A city is built up by the blessing of the upright, but it is torn down by the mouth of the wicked.

城因正直人祝福便高举，却因邪恶人的口就倾覆。

因正直人的祝福，城必升高；因邪恶人的口，它必倾覆。

因正直人的祝福，城必升高；因邪恶人的口，它必倾覆。

城因正直人的祝福而兴盛，因恶人的口舌而倾覆。

因正直人的祝福，城的地位就提高；因恶人的口，城就倾覆。

因正直人的祝福，城就被高举；因恶人的口，城就被倾覆。

城因正直人祝福便高舉，卻因邪惡人的口就傾覆。

因正直人的祝福，城必升高；因邪惡人的口，它必傾覆。

因正直人的祝福，城必升高；因邪惡人的口，它必傾覆。

城因正直人的祝福而興盛，因惡人的口舌而傾覆。

因正直人的祝福，城的地位就提高；因惡人的口，城就傾覆。

因正直人的祝福、城就被捧得很高；因惡人的口所說的、城便傾覆。

因正直人的祝福，城就被高舉；因惡人的口，城就被傾覆。

維彼城邑、以正直者之祝而振興、因邪惡者之口而傾覆、

惟彼城邑、義者頌祝則鞏固、惡者謗讟則傾圮。

城因正直人祝福則高堅、因惡者妄言則傾圮、

Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed.

The blessing of honest people builds up a city. But the words of sinners destroy it.

By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown.

Upright citizens are good for a city and make it prosper, but the talk of the wicked tears it apart.

By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, But by the mouth of the wicked, it is torn down.

By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted; But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

A city is built up by the blessing of the upright, but it is torn down by the mouth of the wicked.

By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

A city is exalted by the blessing provided from the upright, but it is destroyed by the counsel of the wicked.

By the blessing of the upright, the city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

Mockers inflame a city, but the wise turn away anger.

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.

King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz prayed about this and cried out to heaven,and the LORD sent an angel who annihilated every valiant warrior, leader, and commander in the camp of the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria returned in disgrace to his land. He went to the temple of his god, and there some of his own children struck him down with the sword.So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the power of King Sennacherib of Assyria and from the power of all others. He gave them rest on every side.

Now a poor wise man was found in the city, and he delivered the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man.

And the tongue is a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among our members. It stains the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

He will even rescue the guilty one, who will be rescued by the purity of your hands.

Therefore it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Then Haman informed King Ahasuerus,“ There is one ethnic group, scattered throughout the peoples in every province of your kingdom, keeping themselves separate. Their laws are different from everyone else’s and they do not obey the king’s laws. It is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them.If the king approves, let an order be drawn up authorizing their destruction, and I will pay 375 tons of silver to the officials for deposit in the royal treasury.”The king removed his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.Then the king told Haman,“ The money and people are given to you to do with as you see fit.”The royal scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and the order was written exactly as Haman commanded. It was intended for the royal satraps, the governors of each of the provinces, and the officials of each ethnic group and written for each province in its own script and to each ethnic group in its own language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the royal signet ring.Letters were sent by couriers to each of the royal provinces telling the officials to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jewish people— young and old, women and children— and plunder their possessions on a single day, the thirteenth day of Adar, the twelfth month.A copy of the text, issued as law throughout every province, was distributed to all the peoples so that they might get ready for that day.The couriers left, spurred on by royal command, and the law was issued in the fortress of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, while the city of Susa was in confusion.

Now a wicked man, a Benjaminite named Sheba son of Bichri, happened to be there. He blew the ram’s horn and shouted: We have no portion in David, no inheritance in Jesse’s son. Each man to his tent, Israel!

and he said to them,“ Can we find anyone like this, a man who has God’s spirit in him?”So Pharaoh said to Joseph,“ Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you are.You will be over my house, and all my people will obey your commands. Only I, as king, will be greater than you.”Pharaoh also said to Joseph,“ See, I am placing you over all the land of Egypt.”Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, clothed him with fine linen garments, and placed a gold chain around his neck.

The king’s command and law went into effect on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar. On the day when the Jews’ enemies had hoped to overpower them, just the opposite happened. The Jews overpowered those who hated them.In each of King Ahasuerus’s provinces the Jews assembled in their cities to attack those who intended to harm them. Not a single person could withstand them; fear of them fell on every nationality.All the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and the royal civil administrators aided the Jews because they feared Mordecai.For Mordecai exercised great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful.The Jews put all their enemies to the sword, killing and destroying them. They did what they pleased to those who hated them.In the fortress of Susa the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men,including Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha.They killed these ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. However, they did not seize any plunder.On that day the number of people killed in the fortress of Susa was reported to the king.The king said to Queen Esther,“ In the fortress of Susa the Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men, including Haman’s ten sons. What have they done in the rest of the royal provinces? Whatever you ask will be given to you. Whatever you seek will also be done.”Esther answered,“ If it pleases the king, may the Jews who are in Susa also have tomorrow to carry out today’s law, and may the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be hung on the gallows.”The king gave the orders for this to be done, so a law was announced in Susa, and they hung the bodies of Haman’s ten sons.The Jews in Susa assembled again on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and killed three hundred men in Susa, but they did not seize any plunder.The rest of the Jews in the royal provinces assembled, defended themselves, and gained relief from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of those who hated them, but they did not seize any plunder.