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After I had made an inspection, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

“We will restore it,” they replied, “and will require nothing more from them. We will do as you say.” So I summoned the priests and required of the nobles and officials an oath that they would do what they had promised.

Each day one ox, six choice sheep, and some fowl were prepared for me, and once every ten days an abundance of all kinds of wine was provided. But I did not demand the food allotted to the governor, because the burden on the people was so heavy.

The fifth time, Sanballat sent me this same message by his young servant, who had in his hand an unsealed letter

Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. The Israelites kept the feast for seven days, and on the eighth day they held an assembly, according to the ordinance.

Even when they cast for themselves an image of a calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and when they committed terrible blasphemies,

But in Your great compassion, You did not put an end to them; nor did You forsake them, for You are a gracious and compassionate God.

For there was a command from the king concerning the singers, an ordinance regulating their daily activities.

I rebuked them and called down curses on them. I beat some of these men and pulled out their hair. Then I made them take an oath before God and said, “You must not give your daughters in marriage to their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves!

Beverages were served in an array of goblets of gold, each with a different design, and the royal wine flowed freely, according to the king’s bounty.

“If it pleases the king,” she said, “and if I have found favor in his sight, and the matter seems proper to the king, and I am pleasing in his sight, may an order be written to revoke the letters that the scheming Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces.

So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they hanged the ten sons of Haman.

…to establish among them an annual celebration on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar

Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn child, like an infant who never sees daylight?

Does a wild donkey bray over fresh grass, or an ox low over its fodder?

Is tasteless food eaten without salt, or is there flavor in the white of an egg?

You would even cast lots for an orphan and barter away your friend.

My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle; they come to an end without hope.

They sweep by like boats of papyrus, like an eagle swooping down on its prey.

He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an olive tree that sheds its blossoms.

…by an iron stylus on lead, or chiseled in stone forever.

Though he flees from an iron weapon, a bronze-tipped arrow will pierce him.

Then an upright man could reason with Him, and I would be delivered forever from my Judge.

Man puts an end to the darkness; he probes the farthest recesses for ore in deepest darkness.

For that would be a heinous crime, an iniquity to be judged.

…this would also be an iniquity to be judged, for I would have denied God on high.

(Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my signature. Let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser compose an indictment.

For I do not know how to flatter, or my Maker would remove me in an instant.

My words are from an upright heart, and my lips speak sincerely what I know.

They die in an instant, in the middle of the night. The people convulse and pass away; the mighty are removed without human hand.

“Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who argues with God give an answer.”

Do you have an arm like God’s? Can you thunder with a voice like His?

Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He feeds on grass like an ox.

No women as beautiful as Job’s daughters could be found in all the land, and their father granted them an inheritance among their brothers.

You will break them with an iron scepter; You will shatter them like pottery.”

Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in your rebellion, when His wrath ignites in an instant. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

Put an end to the evil of the wicked, but establish the righteous, O righteous God who searches hearts and minds.

For You save an afflicted people, but You humble those with haughty eyes.

For in You I can charge an army, and with my God I can scale a wall.

He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear deceitfully.

Though an army encamps around me, my heart will not fear; though a war breaks out against me, I will keep my trust.

For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD. An oracle is in my heart regarding the transgression of the wicked man: There is no fear of God before his eyes.

Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation; deliver me from deceitful and unjust men.

For the choirmaster. Of the sons of Korah. According to Alamoth. A song. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble.

But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in the loving devotion of God forever and ever.

For it is not an enemy who insults me; that I could endure. It is not a foe who rises against me; from him I could hide.

And this will please the LORD more than an ox, more than a bull with horns and hooves.

May there be an abundance of grain in the land; may it sway atop the hills. May its fruit trees flourish like the forests of Lebanon, the people of its cities like the grass of the field.

Do not lift up your horn against heaven or speak with an outstretched neck.’”

For this is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.

He ordained it as a testimony for Joseph when he went out over the land of Egypt, where I heard an unfamiliar language:

For with one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against You—

Teach me Your way, O LORD, that I may walk in Your truth. Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering and enter His courts.

O LORD our God, You answered them. You were a forgiving God to them, yet an avenger of their misdeeds.

I am like a desert owl, like an owl among the ruins.

He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

Set over him a wicked man; let an accuser stand at his right hand.

I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.

I will praise You with an upright heart when I learn Your righteous judgments.

…how he swore an oath to the LORD, and vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:

The LORD swore an oath to David, a promise He will not revoke: “One of your descendants I will place on your throne.

He gave their land as an inheritance, as a heritage to His people Israel.

…with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. His loving devotion endures forever.

…and He gave their land as an inheritance, His loving devotion endures forever.

Let the righteous man strike me; let his rebuke be an act of loving devotion. It is oil for my head; let me not refuse it. For my prayer is ever against the deeds of the wicked.

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful in all His words and kind in all His actions.

Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress, or embrace the bosom of a stranger?

Without a commander, without an overseer or ruler,

Therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in an instant he will be shattered beyond recovery.

He follows her on impulse, like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer bounding into a trap,

…until an arrow pierces his liver, like a bird darting into a snare—not knowing it will cost him his life.

Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight.

Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight.

The wicked man earns an empty wage, but he who sows righteousness reaps a true reward.

The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD, but the blameless in their walk are His delight.

An evil man is trapped by his rebellious speech, but a righteous man escapes from trouble.

A fool’s anger is known at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is passed to the righteous.

Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but an abundant harvest comes through the strength of the ox.

An honest witness does not deceive, but a dishonest witness pours forth lies.

Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends.

An evil man seeks only rebellion; a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

An offended brother is harder to win than a fortified city, and disputes are like the bars of a castle.

A man’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.

Laziness brings on deep sleep, and an idle soul will suffer hunger.

There is an abundance of gold and rubies, but lips of knowledge are a rare treasure.

An inheritance gained quickly will not be blessed in the end.

The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; he who is under the wrath of the LORD will fall into it.

Do not make friends with an angry man, and do not associate with a hot-tempered man,

Do not move an ancient boundary stone which your fathers have placed.

When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.

Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of the fatherless,

For a prostitute is a deep pit, and an adulteress is a narrow well.

An honest answer given is like a kiss on the lips.

Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.

Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.

Like a fluttering sparrow or darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.

Like an archer who wounds at random is he who hires a fool or passerby.

Like glaze covering an earthen vessel are burning lips and a wicked heart.