Then they came to Marah,<n id="1" /> but they were not able to drink<n id="2" /> the waters of Marah, because<n id="3" /> they were bitter.<n id="4" /> (That is<n id="5" /> why its name was<n id="6" /> Marah.)p>

The Danites said to him, &#8220;Don&#8217;t say another word to us, or some very angry men<n id="1" /> will attack you, and you and your family will die.&#8221;<n id="2" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">Then Samuel said, &#8220;Bring me King Agag of the Amalekites.&#8221; So Agag came to him trembling,<n id="1" /> thinking to himself,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Surely death is bitter!&#8221;<n id="3" />

<p class="poetry">&#8220;The way you have lived and the things you have done<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">will bring this on you.p> <p class="poetry">This is the punishment you deserve, and it will be painful indeed.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">The pain will be so bad it will pierce your heart.&#8221;<n id="3" />p>

<p class="lamhebrew">&#1491; (<i>Daleti>)p> <p class="poetry">The roads to Zion<n id="1" /> mourn<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">because no one<n id="3" /> travels to the festivals.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">All her city gates<n id="5" /> are deserted;<n id="6" />p> <p class="poetry">her priests groan.<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">Her virgins grieve;<n id="8" />p> <p class="poetry">she is in bitter anguish!<n id="9" />p>

<p class="poetry">Look, I am about to empower<n id="1" /> the Babylonians,p> <p class="poetry">that ruthless<n id="2" /> and greedy<n id="3" /> nation.p> <p class="poetry">They sweep across the surface<n id="4" /> of the earth,p> <p class="poetry">seizing dwelling places that do not belong to them.p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s great day of judgment<n id="1" /> is almost here;p> <p class="poetry">it is approaching very rapidly!p> <p class="poetry">There will be a bitter sound on the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s day of judgment;p> <p class="poetry">at that time warriors will cry out in battle.<n id="2" />p>

Then the priest will have the woman stand before the <sc>Lordsc>, uncover the woman&#8217;s head, and put the grain offering for remembering in her hands, which is the grain offering of suspicion. The priest will hold in his hand the bitter water that brings a curse.<n id="1" />

Then the priest will put the woman under oath and say to the her, &#8220;If no other<n id="1" /> man has had sexual relations with you, and if you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband&#8217;s authority, may you be free from this bitter water that brings a curse.<n id="2" />

When he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and behaved unfaithfully toward her husband, the water that brings a curse will enter her to produce bitterness &#8211; her abdomen will swell, her thigh will fall away, and the woman will become a curse among her people.

All those who were in trouble or owed someone money or were discontented<n id="1" /> gathered around<n id="2" /> him, and he became their leader. He had about four hundred men with him.p>

<p class="bodytext">Then Abner called out to Joab, &#8220;Must the sword devour forever? Don&#8217;t you realize that this will turn bitter in the end? When will you tell the people to turn aside from pursuing their brothers?&#8221;

Hushai went on to say, &#8220;You know your father and his men &#8211; they are soldiers and are as dangerous as a bear out in the wild that has been robbed of her cubs.<n id="1" /> Your father is an experienced soldier; he will not stay overnight with the army.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now when Mordecai became aware of all that had been done, he<n id="1" /> tore his garments and put on sackcloth and ashes. He went out into the city, crying out in a loud<n id="2" /> and bitter voice.

<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">Your own wickedness will bring about your punishment.p> <p class="poetry">Your unfaithful acts will bring down discipline on you.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Know, then, and realize how utterly harmful<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">it was for you to reject me, the <sc>Lordsc> your God,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">to show no respect for me,&#8221;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">says the Lord <sc>Godsc> who rules over all.<n id="5" />p>

<p class="poetry">I will turn your festivals into funerals,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and all your songs into funeral dirges.p> <p class="poetry">I will make everyone wear funeral clothes<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and cause every head to be shaved bald.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">I will make you mourn as if you had lost your only son;<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">when it ends it will indeed have been a bitter day.<n id="5" />p>