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in the law; and to bring the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks to the house of our God, to the priests that minister in the house of our God; 10:37and that we should bring the first-fruits of our coarse meal and our heave-offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, new wine and oil, to the priests, into the chambers of the house of our God, and the tithes of our ground to the Levites, that they, the Levites, should take the tithes in all the cities of our tillage. 10:38And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes; and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes to the house of our God, into the chambers of the treasure-house. 10:39For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the heave-offering of the corn, of the new wine and the oil, into the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the doorkeepers and the singers. And we will not forsake the house of our God.
11:1And the princes of the people dwelt in Jerusalem; and the rest of the people cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, and nine parts in the cities. 11:2And the people blessed all the men that willingly offered themselves to dwell in Jerusalem. 11:3And these are the chiefs of the province that dwelt in Jerusalem; but in the cities of Judah dwelt every one in his possession in their cities, Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the Nethinim, and the children of Solomon's servants. 11:4And in Jerusalem dwelt some of the children of Judah and of the children of Benjamin. Of the children of Judah: Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalaleel, of the children of Pherez; 11:5and Maaseiah the son of Baruch, the son of Col-hozeh, the son of Hazaiah, the son of Adaiah, the son of Joiarib, the son of Zechariah, the son of Shiloni. 11:6All the children of Pherez that dwelt in Jerusalem were four hundred and sixty-eight valiant men. 11:7And these are the children of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Joed, the son of Pedaiah, the son of Kolaiah, the son of Maaseiah, the son of Ithiel, the son of Isaiah; 11:8and after him, Gabbai, Sallai, nine hundred and twenty-eight: 11:9and Joel the son of Zicri was their overseer, and Judah the son of Senuah was second over the city. 11:10Of the priests: Jedaiah [the son of] Joiarib, Jachin, 11:11Seraiah the son of Hilkijah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the ruler of the house of God. 11:12And their brethren that did the work of the house, eight hundred and twenty-two; and Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pelaliah, the son of Amzi, the son of Zechariah, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah; 11:13and his brethren, chief fathers, two hundred and forty-two; and Amassai the son of Azareel, the son of Ahzai, the son of Meshillemoth, the son of Immer; 11:14and their brethren, mighty men of valour, a hundred and twenty-eight: and their overseer was Zabdiel the son of Gedolim. 11:15And of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Bunni; 11:16and Shabbethai and Jozabad, of the chiefs of the Levites, [who were] over the outward work of the house of God; 11:17and Mattaniah the son of Mica, the son of Zabdi, the son of Asaph, [who was] the principal to begin the thanksgiving in prayer; and Bakbukiah, the second among his brethren; and Abda the son of Shammua, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun: 11:18all the Levites in the holy city were two hundred and eighty-four. 11:19And the doorkeepers, Akkub, Talmon, and their brethren, that kept watch at the gates, were a hundred and seventy-two. 11:20And the residue of Israel, the priests, [and] the Levites, were in all the cities of Judah, every one in his inheritance. 11:21And the Nethinim dwelt in Ophel; and Ziha and Gispa were over the Nethinim. 11:22And the overseer of the Levites at Jerusalem was Uzzi the son of Bani, the son of Hashabiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Mica, of the sons of Asaph, the singers, for the work of the house of God. 11:23For it was the king's commandment concerning them, and there was a settled portion for the singers, due for each day. 11:24And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabeel, of the children of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king's hand in all matters concerning the people. 11:25And as to the hamlets in their fields, [some] of the children of Judah dwelt in Kirjath-Arba and its dependent villages, and in Dibon and its dependent villages, and in Jekabzeel and its dependent villages, 11:26and in Jeshua, and in Moladah, and in Beth-phelet, 11:27and in Hazar-Shual, and in Beer-sheba and its dependent villages, 11:28and in Ziklag, and in Meconah and its dependent villages; 11:29and in En-Rimmon, and in Zorah, and in Jarmuth, 11:30Zanoah, Adullam, and their hamlets, in Lachish and its fields, in Azekah and its dependent villages: and they encamped from Beer-sheba unto the valley of Hinnom. 11:31And the children of Benjamin from Geba [dwelt] in Michmash and Aija and Bethel, and their dependent villages, 11:32in Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah, 11:33Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim, 11:34Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat, 11:35Lod, and Ono, the valley of craftsmen. 11:36And of the Levites there were divisions of Judah [dwelling] in Benjamin.
