Harbona,<n id="1" /> one of the king&#8217;s eunuchs, said, &#8220;Indeed, there is the gallows that Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke out in the king&#8217;s behalf. It stands near Haman&#8217;s home and is seventy-five feet<n id="2" /> high.&#8221;p> <p class="bodytext">The king said, &#8220;Hang him on it!&#8221;

Throughout every province and throughout every city where the king&#8217;s edict and his law arrived, the Jews experienced happiness and joy, banquets and holidays. Many of the resident peoples<n id="1" /> pretended<n id="2" /> to be Jews, because the fear of the Jews had overcome them.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="bodytext">Esther replied, &#8220;If the king is so inclined, let the Jews who are in Susa be permitted to act tomorrow also according to today&#8217;s law, and let them hang the ten sons of Haman on the gallows.&#8221;p>

This is why the Jews who are in the rural country &#8211; those who live in rural cities &#8211; set aside the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a holiday for happiness, banqueting, holiday, and sending gifts to one another.p>

as the time when the Jews gave themselves rest from their enemies &#8211; the month when their trouble was turned to happiness and their mourning to a holiday. These were to be days of banqueting, happiness, sending gifts to one another, and providing for the poor.p>

<t /><p class="psasuper">For the music director; according to the tune of &#8220;Lilies;&#8221;<n id="2" /> by the Korahites, a well-written poem,<n id="3" /> a love song.p> <p class="poetry">My heart is stirred by a beautiful song.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">I say, &#8220;I have composed this special song<n id="5" /> for the king;p> <p class="poetry">my tongue is as skilled as the stylus of an experienced scribe.&#8221;<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">I thought deeply<n id="1" /> about the effects of<n id="2" /> indulging<n id="3" /> myself<n id="4" /> with winep> <p class="poetry">(all the while<n id="5" /> my mind was guiding me<n id="6" /> with wisdom)<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">and the effects of<n id="8" /> behaving foolishly,<n id="9" />p> <p class="poetry">so that<n id="10" /> I might discover what is profitable<n id="11" />p> <p class="poetry">for people<n id="12" /> to do on earth<n id="13" /> during the few days<n id="14" /> of their lives.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people:<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">to eat and drink,<n id="2" /> and find enjoyment in all their<n id="3" /> hard work<n id="4" /> on earth<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">during the few days of their life which God has given them,p> <p class="poetry">for this is their reward.<n id="6" />p>

<p class="poetry">Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">even if he lives a long, long time,<n id="1" /> but cannot enjoy his prosperity &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">even if he were to live forever<n id="2" /> &#8211; p> <p class="poetry">I would say, &#8220;A stillborn child<n id="3" /> is better off than he is!&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">For no one knows what is best for a person during his life<n id="1" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">during the few days of his fleeting life &#8211; p> <p class="poetry">for<n id="2" /> they pass away<n id="3" /> like a shadow.p> <p class="poetry">Nor can anyone tell him what the future will hold for him on earth.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">I discovered this:<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">More bitter than death is the kind of<n id="2" /> woman<n id="3" /> who is like a hunter&#8217;s snare;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">her heart is like a hunter&#8217;s net and her hands are like prison chains.p> <p class="poetry">The man who pleases God escapes her,p> <p class="poetry">but the sinner is captured by her.p>

<p class="poetry">Even though a sinner might commit a hundred crimes<n id="1" /> and still live a long time,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">yet I know that it will go well with God-fearing people<n id="3" /> &#8211; for they stand in fear<n id="4" /> before him.p>

<t /><p class="poetry">So I recommend the enjoyment of life,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">for there is nothing better on earth<n id="2" /> for a person to do<n id="3" /> except<n id="4" /> to eat, drink, and enjoy<n id="5" /> life.<n id="6" />p> <p class="poetry">So<n id="7" /> joy<n id="8" /> will accompany him in his toilp> <p class="poetry">during the days of his life which God gives him on earth.<n id="9" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">I will tell of the faithful acts of the <sc>Lordsc>,p> <p class="poetry">of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s praiseworthy deeds.p> <p class="poetry">I will tell about all<n id="1" /> the <sc>Lordsc> did for us,p> <p class="poetry">the many good things he did for the family of Israel,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">because of<n id="3" /> his compassion and great faithfulness.p>

<p class="bodytext">Then I said,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;<sc>Lordsc>,<n id="1" /> have you completely rejected the nation of Judah?p> <p class="poetry">Do you despise<n id="2" /> the city of Zion?p> <p class="poetry">Why have you struck us with such forcep> <p class="poetry">that we are beyond recovery?<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">We hope for peace, but nothing good has come of it.p> <p class="poetry">We hope for a time of relief from our troubles, but experience terror.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">They will come and shout for joy on Mount Zion.p> <p class="poetry">They will be radiant with joy<n id="1" /> over the good things the <sc>Lordsc> provides,p> <p class="poetry">the grain, the fresh wine, the olive oil,p> <p class="poetry">the young sheep and calves he has given to them.p> <p class="poetry">They will be like a well-watered gardenp> <p class="poetry">and will not grow faint or weary any more.p>

We will obey what the <sc>Lordsc> our God to whom we are sending you tells us to do. It does not matter whether we like what he tells us or not. We will obey what he tells us to do so that things will go well for us.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">Then she will pursue her lovers, but she will not catch<n id="1" /> them;p> <p class="poetry">she will seek them, but she will not find them.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Then she will say,p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;I will go back<n id="3" /> to my husband,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">because I was better off then than I am now.&#8221;<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">They sacrifice on the mountaintops,p> <p class="poetry">and burn offerings on the hills;p> <p class="poetry">they sacrifice<n id="1" /> under oak, poplar, and terebinth,p> <p class="poetry">because their shade is so pleasant.p> <p class="poetry">As a result, your daughters have become cult prostitutes,p> <p class="poetry">and your daughters-in-law commit adultery!p>

When the sun began to shine, God sent<n id="1" /> a hot<n id="2" /> east wind. So the sun beat down<n id="3" /> on Jonah&#8217;s head, and he grew faint. So he despaired of life,<n id="4" /> and said, &#8220;I would rather die than live!&#8221;<n id="5" />