5 Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto thole that hated them.

6 And in Slmflian the palate the Jews flew and destroyed five hundred men.

7 And Parsliandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha,

g And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,

9 And Parmaslita, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vaiezatha,

io The ten sons of Haman the son of Ilammcdntha, the enemy of the Jews, llcw they; but on the spoil laid they not their hand.

i \ On that day the number os those that were slain in Shushan the palace was brought before the king.

Ii And the king said unto Esther the oucen, The Jews have slam anddellroyed h\c hundred men in Shuslian the palace, and the ten sons of Hainan; what have fhey done in the rest of the king's provinces > now what is thy petition? and it shrill be granted thee: or what // tliy request further? and it (hall be done.

13TI1 en laidEslher,Ifi; please flic king, let it be granted to the Jews which are in Shuslian to do to morrow also according uatotl.is day's decree, and let Hainan's ten sons be handed upon the gallows.

14. And the king commanded it so to he done: and tile decreewas given at Shulhan ; and they hanged Hainan's ten sons.

15 For the jews that Wot in Shuslian gathered themselves togetheron thctbnrteenrh day also of tiie month Adar, and slew three hundred men at Shuslian; but on the prey they laid not their hand.

16 But the other Jews thatii'OTr in the king's provinces gathered thems.'ves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and flew of their foes sevenr\' and five thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey,

17 On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the fame rested they, and made it a day of (easting and gladness.

18 But the Jews that •were at Shuslian assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the fame they rested, and made it "a day of feasting and gladness.

19 Therefore the Jews of the villages that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another.

10 % And Mordecai wrote tliese things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that •were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigji and far,

21 To Irabl'uTi this among them, that they mould keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the fame, yearly,

22 As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turnedunto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they Ihould make them days of feasting and joy, and offending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.

2 j And the Jews undertook to do as she)' had begun, and as Mordecai had' written unto them;

24. Because Hainan the son osHammedatha, the Agngite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jev.-s to destroy them, aud had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them and to destroy them;

25 But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he devised againstthe Jews, should return upon bis own, head, and that he and his sons Ihould be hanged on the gallows.

26 Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they hnd teen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,

27 The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their feed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it Ihould not fail, that they would keep these two days accoiding to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year;

28 And that these days JhoulJ he remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim mould not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perilh from their seed.

29 Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim.

30 And he sent the letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred sweaty and seven provinces of the kingdom ofAhasuerus, with words of peace and truth,

31 To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, aud at they had decreed

for

Job's afrighUttss,

far themselves, and for their seed, the matters of their fastings and their cry. ■31 And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the took.

CHAP. X.

I Ahafuerus* greatness. % Mtrdecais ad

•vancemtnt.

AN D the king Ahafuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea.

The Book

C H A P. I.

t The holiness, riches, and religious tare of Job for his children. 6 Satan appearing before God, obtaineth leave to tempt him.

THERE was a man in the land of Uz, whole name nvas Job; ami that man was perfect and upright, and one that seated God, and eschewed evil.

* And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters.

3 His substance also was seven thotu land sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred (he aises, and a very great houshold; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east.

+ And his sons went and feasted in their houses, everyone his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.

5 And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of tl>em all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have fumed, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.

ft % Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lor D, and Satan came ailso among them.

7 And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lor D, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

8 And the Lo R i> said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

9 Then Satan answered the Lord, and said. Doth Job fear God for nought?

so Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?

of JOB.

thou haft blessed tlie work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face.

i» And the Loan said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power | only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lo R D .

13 And there was a day when his sons and his daughters ivere eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house t

14. And there came a meslenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asset feeding beside them:

15 And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away: yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

16 While he ivas yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hat!) burned up the Iheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

17 While he ivas yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three- bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.

18 While he ivas yet speaking, there came also another, and laid, Thy Ions andthydaugbters ivere eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:

19 And, behold, there came a s;reat wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they arc dead} and T only am escaped alone to till thee.

*o Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and (haved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,

2t And said, Nakvd came I out of my mother's womb, and naked (hall I return thither; the Lord gave, and the

Lord

Job smitten ivith boils.

He eurseth the day os his birth.

Lo R D hath taken away; blessed be the

name os the Lord.

12 In all this Job sinned not, nor

charged God foolislily.

CHAP. II.

I SatanappearingagainbesoreGod, obtainethsurther leave to tempt 'Job. 7 Hesmit eth him ivith sore boils. 9 Job reproveth his ivise, moving him to curse God,

AGAIN there was a day when the sons of God came to prelent themselves before the Loud, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord.

a And the Lo R D saidunto Satan, From ■whence Cornell thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

3 And the Lo R D said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my^ servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God and escheweth evil? and still he hokieth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy Jiim Without cause.

4 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for (kin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

6 And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand;, but save his life.

7 fl So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lo R D, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

8 And he took him a potsherd to scra'pe himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

9 % Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women fpeaketh. What ? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and mall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

11 Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him, and to comfort him.

ii And when they listed up their eyes afar oss, and knew him not, they listed up their voice, and wept, and they rent |

every one his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.

13 So they fat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

CHAP. III.

1 Job eurseth the day and services of his

birth. 13 The ease os death.

AFTER this opened Job his mouth, arid cursed his day.

2 And Job spake, and said,

3 Let the day perish wherein 1 was born, and the night in ivhich it was said, There is a man child conceived.

4- Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.

5 Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it j let the blackness of the day terrify it.

6 As for that night, let darkness seize upon it; let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not come into the number of the months.

7 Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein.

8 Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning.

9 Let the stars of the twilight thereof be dark; let it look for light, but have none; neither let it see the dawning of the day:

10 Because it shut not up the doors of my mother's womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.

11 Why died I not from the womb? •why did I not give up the ghost when I came out of the belly? ,

12 Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breasts that I should suck?

13 ^f For now should I have lain still, and been quiet, I should have flept: then had I been at rest,

14. With kings and counsellors of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves;

15 Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver:

16 Or as an hidden untimely birth 1 had not been; as infants ivhich never saw light.

17 There the wicked cease from troubling: and there the weary be at rest.

18 There the prisoners rest together; they hear not the voice of the oppressor.

19 The small and great are there; and the servant is free from his master.

20 Wherefore is light given to him that is in milerj-, and Use unto the bitter in soul;

si Which,