3,306 verses contain “say” (in the KJV: 2,567, in the BSB: 1,747) — showing 1,001–1,100
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And when all Israel saw that the king would not
hearken unto them, the people answered the king,
saying, What portion have we in David? and we have none inheritance in the son of
Jesse: every man to your tents, O Israel: and now, David, see to thine own house. So all Israel went to their tents.
When all Israel saw that the king had refused to
listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of
Jesse? To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David!” So all the Israelites went home,
But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying,
But the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah the man of God:
Speak unto
Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all Israel in Judah and Benjamin,
saying,
“Tell
Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah and all the Israelites in Judah and Benjamin
Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren: return every man to his house: for this thing is done of me. And they obeyed the words of the LORD, and returned from going against
Jeroboam.
that this is what the LORD
says: ‘You are not to go up and fight against your brothers. Each of you must return home, for this word is from Me.’” So they
listened to the words of the LORD and turned back from going against
Jeroboam.
Then came Shemaiah the prophet to
Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together to Jerusalem because of
Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the LORD, Ye have
forsaken me, and therefore have I also left you in the hand of
Shishak.
Then Shemaiah the prophet came to
Rehoboam and the leaders of Judah who had gathered at Jerusalem because of
Shishak, and he said to them, “This is what the LORD
says: ‘You have
forsaken Me; therefore, I have
forsaken you into the hand of
Shishak.’”
And when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah,
saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some
deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of
Shishak.
When the LORD saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah,
saying, “They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them, but will soon grant them
deliverance. My wrath will not be poured out on Jerusalem through
Shishak.
And the rest of the acts of
Abijah, and his ways, and his
sayings, are written in the story of the prophet
Iddo.
Now the rest of the acts of
Abijah, along with his ways and his words, are written in the Treatise of the Prophet
Iddo.
Then
Asa brought out silver and gold out of the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the king’s house, and sent to Ben-
hadad king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus,
saying,
So
Asa withdrew the silver and gold from the
treasuries of the house of the LORD and the royal palace, and he sent it with this message to Ben-
hadad king of
Aram, who was ruling in Damascus:
And the king of Israel said unto
Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may
enquire of the LORD: but I
hate him; for he never
prophesied good unto me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And
Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king
say so.
The king of Israel answered, “There is still one man who can ask the LORD, but I
hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king should not
say that!”
Jehoshaphat replied.
And
Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made him horns of iron, and said, Thus saith the LORD, With these thou shalt
push Syria until they be consumed.
Now
Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made for himself iron horns and declared, “This is what the LORD
says: ‘With these you shall
gore the Arameans until they are finished off.’”
And the
messenger that went to call Micaiah spake to him,
saying, Behold, the words of the prophets declare good to the king with one assent; let thy word therefore, I pray thee, be like one of theirs, and speak thou good.
Then the
messenger who had gone to call Micaiah
instructed him, “Behold, with one
accord the words of the prophets are favorable to the king. So please let your words be like theirs, and speak
favorably.”
And the king said to him, How many times shall I
adjure thee that thou
say nothing but the truth to me in the name of the LORD?
But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you
swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of the LORD?”
And the LORD said, Who shall
entice Ahab king of Israel, that he may go up and fall at
Ramoth-
gilead? And one spake
saying after this manner, and another
saying after that manner.
And the LORD said, ‘Who will
entice Ahab king of Israel to march up and fall at
Ramoth-
gilead?’ And one suggested this, and another that.
And
say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of
affliction and with water of
affliction, until I return in peace.
and tell them that this is what the king says: ‘Put this man in prison and feed him only bread and water until I return safely.’”
Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of the
chariots that were with him,
saying, Fight ye not with small or great, save only with the king of Israel.
Now the king of
Aram had ordered his
chariot commanders, “Do not fight with
anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel.”
And he charged them, saying, Thus shall ye do in the fear of the LORD, faithfully, and with a perfect heart.
He commanded them, saying, “You must serve faithfully and wholeheartedly in the fear of the LORD.
Then there came some that told
Jehoshaphat,
saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi.
Then some men came and told
Jehoshaphat, “A vast army is coming against you from
Edom, from beyond the Sea; they are already in Hazazon-tamar” (that is, En-gedi).