12:1And these are the priests and the Levites that went up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra, 12:2Amariah, Malluch, Hattush, 12:3Shechaniah, Rehum, Meremoth, 12:4Iddo, Ginnethoi, Abijah, 12:5Mijamin, Maadiah, Bilgah, 12:6Shemaiah, and Joiarib, Jedaiah, 12:7Sallu, Amok, Hilkijah, Jedaiah. These were the chief of the priests and of their brethren in the days of Jeshua. 12:8And the Levites: Jeshua, Binnui, Kadmiel, Sherebiah, Judah, Mattaniah, [who was] over the thanksgiving, he and his brethren; 12:9and Bakbukiah and Unni, their brethren, were over against them as watches. 12:10And Jeshua begot Joiakim, and Joiakim begot Eliashib, and Eliashib begot Joiada, 12:11and Joiada begot Jonathan, and Jonathan begot Jaddua. 12:12And in the days of Joiakim were priests, chief fathers: of Seraiah, Meraiah; of Jeremiah, Hananiah; 12:13of Ezra, Meshullam; of Amariah, Jehohanan; 12:14of Melicu, Jonathan; of Shebaniah, Joseph; 12:15of Harim, Adna; of Meraioth, Helkai; 12:16of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam; 12:17of Abijah, Zichri; of Miniamin [and] Moadiah, Piltai; 12:18of Bilgah, Shammua; of Shemaiah, Jehonathan; 12:19and of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi; 12:20of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber; 12:21of Hilkijah, Hashabiah; of Jedaiah, Nethaneel. 12:22of the Levites, the chief fathers were recorded in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, and Johanan, and Jaddua, and the priests, until the reign of Darius the Persian. 12:23The children of Levi, the chief fathers, were recorded in the book of the chronicles, even until the days of Johanan the son of Eliashib. 12:24And the chief Levites: Hashabiah, Sherebiah, and Jeshua the son of Kadmiel, with their brethren over against them, to praise [and] to give thanks, according to the commandment of David the man of God, ward over against ward. 12:25Mattaniah and Bakbukiah, Obadiah, Meshullam, Talmon, Akkub, were doorkeepers keeping the ward at the storehouses of the gates. 12:26These were in the days of Joiakim the son of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor, and of Ezra the priest, the scribe. 12:27And at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem they sought the Levites out of all their places, to bring them to Jerusalem, to hold the dedication with gladness, both with thanksgivings, and with singing, [with] cymbals, lutes and harps. 12:28And the children of the singers were assembled, both from the plain [of Jordan] round about Jerusalem, and from the villages of the Netophathites, 12:29also from Beth-Gilgal, and out of the fields of Geba and Azmaveth; for the singers had built themselves hamlets round about Jerusalem. 12:30And the priests and the Levites purified themselves; and they purified the people, and the gates and the wall. 12:31And I brought up the princes of Judah upon the wall, and appointed two great choirs and processions, on the right hand upon the wall towards the dung-gate. 12:32And after them went Hoshaiah, and half of the princes of Judah, 12:33and Azariah, Ezra, and Meshullam, 12:34Judah and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah, 12:35and [certain] of the priests' sons with trumpets: Zechariah the son of Jonathan, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Mattaniah, the son of Micaiah, the son of Zaccur, the son of Asaph; 12:36and his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azareel, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God; and Ezra the scribe before them. 12:37And at the fountain-gate, and over against them, they went up by the stairs of the city of David, at the ascent of the wall, above the house of David, even to the water-gate eastward. 12:38And the second choir went in the opposite direction upon the wall, and I after them, and the half of the people, from beyond the tower of the furnaces even to the broad wall; 12:39and from above the gate of Ephraim, and above the gate of the old [wall], and above the fish-gate, and the tower of Hananeel, and the tower of Meah, even to the sheep-gate; and they stood still in the prison-gate. 12:40And both choirs stood in the house of God, and I, and the half of the rulers with me; 12:41and the priests, Eliakim, Maaseiah, Miniamin, Micaiah, Elioenai, Zechariah, Hananiah, with trumpets; 12:42and Maaseiah, and Shemaiah, and Eleazar, and Uzzi, and Jehohanan, and Malchijah, and Elam, and Ezer. And the singers sang loud; and Jizrahiah was their overseer. 12:43And that day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy; and also the women and the children rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off. 12:44And at that time men were appointed over the chambers of the treasures for the heave-offerings, for the first-fruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them, out of the fields of the cities, the portions assigned by the law for the priests and the Levites; for Judah rejoiced over the priests, and over the Levites that waited. 12:45And, with the singers and the doorkeepers, they kept the ward of their God, and the ward of the purification, according to the commandment of David [and] of Solomon his son. 12:46For of old, in the days of David and Asaph, there were the chiefs of the singers, and songs of praise and thanksgivings to God. 12:47And all Israel, in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah, gave the portions of the singers and the doorkeepers, every day what was needed, and they consecrated things for the Levites; and the Levites consecrated for the children of Aaron.
