Then the woman said, “Please permit your servant to speak to my lord the king about another matter.” He replied, “Tell me.”

Take ¹  ten loaves of bread, some small cakes, and a container of honey and visit him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”

He told his servant Gehazi, “Ask the Shunammite woman to come here.” ¹  So he did so and she came to him. ² 

He said, “Why do you want to go see him today? It is not the new moon ¹  or the Sabbath.” She said, “Everything’s fine.” ² 

And day after day Mordecai used to walk back and forth in front of the court of the harem in order to learn how Esther was doing ¹  and what might happen to her.

The king said to her, “What is on your mind, ¹  Queen Esther? What is your request? Even as much as half the kingdom will be given to you!”

Receiving sacrifices and offerings are not your primary concern. ¹  You make that quite clear to me! ²  You do not ask for burnt sacrifices and sin offerings.

I will pray ¹  to God, my high ridge: ²  “Why do you ignore ³  me? Why must I walk around mourning ⁴  because my enemies oppress me?”

They encourage one another to carry out their evil deed. ¹  They plan how to hide ²  snares, and boast, ³  “Who will see them?” ⁴ 

Like a thorn ¹  that goes into the hand of a drunkard, so is a proverb in the mouth of a fool. ² 

“Who ¹  is this who appears ²  like the dawn? ³  Beautiful as the moon, ⁴  bright ⁵  as the sun, awe-inspiring ⁶  as the stars in procession?” ⁷ 

Those who see you stare at you, they look at you carefully, thinking: ¹  “Is this the man who shook the earth, the one who made kingdoms tremble?

How will they respond to the messengers of this nation? ¹  Indeed, the Lord has made Zion secure; the oppressed among his people will find safety in her.

Who is the Lord ¹  trying to teach? To whom is he explaining a message? ²  Those just weaned from milk! Those just taken from their mother’s breast! ³ 

For our leaders ¹  are stupid. They have not sought the Lord’s advice. ²  So they do not act wisely, and the people they are responsible for ³  have all been scattered.

So I, Jeremiah, tell you, ¹  “Each of you people should say to his friend or his relative, ‘How did the Lord answer? Or what did the Lord say?’ ² 

‘Call on me in prayer and I will answer you. I will show you great and mysterious ¹  things which you still do not know about.’

“At that time, ¹  I will willingly respond,” ²  declares the Lord. “I will respond to the sky, and the sky ³  will respond to the ground;

and those who turn their backs on ¹  the Lord and do not want the Lord’s help or guidance.” ² 

In ¹  everything, treat others as you would want them ²  to treat you, ³  for this fulfills ⁴  the law and the prophets.