And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,
They have lived in the land and have built in it a sanctuary for Your Name, saying,
Behold, I
say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to
inherit.
See how they are repaying us by coming to drive us out of the possession that You gave us as an inheritance.
And he said,
Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king
Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
And he said, “
Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem!
Listen, King
Jehoshaphat! This is what the LORD
says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army, for the battle does not belong to you, but to God.
And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of
holiness, as they went out before the army, and to
say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.
Then
Jehoshaphat consulted with the people and appointed those who would sing to the LORD and praise the
splendor of His
holiness. As they went out before the army, they were singing: “Give
thanks to the LORD, for His loving devotion endures
forever.”
And there came a writing to him from
Elijah the prophet,
saying, Thus saith the LORD God of David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of
Jehoshaphat thy father, nor in the ways of
Asa king of Judah,
Then a letter came to Jehoram from
Elijah the prophet, which stated: “This is what the LORD, the God of your father David,
says: ‘You have not walked in the ways of your father
Jehoshaphat or of
Asa king of Judah,
Then Jehoiada the priest brought out the captains of hundreds that were set over the host, and said unto them, Have her forth of the ranges: and
whoso followeth her, let him be slain with the sword. For the priest said,
Slay her not in the house of the LORD.
And Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of hundreds in charge of the army,
saying, “Bring her out between the ranks, and put to the sword
anyone who follows her.” For the priest had said, “She must not be put to death in the house of the LORD.”
And the Spirit of God came upon
Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why
transgress ye the commandments of the LORD, that ye cannot
prosper? because ye have
forsaken the LORD, he hath also
forsaken you.
Then the Spirit of God came upon
Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood up before the people and said to them, “This is what God
says: ‘Why do you
transgress the commandments of the LORD so that you cannot
prosper? Because you have
forsaken the LORD, He has
forsaken you.’”
But he
slew not their children, but did as it is written in the law in the book of Moses, where the LORD commanded,
saying, The fathers shall not die for the children, neither shall the children die for the fathers, but every man shall die for his own sin.
Yet he did not put their sons to death, but acted according to what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where the LORD commanded: “Fathers must not be put to death for their children, and children must not be put to death for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.”
But there came a man of God to him, saying, O king, let not the army of Israel go with thee; for the LORD is not with Israel, to wit, with all the children of Ephraim.
But a man of God came to him and said, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the LORD is not with Israel—not with any of the Ephraimites.
Then
Amaziah king of Judah took advice, and sent to
Joash, the son of
Jehoahaz, the son of
Jehu, king of Israel,
saying, Come, let us see one another in the face.
Then
Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent word to the king of Israel Jehoash son of
Jehoahaz, the son of
Jehu. “Come, let us meet face to face,” he said.
Thou
sayest, Lo, thou hast
smitten the Edomites; and thine heart lifteth thee up to
boast:
abide now at home; why shouldest thou
meddle to thine
hurt, that thou shouldest fall, even thou, and Judah with thee?
You have said, ‘Look, I have defeated
Edom,’ and your heart has become proud and
boastful. Now stay at home. Why should you
stir up trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with you?”
So the posts went with the letters from the king and his princes throughout all Israel and Judah, and according to the commandment of the king,
saying, Ye children of Israel, turn again unto the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and he will return to the
remnant of you, that are escaped out of the hand of the kings of Assyria.
So the couriers went throughout Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his officials, which read: “Children of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, so that He may return to those of you who remain, who have escaped the
grasp of the kings of Assyria.
So there was gathered much people together, who stopped all the fountains, and the
brook that ran through the midst of the land,
saying, Why should the kings of Assyria come, and find much water?
Many people assembled and stopped up all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find
plenty of water?” they said.
And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake
comfortably to them,
saying,
Hezekiah appointed military commanders over the people and gathered the people in the square of the city gate. Then he encouraged them,
saying,
After this did
Sennacherib king of Assyria send his servants to Jerusalem, (but he himself laid siege against
Lachish, and all his power with him,) unto
Hezekiah king of Judah, and unto all Judah that were at Jerusalem,
saying,
Later, as
Sennacherib king of Assyria and all his forces besieged
Lachish, he sent his servants to Jerusalem with a message for King
Hezekiah of Judah and all the people of Judah who were in Jerusalem:
“This is what
Sennacherib king of Assyria
says: What is the basis of your confidence, that you remain in Jerusalem under siege?
