The king’s scribes were quickly ¹  summoned – in the third month (that is, the month of Sivan), on the twenty-third day. ²  They wrote out ³  everything that Mordecai instructed to the Jews and to the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces all the way from India to Ethiopia ⁴  – a hundred and twenty-seven provinces in all – to each province in its own script and to each people in their own language, and to the Jews according to their own script and their own language.

These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names by their settlements and their camps – twelve princes ¹  according to their clans.

For fire went out from Heshbon, a flame from the city of Sihon. It has consumed Ar of Moab and the lords ¹  of the high places of Arnon.

Joshua made a peace treaty with them and agreed to let them live. The leaders of the community ¹  sealed it with an oath. ² 

but all the leaders told the whole community, “We swore an oath to them in the name of ¹  the Lord God of Israel. So now we can’t hurt ²  them!

¹  Then the leaders of the Philistines would march out, and as often as they did so, David achieved more success than all of Saul’s servants. His name was held in high esteem.

besides what he collected from the merchants, ¹  traders, Arabian kings, and governors of the land.

Jokim, the men of Cozeba, and Joash and Saraph, both of whom ruled in Moab and Jashubi Lehem. (This information is from ancient records.) ¹ 

Yet they will become his subjects, so they can experience how serving me differs from serving the surrounding nations.” ¹ 

he consulted with his advisers and military officers about stopping up the springs ¹  outside the city, and they supported him.

who shows no partiality to princes, and does not take note of ¹  the rich more than the poor, because all of them are the work of his hands?

In a moment they die, in the middle of the night, ¹  people ²  are shaken ³  and they pass away. The mighty are removed effortlessly. ⁴ 

He executes judgment ¹  against ²  the nations; he fills the valleys with corpses; ³  he shatters their heads over the vast battlefield. ⁴ 

If your sons keep my covenant and the rules I teach them, their sons will also sit on your throne forever.”

As when one plows and breaks up the soil, ¹  so our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.

Your splendor ¹  has been brought down to Sheol, as well as the sound of your stringed instruments. ²  You lie on a bed of maggots, with a blanket of worms over you. ³ 

The officials of Zoan are fools, the officials of Memphis ¹  are misled; the rulers ²  of her tribes lead Egypt astray.

At that time ¹  the Lord will punish ²  the heavenly forces in the heavens ³  and the earthly kings on the earth.

Listen to the cries of anguish of the leaders. Listen to the wails of the shepherds of the flocks. They are wailing because the Lord is about to destroy their lands. ¹ 

He sent it after King Jeconiah, the queen mother, the palace officials, ¹  the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metal workers had been exiled from Jerusalem. ²