13:1On that day they read in the book of Moses in the audience of the people; and there was found written in it that the Ammonite and the Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever; 13:2because they had not met the children of Israel with bread and with water, and had hired Balaam against them, to curse them; but our God turned the curse into blessing. 13:3And it came to pass, when they heard the law, that they separated from Israel all the mixed multitude. 13:4And before this, Eliashib the priest, who had the oversight of the chambers of the house of our God, a kinsman of Tobijah, 13:5had prepared for him a great chamber, where formerly they laid the oblations, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine and the oil, which was commanded for the Levites and the singers and the doorkeepers, and the heave-offerings of the priests. 13:6And during all that [time] I was not at Jerusalem; for in the two-and-thirtieth year of Artaxerxes king of Babylon I came to the king; and after some time I obtained leave of the king. 13:7And I came to Jerusalem, and observed the evil that Eliashib had done for Tobijah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God. 13:8And it grieved me much, and I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobijah out of the chamber. 13:9And I commanded, and they purified the chambers; and thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God, the oblation and the frankincense. 13:10And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given, and that the Levites and the singers that did the work had fled every one to his field. 13:11Then I contended with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together and set them in their place. 13:12And all Judah brought the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil into the storehouses. 13:13And I made storekeepers over the storehouses: Shelemiah the priest, and Zadok the scribe, and of the Levites, Pedaiah; and subordinate to them, Hanan the son of Zaccur, the son of Mattaniah; for they were esteemed faithful, and their office was to distribute to their brethren. 13:14Remember me, O my God, concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds which I have done for the house of my God, and for the charges thereof! 13:15In those days I saw in Judah some treading winepresses on the sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading them on asses; as also wine, grapes and figs, and all manner of burdens; and they brought them into Jerusalem on the sabbath day; and I protested in the day on which they sold the victuals. 13:16Men of Tyre also dwelt therein, who brought fish and all manner of ware, and sold it on the sabbath to the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. 13:17And I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said to them, What evil thing is this which ye do, profaning the sabbath day? 13:18Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us and upon this city? And ye will bring more wrath against Israel by profaning the sabbath. 13:19And it came to pass, that when it began to be dark in the gates of Jerusalem before the sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut; and I commanded that they should not be opened till after the sabbath. And I set [some] of my servants at the gates, so that no burden should be brought in on the sabbath day. 13:20And the dealers and sellers of all kind of ware passed the night without Jerusalem once or twice. 13:21And I testified against them, and said to them, Why do ye pass the night before the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth they came not on the sabbath. 13:22And I commanded the Levites that they should purify themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to hallow the sabbath day. Remember this also for me, my God, and spare me according to thy great loving-kindness! 13:23In those days also I saw Jews that had married wives of Ashdod, of Ammon, [and] of Moab. 13:24And their children spoke half in the language of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews' language, but according to the language of each people. 13:25And I contended with them, and cursed them, and smote certain of them and plucked off their hair, and adjured them by God [saying], Ye shall not give your daughters to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or for yourselves. 13:26Did not Solomon king of Israel sin by these things? Yet among the many nations was there no king like him, who was beloved of his God, and God made him king over all Israel; but even him did foreign wives cause to sin. 13:27And should we hearken to you to do all this great evil, to act unfaithfully to our God by marrying foreign wives? 13:28And [one] of the sons of Joiada, the son of Eliashib the high priest, was son-in-law to Sanballat the Horonite; and I chased him from me. 13:29Remember them, my God, for they are polluters of the priesthood, and of the covenant of the priesthood and of the Levites! 13:30And I purified them from all foreigners, and appointed the charges of the priests and the Levites, every one in his service; 13:31and for the wood-offering, at times appointed, and for the first-fruits. Remember me, O my God, for good!
