Esther Cross References - LEB

¹ And it happened in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Cush*—over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces.* ² In those days as King Ahasuerus was sitting on the throne of his kingdom, which was in the citadel of Susa, ³ he gave a banquet in the third year of his reign for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and officials of the provinces were in his presence ⁴ as he displayed the wealth of the glory of his kingdom and the glorious splendor of his greatness for many days, one hundred and eighty days*. ⁵ And when those days were completed, the king gave for all the people that were present at the citadel of Susa, both great and small, a banquet in the courtyard of the king's palace garden that lasted seven days. ⁶ There were curtains of finely woven linen and blue cloth tied with cords of fine white linen and purple cloth to silver curtain rings and pillars of alabaster, and couches of gold and silver on a paved floor of alabaster, precious stone, mother-of-pearl, and costly stones.* ⁷ Drinks were served in goblets of gold and _⌊goblets of different kinds_⌋,* and there was _⌊plentiful royal wine according to the bounty of the king_⌋.* ⁸ There were no restrictions on the drinking, for the king had instructed every official of his palace to do as each one pleased. ⁹ Furthermore, Queen Vashti gave a banquet for the women in _⌊the palace_⌋* that belonged to King Ahasuerus. ¹⁰ On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he said to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, seven of the eunuchs attending King Ahasuerus, ¹¹ to bring Queen Vashti before the king _⌊with her royal crown_⌋* to show the people and the officials her beauty, _⌊for she was very attractive_⌋.* ¹² But Queen Vashti refused to come at the word of the king that was _⌊conveyed by_⌋* the eunuchs. And the king became very angry, and his anger burned in him. ¹³ And the king said to the wise men, _⌊the ones who know the times_⌋*—for it was the procedure of the king before all those who knew law and rights;* ¹⁴ and those next to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, Memucan, the seven officials of Persia and Media who _⌊had access to the king_⌋* and sat first in the kingdom— ¹⁵ "According to the law, what is to be done with Queen Vashti, because she has not done the command of King Ahasuerus _⌊conveyed by_⌋* the eunuchs? ¹⁶ And Memucan said before the king and the officials, "Not only has Queen Vashti done wrong to the king, but to all the officials and all of the people who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. ¹⁷ For this deed of the queen _⌊will be known_⌋* to all the women, causing them _⌊to look with contempt on their husbands_⌋,* as they will say, 'King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him but she did not come!' ¹⁸ This day the women of nobility from Persia and Media will respond to all the officials of the king and there will be no end to contempt and anger. ¹⁹ _⌊If it pleases_⌋* the king, let _⌊a royal edict_⌋* go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of Persia and Media so that it will not be altered, that Vashti cannot come before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to her neighbor who is better than she. ²⁰ And let the king's decree that he will make be proclaimed in all his kingdom, because it is vast and all the women will honor their husbands, great and small."* ²¹ _⌊This advice pleased the king_⌋* and the officials, and the king acted according to the word of Memucan. ²² And he sent letters to all the provinces of the king, to each province according to its own script, and to every people in their own _⌊language_⌋,* that every man should be the master of his house and who speaks in the _⌊language_⌋* of his people.

⁶ In the reign of Ahasuerus, at the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.

⁹ And the secretaries of the king were summoned* at that time, in the third month, which is in the month of Sivan on the twenty-third day, and an edict was written according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews and to the governors and satraps and officials of the provinces from India to Cush*—one hundred and twenty-seven provinces*—each province according to its own script and to every people in their own _⌊language_⌋,* and to the Jews in their own script and language.

³⁰ He sent letters of words of peace and truth to all the Jews, to the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces* of Ahasuerus' kingdom,

¹ Ah! land of the whirring of wings, which is beyond the rivers of Cush,

⁹ Now* he* heard concerning Tirhakah the king of Cush, saying, "He has set out to fight against* you."
When* he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

¹ _⌊It pleased Darius_⌋,* and he set up one hundred and twenty satraps over the kingdom, that they were _⌊throughout the whole kingdom_⌋,*

¹ In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus,* from the offspring of the Medes, who became king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans—

¹ It happened that the king settled in his house. (Now Yahweh had given rest to him from all his enemies all around.)

