<p class="bodytext">Mordecai wrote these matters down and sent letters to all the Jews who were throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far,

<p class="poetry">I also have understanding<n id="1" /> as well as you;p> <p class="poetry">I am not inferior to you.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">Who does not know such things as these?<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">Indeed, these are but the outer fringes of his ways!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">How faint is the whisper<n id="2" /> we hear of him!p> <p class="poetry">But who can understand the thunder of his power?&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">He does not charge interest when he lends his money.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">He does not take bribes to testify against the innocent.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">The one who lives like this<n id="3" /> will never be upended.p>

<p class="poetry">I will remember and weep!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">For I was once walking along with the great throng to the temple of God,p> <p class="poetry">shouting and giving thanks along with the crowd as we celebrated the holy festival.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">At that time we laughed loudlyp> <p class="poetry">and shouted for joy.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">At that time the nations said,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> has accomplished great things for these people.&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">Do not say, &#8220;Why were the old days better than these days?&#8221;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">for it is not wise to ask that.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">What I have continually sought, I have not found;p> <p class="poetry">I have found only<n id="1" /> one upright<n id="2" /> man among a thousand,p> <p class="poetry">but I have not found one upright woman among all of them.p>

Who among all the gods of these lands have rescued their lands from my power? So how can the <sc>Lordsc> rescue Jerusalem from my power?&#8217;&#8221;<n id="1" />

<p class="poetry">Remember these things, O Jacob,p> <p class="poetry">O Israel, for you are my servant.p> <p class="poetry">I formed you to be my servant;p> <p class="poetry">O Israel, I will not forget you!<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">I am<n id="1" /> the one who forms lightp> <p class="poetry">and creates darkness;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">the one who brings about peacep> <p class="poetry">and creates calamity.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">I am the <sc>Lordsc>, who accomplishes all these things.p>

<p class="poetry">You said,p> <p class="poetry">&#8216;I will rule forever as permanent queen!&#8217;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">You did not think about these things;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">you did not consider how it would turn out.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">Both of these will come upon youp> <p class="poetry">suddenly, in one day!p> <p class="poetry">You will lose your children and be widowed.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">You will be overwhelmed by these tragedies,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">despite<n id="3" /> your many incantationsp> <p class="poetry">and your numerous amulets.<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">All of you, gather together and listen!p> <p class="poetry">Who among them<n id="1" /> announced these things?p> <p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s ally<n id="2" /> will carry out his desire against Babylon;p> <p class="poetry">he will exert his power against the Babylonians.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">Among the smooth stones of the stream are the idols you love;p> <p class="poetry">they, they are the object of your devotion.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">You pour out liquid offerings to them,p> <p class="poetry">you make an offering.p> <p class="poetry">Because of these things I will seek vengeance.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">They say, &#8216;Keep to yourself!p> <p class="poetry">Don&#8217;t get near me, for I am holier than you!&#8217;p> <p class="poetry">These people are like smoke in my nostrils,p> <p class="poetry">like a fire that keeps burning all day long.p>

<p class="poetry">Even your clothes are stained withp> <p class="poetry">the lifeblood of the poor who had not done anything wrong;p> <p class="poetry">you did not catch them breaking into your homes.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Yet, in spite of all these things you have done,<n id="2" />p>

Yet even after she had done all that, I thought that she might come back to me.<n id="1" /> But she did not. Her sister, unfaithful Judah, saw what she did.<n id="2" />

<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="poetry">I will surely punish them for doing such things!&#8221; says the <sc>Lordsc>.p> <p class="poetry">&#8220;I will surely bring retribution on such a nation as this!&#8221;<n id="1" />p>