Esther
1:1And it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (that is, the Ahasuerus that reigned from India even to Ethiopia, over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces), 1:2in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the fortress, 1:3in the third year of his reign, he made a feast to all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and the princes of the provinces being before him; 1:4when he shewed the glorious wealth of his kingdom and the splendid magnificence of his grandeur many days, a hundred and eighty days. 1:5And when these days were expired, the king made a feast to all the people that were present in Shushan the fortress, both to great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's palace. 1:6White, green, and blue [hangings] were fastened with cords of byssus and purple to silver rings and pillars of white marble; couches of gold and silver [lay] upon a pavement of red and white marble, and alabaster, and black marble. 1:7And they gave drink in vessels of gold (the vessels being diverse one from another), and royal wine in abundance, according to the king's bounty. 1:8And the drinking was, according to commandment, without constraint; for so the king had appointed to all the magnates of his house, that they should do according to every man's pleasure. 1:9Also the queen Vashti made a feast for the women of the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus. 1:10On the seventh day, when the king's heart was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, and Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven chamberlains that served in the presence of king Ahasuerus, 1:11to bring Vashti the queen before the king with the royal crown to shew the peoples and the princes her beauty; for she was of beautiful countenance. 1:12But the queen Vashti refused to come at the word of the king which was [sent] by the chamberlains; and the king was very wroth, and his fury burned in him. 1:13And the king said to the wise men who knew the times (for so was the king's business [conducted] before all that knew law and judgment; 1:14and the next to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, [and] Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face, and who sat first in the kingdom), 1:15What shall be done to the queen Vashti according to law, because she has not performed the word of the king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains? 1:16Then said Memucan before the king and the princes, The queen Vashti has not done wrong to the king only, but also to all the princes, and to all the peoples that are in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus. 1:17For the act of the queen will come abroad to all women, so as to render their husbands contemptible in their eyes, when they shall say, The king Ahasuerus commanded the queen Vashti to be brought in before him, and she came not! 1:18And the princesses of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen's act, will say it this day to all the king's princes, and there will be contempt and anger enough. 1:19If it please the king, let a royal order go forth from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes, that it may not pass, That Vashti come no more before king Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal estate to another that is better than she; 1:20and when the king's edict which he shall make shall be heard throughout his realm for it is great all the wives shall give to their husbands honour, from the greatest to the least. 1:21And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan. 1:22And he sent letters into all the king's provinces, into every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people according to their language, That every man should bear rule in his own house, and should speak according to the language of his people.
2:1After these things, when the fury of king Ahasuerus was appeased, he remembered Vashti, and what she had done, and what was decreed against her. 2:2Then said the king's servants that attended upon him, Let there be maidens, virgins of beautiful countenance, sought for the king; 2:3and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the young virgins of beautiful countenance to Shushan the fortress, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hegai the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given. 2:4And let the maiden that pleaseth the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so. 2:5There was in Shushan the fortress a certain Jew, whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 2:6who had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. 2:7And he brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter; for she had neither father nor mother and the maiden was fair and beautiful and when her father and mother were dead, Mordecai took her for his own daughter. 2:8And it came to pass when the king's commandment and his decree was heard, and when many maidens were gathered together unto Shushan the fortress, unto the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was brought into the king's house, unto the custody of Hegai, keeper of the women. 2:9And the maiden pleased him, and obtained favour before him; and he speedily gave her her things for purification, and her portions, and the seven maidens selected to be given her, out of the king's house; and he removed her and her maids to the best [place] of the house of the women. 2:10Esther had not made known her people nor her birth; for Mordecai had charged her that she should not make it known. 2:11And Mordecai walked every day before the court of the women's house, to know how Esther did, and what should become of her. 2:12And when every maiden's turn came to go in to king Ahasuerus after that she had been treated for twelve months, according to the manner of the women (for so were the days of their purification accomplished six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with spices, and with things for the purifying of the women, 2:13and thus came the maiden in unto the king), whatever she desired was given her to go with her out of the house of the women to the king's house. 