⁴⁶ And also, Solomon sits on the throne of the kingdom!

¹ The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah.
It happened in the month of Kislev, in the twentieth year, that I myself was in the citadel in Susa,

³ Let the king appoint chief officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, and let them gather every attractive young virgin to the _⌊harem_⌋* in the citadel of Susa _⌊under the care of_⌋* Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let him give them their beauty treatment.

¹⁵ The couriers went out quickly by order of the king, and the law was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink; and the city of Susa was bewildered.*

¹⁶ "Go, gather all the Jews that are found in Susa and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, both night and day. I and my young girls will fast likewise, and then I will go to the king, which is not according to the law; if I perish, I perish.

¹² And the king said to Queen Esther, "In the citadel of Susa the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman. What have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? What is your petition? It will be granted to you. And what further is your request? It will be done." ¹³ Esther replied, "If it is good to the king, let tomorrow also be granted to the Jews who are in Susa to do according to the edict of today; and let them hang Haman's ten sons on the gallows." ¹⁴ And the king said to do so. And a decree was issued in Susa and Haman's ten sons were hanged. ¹⁵ And the Jews were gathered who were in Susa, and on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and they killed in Susa three hundred men, but they did not _⌊touch_⌋* the plunder.

⁴ "I, Nebuchadnezzar, was content in my house and prospering in my palace.

² And I saw in the vision, _⌊and when I saw_⌋,* I was in Susa, the citadel that was in the province of Elam. And I saw in the vision, and _⌊I myself_⌋* was at the stream of Ulai.*

²⁰ And it happened that on the third day, which was Pharaoh's birthday, he made a feast for all his servants. And he lifted up the head of the chief cupbearer and the head of the chief baker in the midst of his servants.

¹⁵ Then Solomon awoke, and look, it was a dream, and he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and he offered burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings, and he held a feast for all of his servants.

² "Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: Yahweh, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. And he himself has appointed me to build a house for him in Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

¹⁴ and those next to him were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, Memucan, the seven officials of Persia and Media who _⌊had access to the king_⌋* and sat first in the kingdom—

¹⁸ And the king gave a great banquet, Esther's banquet, for all his officials and servants. And he granted a tax amnesty* to the provinces and he gave gifts with royal liberality.

² A hard revelation is told to me;
the treacherous deals treacherously, and the destroyer destroys. Go up, Elam; lay siege, Media!
I put an end to all of her sighing.

¹¹ Sharpen the arrows, fill the quivers! Yahweh has stirred up the spirit of the kings of the Medes. Because his plan concerning Babylon is to destroy it, for that is the vengeance of Yahweh, the vengeance for his temple.

² Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent directions to assemble the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all of the officials of the provinces to come to the dedication of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. ³ Then the satraps, the prefects, the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the officials of the province were assembled for the dedication of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up, and were standing _⌊before_⌋* the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

¹ Belshazzar the king made a great festival for a thousand of his lords,* and _⌊in the presence of_⌋* the thousand lords he was drinking wine.*

²⁸ " 'Peres'—your kingdom has been divided and given to the Medes and Persians.'"

⁶ So the administrators and the satraps conspired _⌊with respect to_⌋* the king and so they said to him, "Darius, O king, live _⌊forever_⌋!* ⁷ All of the administrators of the kingdom, and the prefects, the satraps, the counselors and the governors took counsel and have agreed to establish an edict of the king and to enforce a decree that _⌊whoever_⌋* will seek a prayer from any god or human except from you for up to thirty days will be thrown into _⌊the lion pit_⌋.*

²⁰ "The ram that you saw _⌊who had two horns_⌋* represents the kings of Media and Persia.

²¹ And a suitable day came when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers and military tribunes and the most prominent men of Galilee.

¹¹ To you, O Yahweh, is the greatness and the power and the splendor and the glory and the strength, for everything in the heavens and in the earth. Yours, O Yahweh, is the kingdom and exaltation over all as head! ¹² And wealth and glory are from you, and you rule over all. And in your hand is power and might. And in your hand is power to make great and to give strength to all.

