The Israelites regretted what had happened to ¹  their brother Benjamin. They said, “Today we cut off an entire ²  tribe from Israel!

I mourned for them as I would for a friend or my brother. ¹  I bowed down ²  in sorrow as if I were mourning for my mother. ³ 

When ¹  his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were very upset and went and told their lord everything that had taken place.

“Therefore, I became provoked at that generation and said, ‘Their hearts are always wandering ¹  and they have not known my ways.’

And against whom was God ¹  provoked for forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness? ² 

Now Jacob’s sons had come in from the field when they heard the news. ¹  They ²  were offended ³  and very angry because Shechem ⁴  had disgraced Israel ⁵  by sexually assaulting ⁶  Jacob’s daughter, a crime that should not be committed. ⁷ 

He said to them, “Go and eat delicacies and drink sweet drinks and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared. For this day is holy to our Lord. ¹  Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

She went out and told those who were with him, while they were mourning and weeping.

Finally her husband Elkanah said to her, “Hannah, why do you weep and not eat? Why are you so sad? ¹  Am I not better to you than ten ²  sons?”

When Esther’s female attendants and her eunuchs came and informed her about Mordecai’s behavior, ¹  the queen was overcome with anguish. Although she sent garments for Mordecai to put on so that he could remove his sackcloth, he would not accept them.

Because of the long distance you must travel, you get tired, ¹  but you do not say, ‘I give up.’ ²  You get renewed energy, ³  so you don’t collapse. ⁴ 

This is because you have disheartened the righteous person with lies (although I have not grieved him), and because you have encouraged the wicked person not to turn from his evil conduct and preserve his life.

For out of great distress and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not to make you sad, but to let you know the love that I have especially for you. ¹ 

For even if I made you sad ¹  by my letter, ²  I do not regret having written it ³  (even though I did regret it, ⁴  for ⁵  I see that my letter made you sad, ⁶  though only for a short time).

When Uriah’s wife heard that her husband Uriah was dead, she mourned for him. ¹ 

Their father Ephraim mourned for them many days and his brothers came to console him.

“If someone ¹  should attempt ²  a word with you, will you be impatient? ³  But who can refrain from speaking ⁴ ?

But now the same thing ¹  comes to you, and you are discouraged; ²  it strikes you, and you are terrified. ³ 

But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich. ¹ 

They ¹  became greatly distressed ²  and each one began to say to him, “Surely not I, Lord?”