Remember, O my God, Tobiah and Sanballat in light of these actions of theirs – also Noadiah the prophetess and the other prophets who were trying to scare me!

to bring Queen Vashti into the king’s presence wearing her royal high turban. He wanted to show the people and the officials her beauty, for she was very attractive.

Far from where people live he sinks a shaft, in places travelers have long forgotten, far from other people he dangles and sways.

All those who behave wickedly do not understand – those who devour my people as if they were eating bread, and do not call out to the Lord.

You love justice and hate evil. For this reason God, your God has anointed you with the oil of joy, elevating you above your companions.

I am surrounded by lions; I lie down among those who want to devour me; men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are a sharp sword.

They speak sinful words. So let them be trapped by their own pride and by the curses and lies they speak!

Men are nothing but a mere breath; human beings are unreliable. When they are weighed in the scales, all of them together are lighter than air.

Then you spoke through a vision to your faithful followers and said: “I have energized a warrior; I have raised up a young man from the people.

When you gaze upon riches, they are gone, for they surely make wings for themselves, and fly off into the sky like an eagle!

At that time you will say: “Praise the Lord! Ask him for help! Publicize his mighty acts among the nations! Make it known that he is unique!

The Lord who commands armies will pronounce a blessing over the earth, saying, “Blessed be my people, Egypt, and the work of my hands, Assyria, and my special possession, Israel!”

The chief adviser said to them, “Tell Hezekiah: ‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: “What is your source of confidence?

These double disasters confronted you. But who feels sorry for you? Destruction and devastation, famine and sword. But who consoles you?

He repays them for what they have done, dispensing angry judgment to his adversaries and punishing his enemies. He repays the coastlands.

Look all around you! They all gather and come to you – your sons come from far away and your daughters are escorted by guardians.

But if that nation I threatened stops doing wrong, I will cancel the destruction I intended to do to it.

I will send men against it to destroy it with their axes and hatchets. They will hack up its fine cedar panels and columns and throw them into the fire.

The people of Damascus will lose heart and turn to flee. Panic will grip them. Pain and anguish will seize them like a woman in labor.

So I, the Lord God of Israel who rules over all, say: ‘I will punish the king of Babylon and his land just as I punished the king of Assyria.