<t /><p class="bodytext">&#8220;&#8216;Whenever<n id="1" /> a leader, by straying unintentionally,<n id="2" /> sins and violates one of the commandments of the <sc>Lordsc> his God which must not be violated,<n id="3" /> and he pleads guilty,

and the priest is to make one of them a sin offering<n id="1" /> and the other a burnt offering.<n id="2" /> So the priest<n id="3" /> is to make atonement for him before the <sc>Lordsc> for<n id="4" /> his discharge.p>

and the priest is to make one a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.<n id="1" /> So the priest<n id="2" /> is to make atonement for her before the <sc>Lordsc> from her discharge of impurity.p>

Then the priest will offer one for a purification offering<n id="1" /> and the other<n id="2" /> as a burnt offering,<n id="3" /> and make atonement<n id="4" /> for him, because of his transgression<n id="5" /> in regard to the corpse. So he must reconsecrate<n id="6" /> his head on that day.

Then he must offer the ram as a peace offering<n id="1" /> to the <sc>Lordsc>, with the basket of bread made without yeast; the priest must also offer his grain offering and his drink offering.p>

When<n id="1" /> the Levites lay their hands on the heads of the bulls, offer<n id="2" /> the one for a purification offering and the other for a whole burnt offering to the <sc>Lordsc>,<n id="3" /> to make atonement for the Levites.

If a resident foreigner is living<n id="1" /> with you &#8211; or whoever is among you<n id="2" /> in future generations<n id="3" /> &#8211; and prepares an offering made by fire as a pleasing aroma to the <sc>Lordsc>, he must do it the same way you are to do it.<n id="4" />

The <sc>Lordsc> will do to them just what he did to Sihon and Og, the Amorite kings, and to their land, which he destroyed.

<p class="bodytext">Now Joab returned from chasing Abner and assembled all the people. Nineteen of David&#8217;s soldiers were missing, in addition to Asahel.

So now, O <sc>Lordsc> God, make this promise you have made about your servant and his family a permanent reality.<n id="1" /> Do as you promised,<n id="2" />

But my servant<n id="1" /> has slandered me<n id="2" /> to my lord the king. But my lord the king is like an angel of God. Do whatever seems appropriate to you.

He passed his son<n id="1" /> through the fire<n id="2" /> and practiced divination and omen reading. He set up a ritual pit to conjure up underworld spirits, and appointed magicians to supervise it.<n id="3" /> He did a great amount of evil in the sight of the <sc>Lordsc>, provoking him to anger.<n id="4" />

So now, O <sc>Lordsc>, may the promise you made about your servant and his family become a permanent reality!<n id="1" /> Do as you promised,<n id="2" />

He replied, &#8216;I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.&#8217; The <sc>Lordsc><n id="1" /> said, &#8216;Deceive and overpower him.<n id="2" /> Go out and do as you have proposed.&#8217;

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">The <sc>Lordsc> who commands armies will hold a banquet for all the nations on this mountain.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">At this banquet there will be plenty of meat and aged wine &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">tender meat and choicest wine.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">Who acts and carries out decrees?<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Who<n id="2" /> summons the successive generations from the beginning?p> <p class="poetry">I, the <sc>Lordsc>, am present at the very beginning,p> <p class="poetry">and at the very end &#8211; I am the one.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">You assist<n id="1" /> those who delight in doing what is right,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">who observe your commandments.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Look, you were angry because we violated them continually.p> <p class="poetry">How then can we be saved?<n id="4" />p>

But if that nation does what displeases me and does not obey me, then I will cancel the good I promised to do to it.

<p class="poetry">Does it make you any more of a kingp> <p class="poetry">that you outstrip everyone else in<n id="1" /> building with cedar?p> <p class="poetry">Just think about your father.p> <p class="poetry">He was content that he had food and drink.<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">He did what was just and right.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">So things went well with him.p>