2:14In the evening she went, and on the morrow she returned into the second house of the women, unto the custody of Shaashgaz, the king's chamberlain, keeper of the concubines. She came in to the king no more, unless the king delighted in her, and she were called by name. 2:15And when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, came to go in to the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained grace in the sight of all them that saw her. 2:16So Esther was taken to king Ahasuerus, into his royal house, in the tenth month, that is, the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 2:17And the king loved Esther above all the women, and she obtained grace and favour in his sight more than all the virgins, and he set the royal crown upon her head, and made her queen instead of Vashti. 2:18And the king made a great feast to all his princes and his servants, Esther's feast; and he made a release to the provinces, and gave presents according to the king's bounty. 2:19And when the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai sat in the king's gate. 2:20(Esther, as Mordecai had charged her, had not yet made known her birth nor her people; for Esther did what Mordecai told her, like as when she was brought up with him.) 2:21In those days, while Mordecai sat in the king's gate, two of the king's chamberlains, Bigthan and Teresh, of those which kept the threshold, were wroth, and sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus. 2:22And the thing became known to Mordecai, and he related it to Esther the queen, and Esther told it to the king in Mordecai's name. 2:23And the matter was investigated and found out; and they were both hanged on a tree. And it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king.
3:1After these things king Ahasuerus promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. 3:2And all the king's servants that were in the king's gate bowed and did Haman reverence, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did [him] reverence. 3:3Then the king's servants, who were in the king's gate, said to Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment? 3:4And it came to pass as they spoke daily to him, and he hearkened not to them, that they informed Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew. 3:5And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, Haman was full of fury. 3:6But he scorned to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had made known to him the people of Mordecai; therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus the people of Mordecai. 3:7In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman for each day and for each month, to the twelfth [month], that is, the month Adar. 3:8And Haman said to king Ahasuerus, There is a people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from [those of] every people, and they keep not the king's laws; and it is not for the king's profit to suffer them. 3:9If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those that have charge of the affairs, to bring [it] into the king's treasuries. 3:10And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy. 3:11And the king said to Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as seems good to thee. 3:12Then were the king's scribes called, in the first month, on the thirteenth day of the [month], and there was written according to all that Haman commanded unto the king's satraps, and to the governors over every province, and to the princes of every people; to every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people according to their language: in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king's ring. 3:13And the letters were sent by couriers into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, upon the thirteenth of the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, and [to take] the spoil of them for a prey. 3:14That the decree might be given in every province, a copy of the writing was published to all peoples, that they should be ready against that day. 3:15The couriers went out, being hastened by the king's commandment, and the decree was given in Shushan the fortress. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Shushan was in consternation.
4:1And when Mordecai knew all that was done, Mordecai rent his garments, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and bitter cry, 4:2and came even before the king's gate; for none might enter into the king's gate clothed with sackcloth. 4:3And in every province, wherever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing: many lay in sackcloth and ashes. 4:4And Esther's maids and her chamberlains came and told [it] her; and the queen was exceedingly grieved: and she sent raiment to clothe Mordecai, and to take away his sackcloth from him; but he received [it] not. 4:5Then Esther called for Hatach, [one] of the king's chamberlains, whom he had appointed to wait upon her, and gave him a commandment to Mordecai, to know what it was, and why it was. 4:6And Hatach went forth to Mordecai, unto the public place of the city which was before the king's gate. 4:7And Mordecai told him of all that had happened to him, and of the sum of money that Haman had promised to pay to the king's treasuries for the Jews, to destroy them. 4:8And he gave him a copy of the writing of the decree that had been given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew [it] to Esther, and to declare [it] to her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication to him, and to make request before him, for her people. 4:9And Hatach came and told Esther the words of Mordecai. 4:10And Esther spoke to Hatach, and gave him commandment unto Mordecai: 4:11All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces do know that whoever, whether man or woman, shall come to the king into the inner court, who is not called, there is *one* law, to put [him] to death, except [such] to whom the king shall hold out the golden sceptre, that he may live; and I have not been called to come in unto the king these thirty days. 4:12And they told Mordecai Esther's words. 4:13And Mordecai bade to answer Esther: Imagine not in thy heart that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. 4:14For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there arise relief and deliverance to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall perish. And who knows whether thou art [not] come to the kingdom for such a time as this? 4:15And Esther bade to answer Mordecai: 4:16Go, gather together all the Jews that are found in Shushan, and fast for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise, and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish. 4:17And Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.
