The king said to her, “What is on your mind, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even as much as half the kingdom will be given to you!”

From the mouths of children and nursing babies you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries, so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy.

He despises a reprobate, but honors the Lord’s loyal followers. He makes firm commitments and does not renege on his promise.

From the most remote place on earth I call out to you in my despair. Lead me up to an inaccessible rocky summit!

What exists now is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing truly new on earth.

I saw something else on earth: In the place of justice, there was wickedness, and in the place of fairness, there was wickedness.

But better than both is the one who has not been born and has not seen the evil things that are done on earth.

I heard the voice of the sovereign master say, “Whom will I send? Who will go on our behalf?” I answered, “Here I am, send me!”

He will take delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by mere appearances, or make decisions on the basis of hearsay.

Your names will live on in the curse formulas of my chosen ones. The sovereign Lord will kill you, but he will give his servants another name.

I will bring war, starvation, and disease on them until they are completely destroyed from the land I gave them and their ancestors.’”

Then you will remember your evil behavior and your deeds which were not good; you will loathe yourselves on account of your sins and your abominable deeds.

Many will be purified, made clean, and refined, but the wicked will go on being wicked. None of the wicked will understand, though the wise will understand.

Even if you offer me burnt and grain offerings, I will not be satisfied; I will not look with favor on your peace offerings of fattened calves.

Then the man standing among the myrtle trees spoke up and said, “These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk about on the earth.”

But he did not answer her a word. Then his disciples came and begged him, “Send her away, because she keeps on crying out after us.”

Then they understood that he had not told them to be on guard against the yeast in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

For a while he refused, but later on he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor have regard for people,

On the next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Pilate told them, “Take him yourselves and pass judgment on him according to your own law!” The Jewish leaders replied, “We cannot legally put anyone to death.”