²⁵ And Yahweh made Solomon exceedingly great in the sight of all Israel, and he bestowed upon him royal splendor that was not bestowed upon any king before him in Israel.

¹⁰ Adorn* yourself with pride and dignity, and clothe yourself with splendor.

⁵ His honor is great because of your help.* Splendor and majesty you have bestowed upon him.

³ Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and your majesty.

¹ For the music director, with stringed instruments. A psalm of Asaph. A song.*
God is known in Judah. His name is great in Israel. ² His den* has been in Salem, his lair* in Zion. ³ There he broke the flames of the bow, the shield and sword and battle. Selah ⁴ Radiant* you are, majestic, from* the mountains of prey.

¹ Yahweh is king; he clothes himself with majesty. Yahweh clothes himself; he girds himself with might. Yes, the world is established so that it will not be moved.

⁵ On the splendor of the glory of your majesty, and on your wonderful deeds, I will meditate.

¹² to make known to the children of humankind his mighty deeds, and the glory of the majesty of his kingdom. ¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures _⌊throughout all generations_⌋.*

² And Hezekiah rejoiced over them and showed them his house of aromatic gum, the silver, gold, spices, good oil, all the house of his weapons, and all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing that Hezekiah had not shown them in his house or in all his dominion.

⁵ By the abundance of your wisdom in your trading you have increased your wealth and your heart was proud in* your wealth." '"

³⁷ You, O king, the king of kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power and the might and the glory, ³⁸ and also _⌊human beings wherever they dwell_⌋,* the animals of the field and the birds* of heaven*—he has given into your hand and made you ruler over all of them—you are the head of gold. ³⁹ And after you another kingdom inferior to yours will arise, and another third kingdom of bronze that will rule over the whole earth. ⁴⁰ And a fourth kingdom will be strong as iron, and _⌊just as_⌋* iron crushes and smashes _⌊everything_⌋,* and as iron shatters all of these other metals, so it will crush and it will shatter these nations. ⁴¹ _⌊And just as_⌋* you saw the feet and the toes, _⌊partly potter's clay_⌋* and _⌊partly iron_⌋,* it will be a divided kingdom; and _⌊some hardness_⌋* of the iron will be in it, _⌊just as_⌋* you have seen the iron mixed with the wet clay. ⁴² And as the toes of the feet were partly iron and partly clay, so part of the kingdom will be strong _⌊and partly brittle_⌋.* ⁴³ And in that you saw the iron was mixed with wet clay, so _⌊they will mix in marriage_⌋* and they will not cling _⌊to one another_⌋,* just as iron does not mix with clay. ⁴⁴ And _⌊in the day of those kings_⌋,* the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will _⌊never_⌋* be destroyed, and the kingdom will not be left for another nation,* and it will bring an end to all these kingdoms, but it will stand _⌊forever_⌋.*

³⁰ And the king answered and said, "Is this not the great Babylon which I have built as a royal palace by the strength of my own power, and for the glory of my own majesty?"

³⁶ "_⌊At that time_⌋* my reason returned to me, and also the glory of my kingdom and my majesty and splendor returned to me, and my advisers and my lords* searched me out, and I was established over my kingdom and abundant greatness was added to me.

¹⁸ _⌊O king_⌋,* the Most High God gave the kingdom and the greatness and the glory and the majesty to Nebuchadnezzar your _⌊predecessor_⌋.*

⁹ "_⌊I continued watching_⌋* until thrones were placed and an Ancient of Days sat; his clothing was like white snow and the hair of his head was like pure wool and his throne was a flame* of fire and its wheels* were burning fire. ¹⁰ A stream of fire issued forth and flowed _⌊from his presence_⌋;* thousands upon thousands served him and ten thousand upon ten thousand stood before him. The judge sat, and the books were opened. ¹¹ "_⌊I continued watching_⌋* then* because of the noise of the boastful words of the horn who was speaking; _⌊I continued watching_⌋* until the beast was slain and its body was destroyed, and it was given over to burning with fire. ¹² And as for the remainder of the beasts, _⌊their dominion was taken away_⌋,* but a prolongation _⌊of their life_⌋* was given to them for a season and a time. ¹³ "_⌊I continued watching_⌋* in the visions of the night, and look, with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man* was coming, and he came to the Ancient of Days, and _⌊was presented_⌋* before him. ¹⁴ And to him was given dominion and glory and kingship that* all the peoples, the nations, and languages would serve him; his dominion is a dominion _⌊without end_⌋* that will not cease, and his kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.

