<p class="poetry">One runner after another will come to the king of Babylon.p> <p class="poetry">One messenger after another will come bringing news.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">They will bring news to the king of Babylonp> <p class="poetry">that his whole city has been captured.<n id="2" />p>

The gatekeepers relayed the news to the royal palace.<n id="1" />p>

<p class="bodytext">When Esther&#8217;s reply<n id="1" /> was conveyed to Mordecai,

<p class="poetry">what wise men declare,p> <p class="poetry">hiding nothing,p> <p class="poetry">from the tradition of<n id="1" /> their ancestors,<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">If a man denounces his friends for personal gain,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">the eyes of his children will fail.p>

<p class="poetry">I would give him an accounting of my steps;p> <p class="poetry">like a prince I would approach him.p>

<p class="poetry">then he reveals<n id="1" /> to them what they have done,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and their transgressions,p> <p class="poetry">that they were behaving proudly.p>

<p class="poetry">Yes,<n id="1" /> I confess my wrongdoing,p> <p class="poetry">and I am concerned about my sins.p>

<p class="poetry">It is fitting<n id="1" /> to proclaim your loyal love in the morning,p> <p class="poetry">and your faithfulness during the night,p>

<p class="poetry">One generation will praise your deeds to another,p> <p class="poetry">and tell about your mighty acts!<n id="1" />p>

<p class="poetry">He proclaims his word to Jacob,p> <p class="poetry">his statutes and regulations to Israel.p>

<p class="poetry">Let them give the <sc>Lordsc> the honor he deserves;<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">let them praise his deeds in the coastlands.<n id="2" />p>

When Jacob explained<n id="1" /> to Rachel that he was a relative of her father<n id="2" /> and the son of Rebekah, she ran and told her father.

Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king.<n id="1" />

Solomon answered all her questions; there was no question too complex for the king.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">Now Esther had not disclosed her people or her lineage,<n id="1" /> for Mordecai had instructed her not to do so.<n id="2" />

<p class="poetry">&#8220;Let them produce evidence! Let them tell us what will happen!p> <p class="poetry">Tell us about your earlier predictive oracles,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">so we may examine them<n id="2" /> and see how they were fulfilled.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Or decree for us some future events!p>

<p class="poetry">Who decreed this from the beginning, so we could know?p> <p class="poetry">Who announced it<n id="1" /> ahead of time, so we could say, &#8216;He&#8217;s correct&#8217;?p> <p class="poetry">Indeed, none of them decreed it!p> <p class="poetry">Indeed, none of them announced it!p> <p class="poetry">Indeed, no one heard you say anything!p>

<p class="poetry">Who is like me? Let him make his claim!<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Let him announce it and explain it to me &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">since I established an ancient people &#8211; <n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">let them announce future events!<n id="3" />p>

<p class="bodytext">The young woman ran and told her mother&#8217;s household all about<n id="1" /> these things.