5:1And it came to pass on the third day, that Esther put on royal apparel, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, over against the king's house. And the king sat upon his royal throne in the royal house, over against the entrance to the house. 5:2And it was so, when the king saw the queen Esther standing in the court, that she obtained grace in his sight; and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that was in his hand; and Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre. 5:3And the king said to her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be given thee even to the half of the kingdom. 5:4And Esther said, If it seem good to the king, let the king and Haman come this day to the banquet that I have prepared for him. 5:5And the king said, Hasten Haman, that it may be done as Esther has said. And the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared. 5:6And the king said to Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee; and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be done. 5:7And Esther answered and said, My petition and my request is, 5:8If I have found grace 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 to-morrow according to the king's word. 5:9And Haman went forth that day joyful and glad of heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he stood not up nor moved for him, he was full of fury against Mordecai. 5:10But Haman controlled himself, and came home; and he sent and called for his friends, and Zeresh his wife. 5:11And Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and the multitude of his children, and all wherein the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king. 5:12And Haman said, Yea, Esther the queen let no man come in with the king to the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and to-morrow also I am invited to her with the king. 5:13Yet all this is of no avail to me so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate. 5:14Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends to him, Let a gallows be made of fifty cubits high, and in the morning speak to the king that Mordecai may be hanged on it: then go in merrily with the king to the banquet. And the thing pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made.
6:1On that night sleep fled from the king. And he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. 6:2And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, keepers of the threshold, who had sought to lay hand on king Ahasuerus. 6:3And the king said, What honour and dignity has been done to Mordecai for this? And the king's servants that attended upon him said, Nothing has been done for him. 6:4And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman had come into the outward court of the king's house, to speak to the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him. 6:5And the king's servants said to him, Behold, Haman is standing in the court. And the king said, Let him come in. 6:6So Haman came in. And the king said to him, What is to be done with the man whom the king delights to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to me? 6:7And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delights to honour, 6:8let the royal apparel be brought with which the king arrays himself, and the horse that the king rides upon, and on the head of which the royal crown is set; 6:9and let the apparel and horse be delivered into the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, and let them array the man whom the king delights to honour, and cause him to ride on the horse through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honour! 6:10And the king said to Haman, Make haste, take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast said. 6:11And Haman took the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and caused him to ride through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honour! 6:12And Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman hasted to his house, mourning and having his head covered. 6:13And Haman recounted to Zeresh his wife and to all his friends all that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife to him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but wilt certainly fall before him. 6:14While they were yet talking with him, the king's chamberlains came, and hasted to bring Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
7:1And the king and Haman came to drink with Esther the queen. 7:2And the king said again to Esther on the second day, at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee; and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be done. 7:3And Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found grace in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request; 7:4for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the adversary could not compensate the king's damage. 7:5And king Ahasuerus spoke and said to Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he that has filled his heart to do so? 7:6And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen. 7:7And the king in his wrath rose up from the banquet of wine, [and went] into the palace garden; but Haman stayed to make request for his life to Esther the queen, for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king. 7:8And the king returned out of the palace garden into the house of the banquet of wine, and Haman was fallen upon the couch on which Esther was. And the king said, Will he even force the queen before me in the house? The word went forth out of the king's mouth, and they covered Haman's face. 7:9And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold, also, the gallows fifty cubits high, that Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke good for the king, stands in the house of Haman. And the king said, Hang him on it! 7:10So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. And the king's wrath was appeased.