⁸ Again the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory,

¹³ And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.*

²³ And he did so* in order that he could make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy that he prepared beforehand for glory,

¹⁸ (the eyes of your hearts having been enlightened), so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance among the saints,

²⁷ to whom God wanted to make known what is the glorious wealth of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory,

¹⁶ For we did not make known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ by* following ingeniously concocted myths, but by* being eyewitnesses of that one's majesty. ¹⁷ For he received honor and glory from God the Father when* a voice such as this was brought to him by the Majestic Glory, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

¹¹ "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, because you have created all things, and because of your will they existed and were created."

⁸ And Solomon held* a feast at that time of seven days. And all Israel was with him, a very great assembly, from Lebo-Hamath to the river of Egypt. ⁹ And on the eighth day they made a solemn assembly, for they held* the dedication of the altar seven days and the feast seven days.

²¹ And the _⌊Israelites_⌋* who were found in Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great joy. And the Levites and the priests were offering praise to Yahweh day by day, with powerful instruments to Yahweh. ²² And Hezekiah spoke to the heart of all the Levites _⌊who were skilled at service_⌋* to Yahweh. So they ate the feast seven days, offering peace offerings and giving thanks to Yahweh, the God of their ancestors.* ²³ Then the whole assembly decided to make seven more days of feasting, so they made seven more days with joy, ²⁴ for Hezekiah the king of Judah had _⌊provided_⌋* one thousand bulls and seven thousand sheep for the assembly, and the princes _⌊provided_⌋* one thousand bulls and ten thousand sheep for the assembly. And many priests consecrated themselves. ²⁵ And the whole assembly of Judah, the priests and the Levites, all the assembly who had come from the land of Israel, and those living in Judah rejoiced.

⁷ The king rose in his anger _⌊from the banquet_⌋* and went to the palace garden, and Haman stood to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for _⌊he realized that the king was determined to make an end to his life_⌋.* ⁸ And the king returned from the palace garden to the _⌊banquet hall_⌋,* where Haman was lying prostrate on the couch that Esther was on, and the king said, "Will he also molest the queen with me in the house?" As the words* went from the king's mouth they covered Haman's face.

¹ "And the tabernacle you will make with ten curtains; you will make them of finely twisted linen and blue and purple and crimson yarns, with cherubim, the work of a skilled craftsman.

³¹ "And you will make a curtain of blue and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen, the work of a skilled craftsman; he will make it with cherubim. ³² And you will put it on four acacia pillars overlaid with gold with their gold hooks on four silver bases.

³⁶ "And you will make for the entrance of the tent a screen of blue and purple and crimson yarns and finely twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer. ³⁷ And you will make for the screen five acacia pillars, and you will overlay them with gold with their gold hooks, and you will cast for them five bronze bases.

⁸ And the king returned from the palace garden to the _⌊banquet hall_⌋,* where Haman was lying prostrate on the couch that Esther was on, and the king said, "Will he also molest the queen with me in the house?" As the words* went from the king's mouth they covered Haman's face.

¹⁵ Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in _⌊royal clothing_⌋* of blue cloth and white linen, and a great crown of gold and a robe of fine white linen and purple, and the city of Susa was shouting and rejoicing.

⁴¹ And you sat on a magnificent couch and a table prepared _⌊before her_⌋,* and my incense and my olive oil you put on her.*

⁸ They stretch themselves out beside every altar on clothing taken in pledge and they drink wine, bought with fines imposed,* in the house of their God.

⁴ Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory and lounge on their couches, and those eating young rams from the sheep and goats, and bull-calves from the middle of the animal stall.

²¹ All of the drinking vessels of King Solomon were gold, and all the vessels for the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver; it was not considered as something valuable in the days of Solomon.

