The king should know that we went to the district of Judah, to the temple of the great God. The people are building it with large stones and placing the timbers in the walls. The work is being carried on with diligence and is making rapid progress under their direction.

Be it known to the king that we went to the province of Judah, to the house of the great God. It is being built with huge stones, and timber is laid in the walls. This work goes on diligently and prospers in their hands.

Moreover, I hereby decree what you are to do for these elders of the Jews in the construction of this house of God:

Their expenses are to be fully paid out of the royal treasury, from the revenues of Trans-Euphrates, so that the work will not stop.

Moreover, I make a decree regarding what you shall do for these elders of the Jews for the rebuilding of this house of God. The cost is to be paid to these men in full and without delay from the royal revenue, the tribute of the province from Beyond the River.

May God, who has caused his Name to dwell there, overthrow any king or people who lifts a hand to change this decree or to destroy this temple in Jerusalem.

I Darius have decreed it. Let it be carried out with diligence.

May the God who has caused his name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who shall put out a hand to alter this, or to destroy this house of God that is in Jerusalem. I Darius make a decree; let it be done with all diligence.”

Then, because of the decree King Darius had sent, Tattenai, governor of Trans-Euphrates, and Shethar-Bozenai and their associates carried it out with diligence.

Then, according to the word sent by Darius the king Tattenai, the governor of the province Beyond the River, Shethar-bozenai, and their associates did with all diligence what Darius the king had ordered.

With this money be sure to buy bulls, rams and male lambs, together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and sacrifice them on the altar of the temple of your God in Jerusalem.

With this money, then, you shall with all diligence buy bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and you shall offer them on the altar of the house of your God that is in Jerusalem.

Now I, King Artaxerxes, decree that all the treasurers of Trans-Euphrates are to provide with diligence whatever Ezra the priest, the teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, may ask of you –

“And I, Artaxerxes the king, make a decree to all the treasurers in the province Beyond the River: Whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, requires of you, let it be done with all diligence,

Whatever the God of heaven has prescribed, let it be done with diligence for the temple of the God of heaven. Why should his wrath fall on the realm of the king and of his sons?

Whatever is decreed by the God of heaven, let it be done in full for the house of the God of heaven, lest his wrath be against the realm of the king and his sons.

Whoever does not obey the law of your God and the law of the king must surely be punished by death, banishment, confiscation of property, or imprisonment.

Whoever will not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be strictly executed on him, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of his goods or for imprisonment.”

Its undersides are jagged potsherds,
leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing-sledge.

His underparts are like sharp potsherds;
he spreads himself like a threshing sledge on the mire.

Even while you sleep among the sheepfolds,
the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver,
its feathers with shining gold.’

though you men lie among the sheepfolds—
the wings of a dove covered with silver,
its pinions with shimmering gold.

for she is more profitable than silver
and yields better returns than gold.

for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
and her profit better than gold.

Choose my instruction instead of silver,
knowledge rather than choice gold,

Take my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold,

My fruit is better than fine gold;
what I yield surpasses choice silver.

My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,
and my yield than choice silver.

Lazy hands make for poverty,
but diligent hands bring wealth.

A slack hand causes poverty,
but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Diligent hands will rule,
but laziness ends in forced labour.

The hand of the diligent will rule,
while the slothful will be put to forced labor.

The lazy do not roast any game,
but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.

Whoever is slothful will not roast his game,
but the diligent man will get precious wealth.

A sluggard’s appetite is never filled,
but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

How much better to get wisdom than gold,
to get insight rather than silver!

How much better to get wisdom than gold!
To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

The plans of the diligent lead to profit
as surely as haste leads to poverty.

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

Caraway is not threshed with a sledge,
nor is the cartwheel rolled over cummin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,
and cummin with a stick.

Dill is not threshed with a threshing sledge,
nor is a cart wheel rolled over cumin,
but dill is beaten out with a stick,
and cumin with a rod.

‘See, I will make you into a threshing-sledge,
new and sharp, with many teeth.
You will thresh the mountains and crush them,
and reduce the hills to chaff.

Behold, I make of you a threshing sledge,
new, sharp, and having teeth;
you shall thresh the mountains and crush them,
and you shall make the hills like chaff;

‘Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven “sevens”, and sixty-two “sevens”. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.

Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat but in a troubled time.

Multitudes, multitudes
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the valley of decision.

Multitudes, multitudes,
in the valley of decision!
For the day of the Lord is near
in the valley of decision.

This is what the Lord says:

‘For three sins of Damascus,
even for four, I will not relent.
Because she threshed Gilead
with sledges having iron teeth,

Thus says the Lord:

“For three transgressions of Damascus,
and for four I will not revoke the punishment
because they have threshed Gilead
with threshing sledges of iron.

Tyre has built herself a stronghold;
she has heaped up silver like dust,
and gold like the dirt of the streets.

Tyre has built herself a rampart
and heaped up silver like dust,
and fine gold like the mud of the streets.

At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: ‘I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a dish.’

And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,

When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, ‘This man deserves to have you do this,

And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying “He is worthy to have you do this for him,

if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord.

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter.

So even though I wrote to you, it was neither on account of the one who did the wrong nor on account of the injured party, but rather that before God you could see for yourselves how devoted to us you are.

So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God.

But since you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you – see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you — see that you excel in this act of grace also.

I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.

I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine.

Thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you.

But thanks be to God who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you.

On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me.

but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me—

Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way and see that they have everything they need.

Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing.

We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized.

And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end,

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;

For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue and virtue with knowledge,

Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.

Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.