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If by any means the Lord may look on my affliction, thus shall he return me good for his cursing this day.

And we will come upon him in one of the places where we shall find him, and we will encamp against him, as the dew falls upon the earth; and we will not leave of him and of his men so much as one.

Thou madest us as sheep for meat; and thou scatteredst us among the nations.

And the old man said, Peace be to thee; only be every want of thine upon me, only do thou by no means lodge in the street.

And the man said to Joab, Were I even to receive a thousand shekels of silver, I would not lift my hand against the king's son; for in our ears the king charged thee and Abessa and Ethi, saying, Take care of the young man Abessalom for me,

and gave their land for an inheritance, an inheritance to Israel his people.

And Joshua took all the cities of the kingdoms, and their kings, and slew them with the edge of the sword; and utterly slew them, as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded.

But the helpless missed not whatever need they had, and I did not cause the eye of the widow to fail.

And king David sent to Sadoc and Abiathar the priests, saying, Speak to the elders of Israel, saying, Why are ye the last to bring back the king to his house? whereas the word of all Israel is come to the king to his house.

And the children of Dan went their way; and Michaias saw that they were stronger than himself, and he returned to his house.

And Michaias said, Now I know that the Lord will do me good, because a Levite has become my priest.

If thy children will deep my covenant, and these my testimonies which I shall teach them, their children also shall sit upon thy throne for ever.

And Amessai was weltering in blood in the midst of the way. And a man saw that all the people stood still; and he removed Amessai out of the path into a field, and he cast a garment upon him, because he saw every one that came to him standing still.

Then Joshua spoke to the Lord, in the day in which the Lord delivered the Amorite into the power of Israel, when he destroyed them in Gabaon, and they were destroyed from before the children of Israel: and Joshua said, Let the sun stand over against Gabaon, and the moon over against the valley of Aelon.

And the servants of Anchus said to him, Is not this David the king of the land? Did not the dancing women begin the son to him, saying, Saul has smitten his thousand, and David his ten thousands?

But wilt thou catch the serpent with a hook, and put a halter about his nose?

And David went and took the bones of Saul, and the bones of Jonathan his son, from the men of the sons of Jabis Galaad, who stole them from the street of Baethsan; for the Philistines set them there in the day in which the Philistines smote Saul in Gelbue.

Because the king has desired thy beauty; for he is thy Lord.

And they said to him, We are come down to bind thee to deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines: and Sampson said to them, Swear to me that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.

And he made darkness his hiding-place; his tabernacle round about him was the darkness of waters, he condensed it with the clouds of the air.

And Sampson said to them, I propound you a riddle: if ye will indeed tell it me, and discover it within the seven days of the feast, I will you give thirty sheets and thirty changes of raiment.

And Manoe said, Now shall thy word come to pass: what shall be the ordering of the child, and our dealings with him?

And if too he has thus judged, who is he that has contradicted, for he has both willed a thing and done it.

And he stood firm in the midst of the portion, and rescued it, and smote the Philistines; and the Lord wrought a great deliverance.

And Aelom of Zabulon died, and was buried in Aelom in the land of Zabulon.

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our helper.

Thus saith the Lord, I bring one of three things upon thee: now choose thee one of them, and I will do it to thee.

And Jephthae sent messengers to the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What have I to do with thee, that thou hast come against me to fight in my land?

And king Solomon sent, and they brought him away from the altar; and he went in and did obeisance to king Solomon: and Solomon said to him, Go to thy house.

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the works of men's hands.

And Solomon sat on the throne of his father David, and his kingdom was established greatly.

Let mount Sion rejoice, let the daughters of Judaea exult, because of thy judgments, O Lord.

And their sepulchres are their houses for ever, even their tabernacles to all generations: they have called their lands after their own names.

If I should be hungry, I will not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fullness of it.

and ye are risen up this day against the house of my father, and have slain his sons, being seventy men, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech the son of his bondwoman king over the men of Sicima, because he is your brother:

And Eliu said, I have been very jealous for the Lord Almighty; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, and they have overthrown thine altars, and have slain thy prophets with the sword! and I am left entirely alone, and they seek my life to take it.

And Zebee and Salmana said, Rise thou and fall upon us, for thy power is as that of a man; and Gedeon arose, and slew Zebee and Salmana: and he took the round ornaments that were on the necks of their camels.

And he said to them, If they come forth peaceably, take them alive; and if they come forth to war, take them alive:

and the three companies sounded with the horns, and broke the pitchers, and held the torches in their left hands, and in their right hands their horns to sound with; and they cried out, A sword for the Lord and for Gedeon.