²⁰ And all the drinking vessels of King Solomon were of gold, and all the vessels of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were of pure gold. Silver was not valued as anything in the days of Solomon.

² _⌊When he tasted the wine_⌋,* Belshazzar commanded that they bring the vessels of gold and silver that Nebuchadnezzar his _⌊predecessor_⌋* had taken from the temple that was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his lords,* his wives and his concubines may drink from them. ³ Then they brought in the vessels of gold that they took from the temple, the house of God that was in Jerusalem, and the king and his lords,* his wives and his concubines drank from them. ⁴ They drank the wine and praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood and stone.*

⁸ And we obeyed the voice of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our ancestor,* in all that he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days, ourselves, our wives, our sons, or our daughters,

⁷ Babylon was a cup of gold in the hand of Yahweh, making drunk all the earth. The nations drank of her wine. _⌊Therefore_⌋* the nations acted like madmen.

¹⁵ Woe to him who gives a drink to his neighbors, pouring out your wrath and also making them drunk in order to see their nakedness! ¹⁶ You will be sated with shame rather than glory. Drink also yourself, and expose yourself! The cup of the right hand of Yahweh will come around upon you and disgrace upon your glory.

⁸ And he said to them, "Now draw some* out and take it* to the head steward. So they took it.*

⁴ And Esther said, "If it is good to the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him."

⁸ If I have found favor in the eyes of the king,* and if it is good to the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I will prepare for them tomorrow, and I will do according to the word of the king.

³⁴ And portions were served to them from _⌊his table_⌋,* and the portion of Benjamin was five times greater than the portion of any of them. And they drank and became drunk with him.

²⁵ After awhile, when their hearts* were merry, they said, "Call Samson and let him entertain us." And they called Samson _⌊from the prison_⌋,* and _⌊he entertained them_⌋.* And they made him stand between the pillars.

³⁶ Then Abigail went to Nabal, and look, _⌊he was holding a feast_⌋* in his house like the feast of the king. _⌊Nabal was enjoying himself_⌋,* and he was very drunk, so she did not tell him a thing, _⌊nothing at all_⌋,* until the light of morning. ³⁷ _⌊And then_⌋* in the morning when the wine had gone out of Nabal, his wife told him these words. Then his heart died _⌊within him_⌋,* and he became like a stone.

²⁸ Absalom commanded his servants, saying, "Please watch. At the moment the heart of Amnon is _⌊tipsy_⌋* with wine, then I shall say to you, 'Strike Amnon down,' and you shall kill him! Don't be afraid. Is it not I myself who has commanded you? Be courageous and be _⌊valiant!_⌋*

⁹ And Habrona, one of the eunuchs in the presence of the king, said, "Look, the same gallows that Haman had prepared for Mordecai who spoke good for the sake of the king stands at Haman's house, fifty cubits high." And the king said, "Hang him on it."

¹ Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and any who go astray by it are not wise.

² Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for death is the end of every person, and the living should take it to his heart. ³ Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of countenance the heart is made good. ⁴ The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

¹⁹ _⌊Feasts are held for celebration_⌋,* wine cheers the living, and money answers everything.

³ And the king _⌊ordered_⌋* Ashpenaz, the commander of his court officials, to bring _⌊some of the Israelites_⌋* from _⌊the royal family_⌋* and from the lords,* ⁴ youths who _⌊have no physical defect_⌋,* and who are _⌊handsome_⌋,* and who are prudent* in all wisdom and _⌊endowed with knowledge_⌋,* and who understand insight, and who have the _⌊ability_⌋* in them to serve in the palace of the king. And the king ordered him to teach them the literature and the language of the Chaldeans. ⁵ And the king assigned to them _⌊his daily portion_⌋* from the fine food of the king, and from _⌊the wine that he drank_⌋,* and instructed that _⌊they were to be educated for three years_⌋.* And at the end of their training, _⌊they were to be stationed_⌋* _⌊before_⌋* the king.

¹⁸ And at the end of the time the king had set to bring them, the commander of the court officials brought them in _⌊before_⌋* Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁹ And the king spoke with them, _⌊and among all of them no one was found like_⌋* Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; then they stood _⌊before_⌋* the king.