Is not
Hezekiah misleading you to give you over to death by famine and
thirst when he
says, ‘The LORD our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria?’
Hath not the same
Hezekiah taken away his high places and his altars, and commanded Judah and Jerusalem,
saying, Ye shall worship before one altar, and burn incense upon it?
Did not
Hezekiah himself remove His high places and His altars and
say to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You must worship before one altar, and on it you shall burn sacrifices’?
He wrote also letters to rail on the LORD God of Israel, and to speak against him,
saying, As the gods of the nations of other lands have not delivered their people out of mine hand, so shall not the God of
Hezekiah deliver his people out of mine hand.
He also wrote letters
mocking the LORD, the God of Israel, and
saying against Him: “Just as the gods of the nations did not deliver their people from my hand, so the God of
Hezekiah will not deliver His people from my hand.”
His prayer also, and how God was intreated of him, and all his sin, and his
trespass, and the places wherein he built high places, and set up groves and
graven images, before he was humbled: behold, they are written among the
sayings of the seers.
His prayer and how God received his
plea, as well as all his sin and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself, they are indeed written in the Records of the Seers.
And Shaphan carried the book to the king, and brought the king word back again, saying, All that was committed to thy servants, they do it.
Then Shaphan brought the book to the king and reported, “Your servants are doing all that has been placed in their hands.
Then Shaphan the
scribe told the king,
saying, Hilkiah the priest hath given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.
Moreover, Shaphan the
scribe told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king.
And the king commanded Hilkiah, and
Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of
Micah, and Shaphan the
scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king’s,
saying,
and commanded Hilkiah,
Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of
Micah, Shaphan the
scribe, and Asaiah the servant of the king:
And she answered them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Tell ye the man that sent you to me,
And Huldah said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Tell the man who sent you
Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah:
that this is what the LORD
says: I am about to bring
calamity on this place and on its people, according to all the curses written in the book that has been read in the presence of the king of Judah,
And as for the king of Judah, who sent you to
enquire of the LORD, so shall ye
say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel concerning the words which thou hast heard;
But as for the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of the LORD, tell him that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘As for the words that you heard,
But he sent ambassadors to him,
saying, What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house
wherewith I have war: for God commanded me to make
haste:
forbear thee from
meddling with God, who is with me, that he destroy thee not.
But Neco sent messengers to him,
saying, “What is the issue between you and me, O king of Judah? I have not come against you
today, but I am fighting another dynasty. God told me to
hurry; so stop
opposing God, who is with me, or He will destroy you!”
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD
stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a
proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing,
saying,
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to
fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD
stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a
proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows:
Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.
“This is what Cyrus king of Persia
says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah.
Whoever among you belongs to His people, may the LORD his God be with him, and may he go up.’”
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD
stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a
proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing,
saying,
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, to
fulfill the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah, the LORD
stirred the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia to send a
proclamation throughout his kingdom and to put it in writing as follows:
Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: ‘The LORD, the God of heaven, who has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, has appointed me to build a house for Him at Jerusalem in Judah.
Then they came to
Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esar-haddon king of Assur, which brought us up
hither.
they approached
Zerubbabel and the heads of the families,
saying, “Let us build with you because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to Him since the time of King Esar-haddon of Assyria, who brought us here.”
And thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and build the house that was builded these many years ago, which a great king of Israel builded and set up.
And this is the answer they returned: “We are servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the temple that was built many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and completed.
And I sent them with commandment unto
Iddo the chief at the place Casiphia, and I told them what they should
say unto
Iddo, and to his brethren the
Nethinims, at the place Casiphia, that they should bring unto us ministers for the house of our God.
And I sent them to
Iddo, the leader at Casiphia, with a message for him and his
kinsmen, the temple servants at Casiphia, that they should bring to us ministers for the house of our God.