And the king of Israel said to Josaphat king of Juda, Did I not say to thee that this man does not prophesy good to me, for he speaks nothing but evil?

Who have cast forth the poor from the city and their own houses, and the soul of the children has groaned aloud.

Restore to me the joy of thy salvation: establish me with thy directing Spirit.

And Elisaie saw, and cried, Father, father, the chariot of Israel, and the horseman thereof! And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his garments, and rent them into two pieces.

And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty in strength.

And Giezi went on before her, and laid his staff on the child's face: but there was neither voice nor any hearing. So he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, The child is not awaked.

Vow, and pay your vows to the Lord our God; all that are round about him shall bring gifts, even to him that is terrible,

And the ambuscade was on the west side of the city.

Awake, awake, Debbora; awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barac, and lead thy captivity captive, son of Abineem.

And they came down to him; and he prayed to the Lord, and said, Smite, I pray thee, this people with blindness. And he smote them with blindness, according to the word of Elisaie.

and usury and craft have not failed from its streets.

And when they heard it, they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with the trumpet, and said, Ju is king.

But let all that trust on thee be glad in thee: they shall exult for ever, and thou shalt dwell among them; and all that love thy name shall rejoice in thee.

And it was told Sisara that Barac the son of Abineem was gone up to mount Thabor.

And to the masons, and to the hewers of stone, to purchase timber and hewn stone to repair the breaches of the house of the Lord, for all that was spent on the house of the Lord to repair it.

I have hoped in God; I will not be afraid of what man shall do to me.

And the rest of the acts of Joas, and all that he did, and his mighty acts which he performed together with Amessias king of Juda, are not these written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

And the children of Israel continued to do evil before the Lord: and the Lord strengthened Eglom king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil before the Lord.

And Juda was overthrown before Israel, and every man fled to his tent.

This was the word of the Lord which he spoke to Ju, saying, Thy sons of the fourth generation shall sit upon the throne of Israel: and it was so.

Let him have no helper; neither let there be any one to have compassion on his fatherless children.

And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and walked after other gods, of the gods of the nations round about them; and they worshipped them.

Wilt not thou, O God, who hast rejected us? and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our hosts?

Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens; and thy glory above all the earth.

Accept correction, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and ye should perish from the righteous way: whensoever his wrath shall be suddenly kindled, blessed are all they that trust in him.

And a man shall say, Verily then there is a reward for the righteous: verily there is a God that judges them in the earth.

Forasmuch as Israel revolted from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam the son of Nabat king: and Jeroboam drew off Israel from following the Lord, and led them to sin a great sin.

And Chaleb said, Whosoever shall smite the city of Letters, and shall first take it, I will give to him Ascha my daughter to wife.

Slay them not, lest they forget thy law; scatter them by thy power; and bring them down, O Lord, my defender.

And he sent forth the hornet before you; and he drove them out from before you, even twelve kings of the Amorites, not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.

But queen Astin hearkened not to him to come with the chamberlains: so the king was grieved and angered.

For if ye shall turn aside and attach yourselves to these nations that are left with you, and make marriages with them, and become mingled with them and they with you,

Now this was the time for a virgin to go into the king, when she should have fulfilled twelve months; for so are the days of purification fulfilled, six months while they are anointing themselves with oil of myrrh, and six months with spices and women's purifications.

So their heart was brought low with troubles; they were weak, and there was no helper.

Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our forces?

So the king's recorders were called in the first month, on the thirteenth day, and they wrote as Aman commanded to the captains and governors in every province, from India even to Ethiopia, to a hundred and twenty-seven provinces; and to the rulers of the nations according to their several languages, in the name of king Artaxerxes.

Then Mardochaeus said to Achrathaeus, Go, and say to her, Esther, say not to thyself that thou alone wilt escape in the kingdom, more than all the other Jews.

And all the children of Israel gathered together to Selo, so as to go up and fight against them.

And Aman said, The queen has called no one to the feast with the king but me, and I am invited to-morrow.

And Mardochaeus returned to the palace: but Aman went home mourning, and having his head covered.