¹⁸ And do not be drunk with wine (in which is dissipation), but be filled by the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and singing praise in your heart to the Lord,

³ The name of the man was Nabal,* and the name of his wife was Abigail.* Now the woman was wise and beautiful, but the man was stubborn and _⌊mean_⌋,* and he was as his heart.*

²⁵ As far as Absalom, there was not a more handsome man in all of Israel to admire so much; from the sole of his foot up to his crown, there was no physical defect on him.

¹⁷ And the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won his favor and loyalty more than all the virgins, so he put a _⌊royal crown_⌋* on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.

⁸ let them bring _⌊royal clothing_⌋* with which the king has clothed himself, and a horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal head-dress has been given.

⁹ The _⌊mind_⌋* of a person will plan his ways, and Yahweh will direct his steps.

²⁹ To whom is woe? To whom is sorrow? To whom are quarrels? To whom is complaint? To whom are wounds without cause? To whom is redness of the eyes? ³⁰ To those who linger over wine, to those who come to try mixed wine. ³¹ Do not look at wine when it is red, when it _⌊sparkles_⌋* on the cup, going down smoothly. ³² _⌊In the end_⌋,* it will bite like a serpent, and it will sting like an adder. ³³ Your eyes will see strange things, and your heart* will speak perverse things.

³⁰ Charm* is deceit and beauty* is vain;* but a woman who fears Yahweh shall be praised.

²¹ And a suitable day came when Herod, on his birthday, gave a banquet for his courtiers and military tribunes and the most prominent men of Galilee. ²² And when* the daughter of Herodias herself* came in and danced and pleased* Herod and _⌊his dinner guests_⌋,* the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you want, and I will give it* to you."

¹⁶ To the woman he said,
"I will greatly increase _⌊your pain in childbearing_⌋;* in pain you shall bear children. And to your husband shall be your desire. And he shall rule over you."

¹⁹ _⌊And_⌋* as he came near to the camp, he saw the bull calf and dancing, and _⌊Moses became angry_⌋,* and he threw the tablets from his hand, and he broke them under the mountain.

²² And Aaron said, "_⌊Let not my lord become angry_⌋.* You yourself know the people, that _⌊they are intent on evil_⌋.*

²⁰ Yahweh will not be willing to forgive him, for by then the anger of Yahweh will smoke, and his passion against that man and all the curses written in this scroll will descend on him, and Yahweh will blot out his name from under heaven.

¹ A maskil of Asaph.*
Why, O God, have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture?

⁵ How long, O Yahweh? Will you be angry forever? Will your jealousy burn like fire?

¹² The rage of a king growls like a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

² Roaring like the lion is the dreaded anger of a king; he who provokes him forfeits his life.*

¹² Because of this the king became angry, and he became very much enraged, and he said that all the wise men of Babylon are to be destroyed.

¹³ Then Nebuchadnezzar said in rage and anger to bring in Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego; then they brought in these men before the king.

¹⁹ Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with anger and the image of his face was changed _⌊toward_⌋* Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, so he _⌊ordered and said_⌋* to heat up the one furnace seven times what was usual to heat it up.

⁶ His indignation—who can stand before it? Who can endure _⌊his fierce anger_⌋?* His wrath is poured out like fire; rocks are shattered before* him.

²² —wives to their own husbands as to the Lord,

²⁴ But as the church is subject to Christ, thus also wives should be subject* to their husbands in everything.

¹ In the same way, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some are disobedient to the word, they may be won over without a word by the conduct of their wives,

¹⁶ And they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, ¹⁷ because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?"

³² And from the men of Issachar: _⌊men who were skilled in understanding the times_⌋* to know what Israel should do. Their chiefs were two hundred, and all their kinsmen were under their command.

⁷ Who would not revere you, O king of the nations? For you it is fitting. For among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms,* there is none like you.

² So the king said to call the magicians* and the conjurers* and the sorcerers and the _⌊astrologers_⌋* to tell to the king his dreams. And they came in and they stood _⌊before_⌋* the king.