8:1On that day did king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews' oppressor to Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was to her. 8:2And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman. 8:3And Esther spoke yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device which he had devised against the Jews. 8:4And the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. And Esther arose and stood before the king, 8:5and said, If it please the king and if I have found grace before him, and the thing seem right to the king, and I be pleasing in his sight, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews that are in all the king's provinces. 8:6For how shall I endure to see the evil that shall befall my people? and how shall I endure to see the destruction of my kindred? 8:7And king Ahasuerus said to queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he stretched forth his hand against the Jews. 8:8Write ye then for the Jews as seems good to you, in the king's name, and seal [it] with the king's ring. For a writing that is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, cannot be reversed. 8:9Then were the king's scribes called at that time, in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth [day] thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews, and to the satraps, and the governors, and the princes of the provinces which are from India even to Ethiopia, a hundred and twenty-seven provinces, to every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people according to their language, and to the Jews according to their writing and according to their language. 8:10And he wrote in the name of king Ahasuerus, and sealed [it] with the king's ring, and sent letters by couriers on horseback riding on coursers, horses of blood reared in the breeding studs: 8:11[stating] that the king granted the Jews that 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 power of the people and province that might assault them, [their] little ones and women, and to [take] the spoil of them for a prey, 8:12upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, upon the thirteenth of the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar. 8:13That the decree might be given in every province, a copy of the writing was published to all the peoples, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. 8:14The couriers mounted on coursers [and] horses of blood went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king's commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the fortress. 8:15And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a mantle of byssus and purple; and the city of Shushan shouted and was glad. 8:16The Jews had light, and joy, and gladness, and honour. 8:17And in every province, and in every city, wherever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many among the peoples of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.
9:1And in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day thereof, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them (but it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had power over them that hated them), 9:2the Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout the provinces of king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt. And no man could withstand them; for the fear of them had fallen upon all the peoples. 9:3And all the princes of the provinces, and the satraps, and the governors and officers of the king, helped the Jews; for the fear of Mordecai had fallen upon them. 9:4For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went forth throughout the provinces; for the man Mordecai became continually greater. 9:5And the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword and slaughter and destruction, and did what they would to those that hated them. 9:6And in Shushan the fortress the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men. 9:7And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha, 9:8and Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha, 9:9and Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vajezatha, 9:10the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the oppressor of the Jews, they slew; but they laid not their hands on the prey. 9:11On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the fortress was brought before the king. 9:12And the king said to Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the fortress, and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? And what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee; and what is thy request further? and it shall be done. 9:13And Esther said, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews that are in Shushan to do to-morrow also according to this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows. 9:14And the king commanded it so to be done: and the decree was given at Shushan; and they hanged Haman's ten sons. 9:15And the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men at Shushan; but they laid not their hand on the prey. 9:16And the other Jews that were in the king's provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their life, and had rest from their enemies; and they slew of them that hated them seventy-five thousand (but they laid not their hand on the prey), 9:17on the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and joy. 9:18But the Jews that were at Shushan gathered themselves together on the thirteenth [day] thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and joy. 9:19Therefore the Jews of the villages that dwell in the country towns make the fourteenth of the month Adar a day of joy and feasting, and a good day, and on which they send portions one to another. 9:20And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters to all the Jews near and far that were in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, 9:21to establish [this] among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, 9:22as the days on which the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month that was turned to them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor. 9:23And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written to them. 9:24For Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the oppressor of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them and to destroy them; 9:25and when [Esther] came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he had devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head; and they hanged him and his sons on the gallows. 9:26Therefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore, according to all the words of this letter, and for what they had seen concerning this matter and what had happened to them, 9:27the Jews ordained and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves to them, so that it should not fail, that they would observe these two days according to their writing and according to their fixed time, every year; 9:28and that these days should be remembered and observed throughout every generation, in every family, every province, and every city, and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them cease from among their seed. 9:29And queen Esther the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority to confirm this second letter of Purim. 9:30And he sent letters to all the Jews, to the hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, words of peace and truth, 9:31to confirm these days of Purim in their fixed times, according as Mordecai the Jew and queen Esther had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, as to the matters of the fastings and their cry. 9:32And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book.
10:1And king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land and the isles of the sea. 10:2And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? 10:3For Mordecai the Jew was second to king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the welfare of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.
