When Moses heard this explanation, he was satisfied. ¹ 

And the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she met with his loving approval ¹  more than all the other young women. ²  So he placed the royal high turban on her head and appointed her queen ³  in place of Vashti.

How great is your favor, ¹  which you store up for your loyal followers! ²  In plain sight of everyone you bestow it on those who take shelter ³  in you. ⁴ 

I jumped to conclusions and said, ¹  “I am cut off from your presence!” ²  But you heard my plea for mercy when I cried out to you for help.

Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” Before our very eyes may the shed blood of your servants be avenged among the nations! ¹ 

This will happen because the people of Israel and Judah have repeatedly done what displeases me ¹  from their earliest history until now ²  and because they ³  have repeatedly made me angry by the things they have done. ⁴  I, the Lord, affirm it! ⁵ 

This will happen because ¹  the people of this city have aroused my anger and my wrath since the time they built it until now. ²  They have made me so angry that I am determined to remove ³  it from my sight.

And there you will remember your conduct ¹  and all your deeds by which you defiled yourselves. You will despise yourselves ²  because of all the evil deeds you have done.

Then you will remember your evil behavior ¹  and your deeds which were not good; you will loathe yourselves on account of your sins and your abominable deeds.

And,’ says the Lord who rules over all, ‘though such a thing may seem to be difficult in the opinion of the small community of those days, will it also appear difficult to me?’ asks the Lord who rules over all.

that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples: ¹ 

Large numbers ¹  of those who had practiced magic ²  collected their books ³  and burned them up in the presence of everyone. ⁴  When ⁵  the value of the books was added up, it was found to total fifty thousand silver coins. ⁶ 

After we sighted Cyprus ¹  and left it behind on our port side, ²  we sailed on to Syria and put in ³  at Tyre, ⁴  because the ship was to unload its cargo there.

Have you been thinking all this time ¹  that we have been defending ourselves to you? We are speaking in Christ before God, and everything we do, dear friends, is to build you up. ² 

But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should first learn to fulfill their duty ¹  toward their own household and so repay their parents what is owed them. ²  For this is what pleases God. ³ 

Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned for eleven years in Jerusalem. ¹  He did evil in the sight of ²  the Lord his God.

before the vindictive enemy who ridicules and insults me. ¹ 

The poor person and the oppressor ¹  have this in common: ²  the Lord gives light ³  to the eyes of them both.

An unjust person is an abomination to the righteous, and the one who lives an upright life is an abomination to the wicked. ¹ 

and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your acts of charity ¹  have been remembered before God. ²