For I was
ashamed to require of the king a band of soldiers and
horsemen to help us against the enemy in the way: because we had spoken unto the king,
saying, The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek him; but his power and his wrath is against all them that
forsake him.
For I was
ashamed to ask the king for an
escort of soldiers and
horsemen to protect us from our enemies on the road, since we had told him, “The hand of our God is
gracious to all who seek Him, but His great anger is against all who
forsake Him.”
Now when these things were done, the princes came to me,
saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the
Canaanites, the
Hittites, the
Perizzites, the Jebusites, the
Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the
Amorites.
After these things had been accomplished, the leaders approached me and said, “The people of Israel, including the priests and Levites, have not kept themselves separate from the surrounding peoples whose abominations are like those of the
Canaanites,
Hittites,
Perizzites, Jebusites,
Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and
Amorites.
And now, O our God, what shall we
say after this? for we have
forsaken thy commandments,
And now, our God, what can we
say after this? For we have
forsaken the commandments
Which thou hast commanded by thy servants the prophets,
saying, The land, unto which ye go to possess it, is an unclean land with the
filthiness of the people of the lands, with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness.
that You gave through Your servants the prophets,
saying: ‘The land that you are entering to possess is a land
polluted by the impurity of its peoples and the abominations with which they have filled it from end to end.
Then all the congregation answered and said with a loud voice, As thou hast said, so must we do.
And the whole assembly
responded in a loud voice: “Truly we must do as you
say!
Remember, I
beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses,
saying, If ye
transgress, I will
scatter you abroad among the nations:
Remember, I pray, the word that You commanded Your servant Moses when You said, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will
scatter you among the nations,
But when
Sanballat the Horonite,
Tobiah the
Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard about this, they
mocked us and
ridiculed us,
saying, “What is this you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?”
And he spake before his brethren and the army of Samaria, and said, What do these feeble Jews? will they
fortify themselves? will they sacrifice? will they make an end in a day? will they revive the stones out of the heaps of the
rubbish which are burned?
before his associates and the army of Samaria,
saying, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they restore the wall by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of
rubble?”
For there were that said, We, our sons, and our daughters, are many: therefore we take up corn for them, that we may eat, and live.
Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous. We must get grain in order to eat and stay alive.”
Some also there were that said, We have
mortgaged our lands, vineyards, and houses, that we might
buy corn, because of the
dearth.
Others were
saying, “We are
mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to get grain during the famine.”
There were also that said, We have borrowed money for the king’s tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards.
Still others were saying, “We have borrowed money to pay the king’s tax on our fields and vineyards.
Then I consulted with myself, and I
rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact
usury, every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them.
and after serious thought I
rebuked the nobles and officials,
saying, “You are exacting
usury from your own brothers!” So I called a large assembly against them
And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren the Jews, which were sold unto the heathen; and will ye even sell your brethren? or shall they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found nothing to answer.
and said, “We have done our best to
buy back our Jewish brothers who were sold to foreigners, but now you are selling your own brothers, that they may be sold back to us!” But they remained silent, for they could find nothing to
say.
Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they should do according to this promise.
“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.
That
Sanballat and Geshem sent unto me,
saying, Come, let us meet together in some one of the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me mischief.
Sanballat and Geshem sent me this message: “Come, let us meet together in one of the villages on the plain of Ono.” But they were
planning to
harm me.
And I sent messengers unto them, saying, I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?
So I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it to go down to you?”
And thou hast also appointed prophets to
preach of thee at Jerusalem,
saying, There is a king in Judah: and now shall it be reported to the king according to these words. Come now therefore, and let us take counsel together.
and you have even appointed prophets in Jerusalem to
proclaim on your behalf: ‘There is a king in Judah.’ Soon these rumors will reach the ears of the king. So come, let us
confer together.”
Then I sent unto him, saying, There are no such things done as thou sayest, but thou feignest them out of thine own heart.
Then I sent him this reply: “There is nothing to these rumors you are spreading; you are
inventing them in your own mind.”
For they all made us afraid,
saying, Their hands shall be
weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God,
strengthen my hands.
For they were all trying to
frighten us,
saying, “Their hands will be
weakened in the work, and it will never be finished.” But now, my God,
strengthen my hands.