God has spoken once, and I have heard these two things, that power is of God;

And let the copies be posted in conspicuous places throughout the kingdom, and let all the Jews be ready against this day, to fight against their enemies. And the following is the copy of the letter of the orders. [The great king Artaxerxes sends greetings to the rulers of provinces in a hundred and twenty-seven satrapies, from India to Ethiopia, even to those who are faithful to our interests. Many who have been frequently honored by the most abundant kindness of their benefactors have conceived ambitious designs, and not only endeavour to hurt our subjects, but moreover, not being able to bear prosperity, they also endeavour to plot against their own benefactors. And they not only would utterly abolish gratitude from among men, but also, elated by the boastings of men who are strangers to all that is good, they supposed that they shall escape the sin-hating vengeance of the ever-seeing God. And oftentimes evil exhortation has made partakers of the guilt of shedding innocent blood, and has involved in irremediable calamities, many of those who had been appointed to offices of authority, who had been entrusted with the management of their friends' affairs; while men, by the false sophistry of an evil disposition, have deceived the simple candour of the ruling powers. And it is possible to see this, not so much from more ancient traditionary accounts, as it is immediately in your power to see it by examining what things have been wickedly perpetrated by the baseness of men unworthily holding power. And it is right to take heed with regard to the future, that we may maintain the government in undisturbed peace for all men, adopting needful changes, and ever judging those cases which come under our notice, with truly equitable decision. For whereas Aman, a Macedonian, the son of Amadathes, in reality an alien from the blood of the Persians, and differing widely from our mild course of government, having been hospitable entertained by us, obtained so large a share of our universal kindness, as to be called our father, and to continue the person next to the royal throne, reverenced of all; he however, overcome by the pride of his station, endeavored to deprive us of our dominion, and our life: having by various and subtle artifices demanded for destruction both Mardochaeus our deliverer and perpetual benefactor, and Esther the blameless consort of our kingdom, with their whole nation. For by these methods he thought, having surprised us in a defenceless state, to transfer the dominion of the Persians to the Macedonians. But we find that the Jews, who have been consigned to destruction by the most abominable of men, are not malefactors, but living according to the justest laws, and being the sons of the living God, the most high and mighty, who maintains the kingdom. to us as well as to our forefathers, in the most excellent order. Ye will therefore do well in refusing to obey the letter sent by Aman the son of Amadathes, because he that has done these things, has been hanged with his whole family at the gates of Susa, Almighty God having swiftly returned to him a worthy recompence, We enjoin you then, having openly published a copy of this letter in every place, to give the Jews permission to use their own lawful customs, and to strengthen them, that on the thirteenth of the twelfth month Adar, on the self-same day, they may defend themselves against those who attack them in a time of affliction. For in the place of the destruction of the chosen race, Almighty God has granted them this time of gladness. Do ye therefore also, among your notable feasts, keep a distinct day with all festivity, that both now and hereafter it may be a day of deliverance to us and who are well disposed toward the Persians, but to those that plotted against us a memorial of destruction. And every city and province collectively, which shall not do accordingly, shall be consumed with vengeance by spear and fire: it shall be made not only inaccessible to men, but most hateful to wild beasts and birds for ever.] And let the copies be posted in conspicuous places throughout the kingdom and let all the Jews be ready against this day, to fight against their enemies.

And the king said to Esther, The Jews have slain five hundred men in the city Susa; and how, thinkest thou, have they used them in the rest of the country? What then dost thou yet ask, that it may be done for thee?

And ye have commissioned a man to speak such words.

But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that swears by him shall be praised; for the mouth of them that speak unjust things has been stopped.

But the lands of the city, and its villages Joshua gave to the sons of Chaleb the son of Jephonne for a possession.

Then the Lord said to the devil, Behold, I give into thine hand all that he has, but touch not himself. So the devil went out from the presence of the Lord.

Then they believed his words, and celebrated his praise.

And when they saw him from a distance they did not know him; and they cried with a loud voice, and wept, and rent every one his garment, and sprinkled dust upon their heads,

Thou wilt bless the crown of the year because of thy goodness; and thy plains shall be filled with fatness.

and why did the knees support me? and why did I suck the breasts?

Or did I order the morning light in thy time; and did the morning star then first see his appointed place;

Thou didst mount men upon our heads; we went through the fire and water; but thou broughtest us out into a place of refreshment.

But if there had been any truth in thy words, none of these evils would have befallen thee. Shall not mine ear receive excellent revelations from him?

when they were few in number, very few, and sojourners in it.

And the border returned from Sedduc in a contrary direction eastward from Baethsamys, to the borders of Chaselothaith, and shall pass on to Dabiroth, and shall proceed upward to Phangai.

frustrating the counsels of the crafty, and their hands shall not perform the truth:

Or have I not trusted in him? but help is far from me.

By them shall the birds of the sky lodge: they shall utter a voice out of the midst of the rocks.

And their borders were northward: the borders shall go up from Jordan behind Jericho northward, and shall go up to the mountain westward, and the issue of it shall be Baethon of Mabdara.

I said that my bed should comfort me, and I would privately counsel with myself on my couch.