²⁷ Daniel answered the king and said, "The mystery that the king asks, no wise men, conjurers,* magicians,* or diviners are able to make known to the king.

⁶ And a decree was _⌊sent out_⌋,* ordering that all the wise men of Babylon were to be brought in before me so that they may make known to me the explanation of the dream. ⁷ Then the magicians,* the conjurers,* the _⌊astrologers_⌋* and the diviners came in and I told them the dream, but they could not make known to me its explanation.*

⁷ The king cried _⌊aloud_⌋* to bring in the conjurers,* the _⌊astrologers_⌋* and the diviners; the king _⌊spoke_⌋* and said to the wise men of Babylon, "Any man that can read this writing and can tell me its explanation will be clothed in purple and will have a necklace of gold hung around his neck and he will rule as third in authority in the kingdom."

¹ Now after* Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem,

³ and early in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy weather, because the sky is red and* darkening.' You know how to evaluate correctly the appearance of the sky, but you are not able to evaluate* the signs of the times.

¹⁹ From the city he took one court official who was chief officer over the men of war, five men _⌊from the king's council_⌋* who were found in the city, the secretary of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men from the people of the land being found in the city.

¹⁴ For you are sent from the king and his seven counselors to enquire about Judah and Jerusalem concerning the law of your God, which is in your hand.

¹⁰ "See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven constantly see the face of my Father who is in heaven.*

⁴ and they will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.

⁶ And Haman came, and the king said to him, "What is to be done for the man whom the king wishes to honor?" And Haman thought to himself, "Whom would the king wish to honor more than me?"

¹⁴ But when* Paul was about to open his* mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it was some crime or wicked villainy, O Jews, _⌊I would have been justified in accepting_⌋* your complaint.

¹⁰ But Paul said, "I am standing before the judgment seat of Caesar, where it is necessary for me to be judged. I have done no wrong to the Jews, as you also know very well.

⁷ Therefore it is already completely a loss for you that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? ⁸ But you wrong and defraud, and do this to brothers!

¹⁶ It happened that when the ark of Yahweh came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked down through the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before Yahweh, and she despised him in her heart.

³³ Only you also, each one of you, must thus love his own wife as himself, and the wife _⌊must respect_⌋* her husband.

²⁹ The wisest of her ladies answer her; she also answers the question herself:

³ He had seven hundred princesses and three hundred concubines, and his wives turned his heart.

²⁸ Then Samuel said to him, "Yahweh has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor _⌊who is better than you_⌋.*

²⁸ When all of Israel heard the judgment that the king had rendered, they _⌊stood in awe_⌋* of the king, because they realized that the wisdom of God was in him to execute justice.

²¹ _⌊This advice pleased the king_⌋* and the officials, and the king acted according to the word of Memucan.

⁹ If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will pay* ten thousand talents* of silver to those who do the job, to bring to the treasury of the king."

⁵ and she said, "If it is good to the king, and if I have found favor before him,* and if the king is pleased with this matter, and _⌊I have his approval_⌋,* let an edict be written to revoke the letters of the plans of Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews that are in all the provinces of the king.

⁸ Write _⌊as you see fit_⌋* concerning the Jews in the name of the king, and seal it with the king's signet ring; for a decree that is written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's signet ring cannot be revoked."

⁸ Now, O king, establish the edict and you must sign the document so that it cannot be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians which cannot be revoked." ⁹ _⌊So_⌋* the king, Darius, signed the writing and the interdict.* ¹⁰ Now _⌊when_⌋* Daniel realized that the document was signed, he went to his house (_⌊now he had windows in his upper room that were open_⌋* toward Jerusalem), and three times _⌊daily_⌋* he knelt on his knees and prayed and gave praise before his God, _⌊just as_⌋* he had been doing _⌊previously_⌋.* ¹¹ Then these men came as a group and they found Daniel praying and pleading for mercy before his God. ¹² Then they approached _⌊and spoke with the king_⌋* concerning the edict of the king, "_⌊Did you not sign an edict_⌋* that any person who would seek anything from any God or human within thirty days except from you, O king, would be thrown into _⌊the lion pit_⌋?"* The king answered and said, "The matter as you have just stated is certain according to the law of the Medes and Persians which cannot be revoked." ¹³ Then _⌊they responded_⌋* and said before the king, "Daniel, who is from _⌊the exiles_⌋* of Judah,* _⌊is not paying any attention_⌋* to you, O king, or to the decree that you have signed, _⌊and three times daily_⌋* he says his prayer." ¹⁴ Then the king, when* he heard that _⌊report_⌋,* he was extremely distressed over it; and _⌊concerning Daniel_⌋* _⌊he was determined_⌋* to rescue him. And until the setting of the sun he was making every effort to deliver him. ¹⁵ Then these men came as a group to the king and _⌊said_⌋,* "Recall, O king, that with respect to the law of* the Medes and Persians that _⌊any_⌋* decree or edict that the king establishes cannot be changed."