Who came with
Zerubbabel, Jeshua,
Nehemiah,
Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani,
Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah. The number, I
say, of the men of the people of Israel was this;
accompanied by
Zerubbabel, Jeshua,
Nehemiah,
Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani,
Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, and Baanah. This is the count of the men of Israel:
So the Levites stilled all the people,
saying, Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye
grieved.
And the Levites calmed all the people,
saying, “Be still, since
today is holy. Do not
grieve.”
And that they should
publish and
proclaim in all their cities, and in Jerusalem,
saying, Go forth unto the mount, and
fetch olive branches, and pine branches, and
myrtle branches, and palm branches, and branches of thick trees, to make booths, as it is written.
So they proclaimed this message and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem,
saying, “Go out to the hill country and bring back branches of olive, wild olive,
myrtle, palm, and other
leafy trees, to make booths, as it is written.”
And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a 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, I
say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous:
You found his heart faithful before You, and made a covenant with him to give the land of the
Canaanites and
Hittites, of the
Amorites and
Perizzites, of the Jebusites and Girgashites— to give it to his descendants. You have kept Your promise, because You are righteous.
And I
contended with them, and
cursed them, and
smote certain of them, and
plucked off their hair, and made them
swear by God,
saying, Ye shall not give your daughters unto their sons, nor take their daughters unto your sons, or for
yourselves.
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!
For this deed of the queen shall come abroad unto all women, so that they shall
despise their husbands in their eyes, when it shall be reported, The king
Ahasuerus commanded Vashti the queen to be brought in before him, but she came not.
For the conduct of the queen will become known to all women, causing them to
despise their husbands and
say, ‘King
Xerxes ordered Queen Vashti to be brought before him, but she did not come.’
Likewise shall the ladies of Persia and Media say this day unto all the king’s princes, which have heard of the deed of the queen. Thus shall there arise too much contempt and wrath.
This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard about the queen’s conduct will say the same thing to all the king’s officials, resulting in much contempt and wrath.
And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did according to the word of Memucan:
The king and his princes were pleased with this counsel; so the king did as Memucan had
advised.
And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s
womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
saying: “Naked I came from my mother’s
womb, and naked I will return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
It stood still, but I could not
discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice,
saying,
It stood still, but I could not
discern its appearance; a form
loomed before my eyes, and I heard a
whispering voice:
Did I say, Bring unto me? or, Give a reward for me of your substance?
Have I ever said, ‘Give me something; offer me a
bribe from your wealth;
When I lie down, I
say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and
fro unto the
dawning of the day.
When I lie down I think: ‘When will I get up?’ But the night drags on, and I
toss and turn until
dawn.
When I
say, My bed shall comfort me, my
couch shall ease my
complaint;
When I think my bed will comfort me and my
couch will ease my
complaint,
How long
wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?
“How long will you go on
saying such things? The words of your mouth are a
blustering wind.
If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.
If he is uprooted from his place, it will disown him, saying, ‘I never saw you.’
Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou?
If He takes away, who can stop Him? Who
dares to ask Him, ‘What are You doing?’
If I
justify myself, mine own mouth shall
condemn me: if I
say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me
perverse.
Even if I were righteous, my mouth would
condemn me; if I were
blameless, it would declare me guilty.
This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.
It is all the same, and so I
say, ‘He destroys both the
blameless and the wicked.’
I will
say unto God, Do not
condemn me;
shew me wherefore thou contendest with me.
He wandereth abroad for bread, saying, Where is it? he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand.
He wanders about as food for vultures; he knows the day of darkness is at hand.
I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister.
and say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’
But ye should
say, Why
persecute we him, seeing the root of the matter is found in me?
If you
say, ‘Let us
persecute him, since the root of the matter lies with him,’
Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?
he will perish
forever, like his own dung; those who had seen him will ask, ‘Where is he?’
Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.
Yet they say to God: ‘Leave us alone! For we have no desire to know Your ways.
For ye say, Where is the house of the prince? and where are the dwelling places of the wicked?
For you
say, ‘Where now is the
nobleman’s house, and where are the tents in which the wicked dwell?’