A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.

And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

Man's goings {are} of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?

And delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in the sight of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and he made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, {is} from the LORD. {preparations: or, disposings}

Blessed {be} the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put {such a thing} as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which {is} in Jerusalem:

And all the inhabitants of the earth {are} reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and {among} the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

He made them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives.

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, {and} rivers in the desert.

Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.

O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.

He turned their heart to hate his people, to deal subtilly with his servants.

Thou didst cleave the fountain and the flood: thou driedst up mighty rivers. {mighty...: Heb. rivers of strength}

The LORD on high {is} mightier than the noise of many waters, {yea, than} the mighty waves of the sea.

That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers:

And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.

And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

The sea saw {it}, and fled: Jordan was driven back.

What {ailed} thee, O thou sea, that thou fleddest? thou Jordan, {that} thou wast driven back?

{There are} many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of {his} good pleasure.

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and {put it} also in writing, saying, {made...: Heb. caused a voice to pass}

And when the king asked the woman, she told him. So the king appointed unto her a certain officer, saying, Restore all that {was} hers, and all the fruits of the field since the day that she left the land, even until now. {officer: or, eunuch}

O Lord, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man. For I was the king's cupbearer.

And kept the feast of unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful, and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.

Until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him.

The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, {is} from the LORD. {preparations: or, disposings}

And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her.

And it was so, when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, {that} she obtained favour in his sight: and the king held out to Esther the golden sceptre that {was} in his hand. So Esther drew near, and touched the top of the sceptre.

Many seek the ruler's favour; but {every} man's judgment {cometh} from the LORD. {the ruler's...: Heb. the face of a ruler}

And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth {day} of the month, {that} Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;

For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.

And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the five and twentieth {day} of the month, {that} Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the {first} year of his reign lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah, and brought him forth out of prison,

And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What {is} this {that} thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she {was} thy wife?

And Pharaoh commanded {his} men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

And when she had opened {it}, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This {is one} of the Hebrews' children.

And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It {is} the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the LORD helped him; and God moved them {to depart} from him.

And prayed unto him: and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the LORD he {was} God.

Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do unto him even as he shall say unto thee. {look...: Heb. set thine eyes upon him}

And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel.

And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which {appertained} to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

Now {therefore}, Tatnai, governor beyond the river, Shetharboznai, and your companions the Apharsachites, which {are} beyond the river, be ye far from thence: {your...: Chaldee, their societies}

And the vessels also of gold and silver of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple that {was} in Jerusalem, and brought them into the temple of Babylon, those did Cyrus the king take out of the temple of Babylon, and they were delivered unto {one}, whose name {was} Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor; {governor: or, deputy}

Wherefore they arose and fled in the twilight, and left their tents, and their horses, and their asses, even the camp as it {was}, and fled for their life.

And he went thither to Naioth in Ramah: and the Spirit of God was upon him also, and he went on, and prophesied, until he came to Naioth in Ramah.

And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash {herself} at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it.

And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.

Also he gave him the copy of the writing of the decree that was given at Shushan to destroy them, to shew {it} unto Esther, and to declare {it} unto her, and to charge her that she should go in unto the king, to make supplication unto him, and to make request before him for her people.

Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.

Then Zedekiah the king commanded that they should commit Jeremiah into the court of the prison, and that they should give him daily a piece of bread out of the bakers' street, until all the bread in the city were spent. Thus Jeremiah remained in the court of the prison.

Then the king commanded Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Take from hence thirty men with thee, and take up Jeremiah the prophet out of the dungeon, before he die. {with thee: Heb. in thine hand}

And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved {of my children}, I am bereaved. {If...: or, And I, as I have been, etc.}

Now while he was not yet gone back, {he said}, Go back also to Gedaliah the son of Ahikam the son of Shaphan, whom the king of Babylon hath made governor over the cities of Judah, and dwell with him among the people: or go wheresoever it seemeth convenient unto thee to go. So the captain of the guard gave him victuals and a reward, and let him go.

The land of Egypt {is} before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest {any} men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.

For the king of Babylon stood at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he made {his} arrows bright, he consulted with images, he looked in the liver. {parting of: Heb. mother of} {arrows: or, knives} {images: Heb. teraphim}

And he will shew you a large upper room furnished {and} prepared: there make ready for us.

And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

The LORD said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant; verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee {well} in the time of evil and in the time of affliction. {cause...: or, intreat the enemy for thee}

Blessed {be} the LORD God of our fathers, which hath put {such a thing} as this in the king's heart, to beautify the house of the LORD which {is} in Jerusalem: