Alpet 2022
King James Version
1. So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the East. 2. And he looked, and saw a well in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. A large stone was on the well’s mouth. 3. Now all the flocks would be gathered there; and they would roll the stone from the well’s mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well’s mouth. 4. And Jacob said to them, "My brethren, where are you from?" And they said, "We are from Haran." 5. Then he said to them, "Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?" And they said, "We know him." 6. So he said to them, "Is he well?" And they said, " He is well. And look, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep." 7. Then he said, "Look, it is still high day; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them ." 8. But they said, "We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep." 9. Now while he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10. And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother. 11. Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. 12. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s relative and that he was Rebekah’s son. So she ran and told her father. 13. Then it came to pass, when Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. So he told Laban all these things. 14. And Laban said to him, "Surely you are my bone and my flesh." And he stayed with him for a month. 15. Then Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be ?" 16. Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17. Leah’s eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. 18. Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter." 19. And Laban said, " It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me." 20. So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her. 21. Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her." 22. And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. 23. Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. 24. And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid. 25. So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?" 26. And Laban said, "It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27. "Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years." 28. Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also. 29. And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid. 30. Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years.
1. Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this was the Ahasuerus who reigned over one hundred and twenty–seven provinces, from India to Ethiopia), 2. in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the citadel, 3. that in the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his officials and servants––the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the provinces being before him–– 4. when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendor of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all . 5. And when these days were completed, the king made a feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present in Shushan the citadel, from great to small, in the court of the garden of the king’s palace. 6. There were white and blue linen curtains fastened with cords of fine linen and purple on silver rods and marble pillars; and the couches were of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of alabaster, turquoise, and white and black marble. 7. And they served drinks in golden vessels, each vessel being different from the other, with royal wine in abundance, according to the generosity of the king. 8. In accordance with the law, the drinking was not compulsory; for so the king had ordered all the officers of his household, that they should do according to each man’s pleasure. 9. Queen Vashti also made a feast for the women in the royal palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus. 10. On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, 11. to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown, in order to show her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful to behold. 12. But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command brought by his eunuchs; therefore the king was furious, and his anger burned within him. 13. Then the king said to the wise men who understood the times (for this was the king’s manner toward all who knew law and justice, 14. those closest to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who had access to the king’s presence, and who ranked highest in the kingdom): 15. "What shall we do to Queen Vashti, according to law, because she did not obey the command of King Ahasuerus brought to her by the eunuchs?" 16. And Memucan answered before the king and the princes: "Queen Vashti has not only wronged the king, but also all the princes, and all the people who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17. "For the queen’s behavior will become known to all women, so that they will despise their husbands in their eyes, when they report, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought in before him, but she did not come.’ 18. "This very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media will say to all the king’s officials that they have heard of the behavior of the queen. Thus there will be excessive contempt and wrath. 19. "If it pleases the king, let a royal decree go out from him, and let it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and the Medes, so that it will not be altered, that Vashti shall come no more before King Ahasuerus; and let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. 20. "When the king’s decree which he will make is proclaimed throughout all his empire (for it is great), all wives will honor their husbands, both great and small." 21. And the reply pleased the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Memucan. 22. Then he sent letters to all the king’s provinces, to each province in its own script, and to every people in their own language, that each man should be master in his own house, and speak in the language of his own people.
1. After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus subsided, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what had been decreed against her. 2. Then the king’s servants who attended him said: "Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king; 3. "and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather all the beautiful young virgins to Shushan the citadel, into the women’s quarters, under the custody of Hegai the king’s eunuch, custodian of the women. And let beauty preparations be given them . 4. "Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti." This thing pleased the king, and he did so. 5. In Shushan the citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite. 6. Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been captured with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. 7. And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is , Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. 8. So it was, when the king’s command and decree were heard, and when many young women were gathered at Shushan the citadel, under the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was taken to the king’s palace, into the care of Hegai the custodian of the women. 9. Now the young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave beauty preparations to her, besides her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the women. 10. Esther had not revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it . 11. And every day Mordecai paced in front of the court of the women’s quarters, to learn of Esther’s welfare and what was happening to her. 12. Each young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months’ preparation, according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women. 13. Thus prepared, each young woman went to the king, and she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the women’s quarters to the king’s palace. 14. In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name. 15. Now when the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her. 16. So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 17. The king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18. Then the king made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts according to the generosity of a king. 19. When virgins were gathered together a second time, Mordecai sat within the king’s gate. 20. Now Esther had not revealed her family and her people, just as Mordecai had charged her, for Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai as when she was brought up by him. 21. In those days, while Mordecai sat within the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, doorkeepers, became furious and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 22. So the matter became known to Mordecai, who told Queen Esther, and Esther informed the king in Mordecai’s name. 23. And when an inquiry was made into the matter, it was confirmed, and both were hanged on a gallows; and it was written in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.
1. At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus 2. and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him." 3. For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife. 4. Because John had said to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her." 5. And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. 6. But when Herod’s birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod. 7. Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask. 8. So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist’s head here on a platter." 9. And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her . 10. So he sent and had John beheaded in prison. 11. And his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 12. Then his disciples came and took away the body and buried it, and went and told Jesus. 13. When Jesus heard it , He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself. But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities. 14. And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick. 15. When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food." 16. But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat." 17. And they said to Him, "We have here only five loaves and two fish." 18. He said, "Bring them here to Me." 19. Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes. 20. So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained. 21. Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.