And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. {blue: or, violet}

Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.

That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. {wine...: or, in bowls of wine} {affliction: Heb. breach}

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. {in...: or, increased}

For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause {some} to fall.

Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which {is} not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. {present: Heb. found}

In the day of our king the princes have made {him} sick with bottles of wine; he stretched out his hand with scorners. {bottles...: or, heat through wine}

For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. {in...: or, increased}

And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. {blue: or, violet}

{It is} not for kings, O Lemuel, {it is} not for kings to drink wine; nor for princes strong drink:

The words of Nehemiah the son of Hachaliah. And it came to pass in the month Chisleu, in the twentieth year, as I was in Shushan the palace,

So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen. {to banquet: Heb. to drink}

{So} the posts that rode upon mules {and} camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king's commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.

And Esther answered, If {it seem} good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him.

And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men.

Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim. {authority: Heb. strength}

Delight is not seemly for a fool; much less for a servant to have rule over princes.

For {it is} a day of trouble, and of treading down, and of perplexity by the Lord GOD of hosts in the valley of vision, breaking down the walls, and of crying to the mountains.

It is sharpened to make a sore slaughter; it is furbished that it may glitter: should we then make mirth? it contemneth the rod of my son, {as} every tree. {it contemneth...: or, it is the rod of my son, it despiseth every tree}

And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I {was} at Shushan {in} the palace, which {is} in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai.

And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry {it} down to Egypt.

That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph. {wine...: or, in bowls of wine} {affliction: Heb. breach}

And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make us sport. And they called for Samson out of the prison house; and he made them sport: and they set him between the pillars. {them: Heb. before them}

And when he was come in, he did eat and drink, and said, Go, see now this cursed {woman}, and bury her: for she {is} a king's daughter.

So the posts passed from city to city through the country of Ephraim and Manasseh even unto Zebulun: but they laughed them to scorn, and mocked them.

I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and {of} his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.

{That} in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which {was} in Shushan the palace,