This was to take place on a certain day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus – namely, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar).

All of this happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. They then rested on the fourteenth day and made it a day for banqueting and happiness.p>

<p class="poetry">As for me, I will sing about your strength;p> <p class="poetry">I will praise your loyal love in the morning.p> <p class="poetry">For you are my refuge<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and my place of shelter when I face trouble.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">In my time of trouble I sought<n id="1" /> the Lord.p> <p class="poetry">I kept my hand raised in prayer throughout the night.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I<n id="3" /> refused to be comforted.p>

<p class="poetry">Do not forsake your friend and your father&#8217;s friend,p> <p class="poetry">and do not enter your brother&#8217;s house in the day of your disaster;p> <p class="poetry">a neighbor nearby is better than a brother far away.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">when those who keep watch over the house<n id="1" /> begin to tremble,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and the virile men begin to stoop over,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">and the grinders<n id="4" /> begin to cease because they grow few,p> <p class="poetry">and those who look through the windows grow dim,<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">Come out, O maidens of Zion,p> <p class="poetry">and gaze upon King Solomon!p> <p class="poetry">He is wearing the crown with which his mother crowned himp> <p class="poetry">on his wedding day,p> <p class="poetry">on the most joyous day of his life!<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">At that time<n id="1" /> men will throwp> <p class="poetry">their silver and gold idols,p> <p class="poetry">which they made for themselves to worship,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">into the caves where rodents and bats live,<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">At that time<n id="1" /> the brother will shout,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;I am no doctor,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">I have no food or coat in my house;p> <p class="poetry">don&#8217;t make me a leader of the people!&#8217;&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">Seven women will grab hold ofp> <p class="poetry">one man at that time.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">They will say, &#8220;We will provide<n id="2" /> our own food,p> <p class="poetry">we will provide<n id="3" /> our own clothes;p> <p class="poetry">but let us belong to you<n id="4" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">take away our shame!&#8221;<n id="5" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">At that time<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">the crops given by the <sc>Lordsc> will bring admiration and honor;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">the produce of the land will be a source of pride and delightp> <p class="poetry">to those who remain in Israel.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">At that time<n id="1" /> they will growl over their prey,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">it will sound like sea waves crashing against rocks.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">One will look out over the land and see the darkness of disaster,p> <p class="poetry">clouds will turn the light into darkness.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="bodytext">At that time<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> will whistle for flies from the distant streams of Egypt and for bees from the land of Assyria.<n id="2" />

At that time<n id="1" /> the sovereign master will use a razor hired from the banks of the Euphrates River,<n id="2" /> the king of Assyria, to shave the head and the pubic hair;<n id="3" /> it will also shave off the beard.

At that time<n id="1" /> every place where there had been a thousand vines worth a thousand shekels will be overrun<n id="2" /> with thorns and briers.

<p class="poetry">At that time<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">the <sc>Lordsc> will remove their burden from your shoulders,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and their yoke from your neck;p> <p class="poetry">the yoke will be taken off because your neck will be too large.<n id="3" />p>

<t /><p class="bodytext">At that time<n id="1" /> a root from Jesse<n id="2" /> will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to him for guidance,<n id="3" /> and his residence will be majestic.

<p class="poetry">There will be a highway leading out of Assyriap> <p class="poetry">for the remnant of his people,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">just as there was for Israel,p> <p class="poetry">when<n id="2" /> they went up from the land of Egypt.p>

<p class="poetry">At that time<n id="1" /> you will say:p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;Praise the <sc>Lordsc>!p> <p class="poetry">Ask him for help!<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Publicize his mighty acts among the nations!p> <p class="poetry">Make it known that he is unique!<n id="3" />p>

When the <sc>Lordsc> gives you relief from your suffering and anxiety,<n id="1" /> and from the hard labor which you were made to perform,