If he should then say, ‘That’s fine,’ ¹  then your servant is safe. But if he becomes very angry, be assured that he has decided to harm me. ² 

But the thought of striking out against ¹  Mordecai alone was repugnant to him, for he had been informed ²  of the identity of Mordecai’s people. ³  So Haman sought to destroy all the Jews (that is, the people of Mordecai) ⁴  who were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus.

to establish these days of Purim in their proper times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established, and just as they had established both for themselves and their descendants, matters pertaining to fasting and lamentation.

For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of David. I decided, ²  “I will watch what I say and make sure I do not sin with my tongue. ³  I will put a muzzle over my mouth while in the presence of an evil man.” ⁴ 

Next, I decided to consider ¹  wisdom, as well as foolish behavior and ideas. ²  For what more can the king’s successor do than what the king ³  has already done?

For though your people, Israel, are as numerous as ¹  the sand on the seashore, only a remnant will come back. ²  Destruction has been decreed; ³  just punishment ⁴  is about to engulf you. ⁵ 

Because of this the land will mourn and the sky above will grow black. ¹  For I have made my purpose known ²  and I will not relent or turn back from carrying it out.” ³ 

(His parents said these things because they were afraid of the Jewish religious leaders. ¹  For the Jewish leaders had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus ²  to be the Christ ³  would be put out ⁴  of the synagogue. ⁵ 

When Paul and Barnabas had a major argument and debate ¹  with them, the church ²  appointed Paul and Barnabas and some others from among them to go up to meet with ³  the apostles and elders in Jerusalem ⁴  about this point of disagreement. ⁵ 

Now after all these things had taken place, ¹  Paul resolved ²  to go to Jerusalem, ³  passing through Macedonia ⁴  and Achaia. ⁵  He said, ⁶  “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” ⁷ 

Then the Lord relented over the evil that he had said he would do to his people.

“I said, ‘I want to cut them in pieces. ¹  I want to make people forget they ever existed.

They cast lots, both young and old, according to their families, to determine which gate they would be responsible for. ¹ 

Because of their distress, they turned back to the Lord God of Israel. They sought him and he responded to them. ¹ 

Hezekiah ordered that storerooms be prepared in the Lord’s temple. When this was done, ¹ 

All of them conspired together to move with armed forces ¹  against Jerusalem and to create a disturbance in it.

Who set its measurements – if ¹  you know – or who stretched a measuring line across it?

Yet because of you ¹  we are killed all day long; we are treated like ²  sheep at the slaughtering block. ³ 

The sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, is certainly ready to carry out the decreed destruction throughout the land. ¹ 

The Lord decided not to do this. ¹  The sovereign Lord said, “This will not happen either.”