¹⁷ And a* stone was brought and it was put on the entrance of the pit, and the king sealed it with his signet ring and with the signet rings of his lords,* so that nothing would be changed concerning Daniel.

¹³ And all the people will hear and will be afraid, and they will not behave presumptuously again.

²¹ Then all the men of his city shall stone him with stones and let him die; and so you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all of Israel will hear, and they will fear.

¹⁸ Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

¹ In the same way, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some are disobedient to the word, they may be won over without a word by the conduct of their wives, ² when they* see your respectful, pure conduct. ³ Let your* adornment not be the external kind, braiding hair and putting on gold jewelry or putting on fine clothing, ⁴ but the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is highly valuable in the sight of God. ⁵ For in the same way formerly the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves by* being subject to their own husbands, ⁶ like Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose children you have become when you* do good and are not frightened with respect to any terror. ⁷ Husbands, in the same way live with your wives _⌊knowledgeably_⌋*, as with the weaker female vessel, showing them honor as fellow heirs also of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

³⁷ And the plan* was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants.

¹⁹ _⌊If it pleases_⌋* the king, let _⌊a royal edict_⌋* go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of Persia and Media so that it will not be altered, that Vashti cannot come before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to her neighbor who is better than she.

⁴ And let the young woman _⌊who is pleasing_⌋* in the king's eyes become queen in place of Vashti. The thing was good in the king's eyes, and he acted accordingly.

¹² And the king's secretaries were called in the first month on the thirteenth day, and a decree was issued, according to all that Haman commanded, to the satraps of the king and to the governors who were over all the provinces, and to the officials of all the people, to each province according to its own script and to all people according to their own language; it was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and was sealed with the king's ring.

²⁹ And from me _⌊is set forth_⌋* a decree that any people, nation, or language that may utter criticism against their God—the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego—will be broken into pieces and their* house will be made like ruins. _⌊For_⌋* there is not another God who is able to rescue like this God."

¹ * Nebuchadnezzar the king to all of the nations, the peoples and languages that live in the whole earth: "May your prosperity increase!

⁸ And the master praised the dishonest manager, because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are shrewder than the sons of light with regard to their own generation.*

⁵ Now there were Jews residing in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. ⁶ And when* this sound occurred, the crowd gathered and was in confusion, because each one was hearing them speaking in his own language. ⁷ And they were astounded and astonished, saying, "Behold, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸ And how do we hear, each one of us, in _⌊our own native language_⌋?* ⁹ Parthians and Medes and Elamites and those residing in Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,* ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya toward Cyrene, and the Romans who were in town, ¹¹ both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own languages the great deeds of God!"

¹⁹ but in the church I prefer to speak five words with my mind, in order that I may instruct other people, than ten thousand words in a tongue. ²⁰ Brothers, do not become children in your understanding, but with respect to wickedness be as a child, and in your understanding be mature.

²² —wives to their own husbands as to the Lord, ²³ because the husband is the head of the wife, as also Christ is the head of the church (he himself being the Savior of the body). ²⁴ But as the church is subject to Christ, thus also wives should be subject* to their husbands in everything.

¹² But I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but _⌊to remain quiet_⌋*.

⁴ in order that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands and to love their children, ⁵ to be self-controlled, pure, busy at home, good, being subject to their own husbands, in order that the word of God may not be slandered.