Job
1:1There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and this man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God and abstained from evil. 1:2And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters. 1:3And his substance was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she-asses, and very many servants; and this man was greater than all the children of the east. 1:4And his sons went and made a feast in the house of each one on his day; and they sent and invited their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. 1:5And it was so, when the days of the feasting were gone about, that Job sent and hallowed them; and he rose up early in the morning, and offered up burnt-offerings [according to] the number of them all; for Job said, It may be that my children have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. 1:6And there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah; and Satan came also among them. 1:7And Jehovah said to Satan, Whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 1:8And Jehovah said to Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and abstaineth from evil? 1:9And Satan answered Jehovah and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 1:10Hast 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 spread abroad in the land. 1:11But put forth thy hand now and touch all that he hath, [and see] if he will not curse thee to thy face! 1:12And Jehovah said to Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy hand; only upon himself put not forth thy hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah. 1:13And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their brother, the firstborn. 1:14And there came a messenger to Job and said, The oxen were ploughing, and the asses feeding beside them; 1:15and [they of] Sheba fell [upon them] and took them, and the servants have they smitten with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped, alone, to tell thee. 1:16While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped, alone, to tell thee. 1:17While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, The Chaldeans made three bands, and fell upon the camels and took them, and the servants have they smitten with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped, alone, to tell thee. 1:18While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in the house of their brother, the firstborn; 1:19and behold, there came a great wind from over the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they died; and I only am escaped, alone, to tell thee. 1:20And Job rose up, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down on the ground, and worshipped; 1:21and he said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah! 1:22In all this Job sinned not, nor ascribed anything unseemly to God.
2:1And there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, and Satan also came among them to present himself before Jehovah. 2:2And Jehovah said to Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 2:3And Jehovah said to Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and abstaineth from evil? and still he remaineth firm in his integrity, though thou movedst me against him, to swallow him up without cause. 2:4And Satan answered Jehovah and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life; 2:5but put forth thy hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, [and see] if he will not curse thee to thy face! 2:6And Jehovah said to Satan, Behold, he is in thy hand; only spare his life. 2:7And Satan went forth from the presence of Jehovah; and he smote Job with a grievous botch from the sole of his foot unto his crown. 2:8And he took a potsherd to scrape himself with; and he sat among the ashes. 2:9And his wife said to him, Dost thou still remain firm in thine integrity? curse God and die. 2:10But he said to her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. We have also received good from God, and should we not receive evil? In all this Job did not sin with his lips. 2:11And three friends of Job heard of all this evil that was come upon him. And they came each one from his place: Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to condole with him and to comfort him. 2:12And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice and wept. And they rent every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward the heavens. 2:13And they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights; and none spoke a word to him; for they saw that [his] anguish was very great.
3:1After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed his day. 3:2And Job answered and said, 3:3Let the day perish in which I was born, and the night that said, There is a man child conceived. 3:4That day let it be darkness, let not God care for it from above, neither let light shine upon it: 3:5Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it; let clouds dwell upon it; let darkeners of the day terrify it. 3:6That night let gloom seize upon it; let it not rejoice among the days of the year; let it not come into the number of the months. 3:7Behold, let that night be barren; let no joyful sound come therein; 3:8Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to rouse Leviathan; 3:9Let the stars of its twilight be dark; let it wait for light, and have none, neither let it see the eyelids of the dawn: 3:10Because it shut not up the doors of the womb that bore me, and hid not trouble from mine eyes. 3:11Wherefore did I not die from the womb, come forth from the belly and expire? 3:12Why did the knees meet me? and wherefore the breasts, that I should suck? 3:13For now should I have lain down and been quiet; I should have slept: then had I been at rest, 3:14With kings and counsellors of the earth, who build desolate places for themselves, 3:15Or with princes who had gold, who filled their houses with silver; 3:16Or as a hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants that have not seen the light. 3:17There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the wearied are at rest. 3:18The prisoners together are at ease; they hear not the voice of the taskmaster. 3:19The small and great are there, and the bondman freed from his master. 3:20Wherefore is light given to him that is in trouble, and life to those bitter of soul, 3:21Who long for death, and it [cometh] not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures; 3:22Who rejoice even exultingly and are glad when they find the grave? 3:23To the man whose way is hidden, and whom God hath hedged in? 3:24For my sighing cometh before my bread, and my groanings are poured out like the waters. 3:25For I feared a fear, and it hath come upon me, and that which I dreaded hath come to me. 3:26I was not in safety, neither had I quietness, neither was I at rest, and trouble came.