2Sa 20:1, Est 3:8-15, 9:1-16, Jam 3:6 | ESV | STEP | Now there happened to be there a worthless man , whose name was Sheba , the son of Bichri , a Benjaminite . And he blew the trumpet and said , We have no portion in David , and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse ; every man to his tents , O Israel !

1 Now there happened to be there ^aa worthless man, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite. And he blew the trumpet and said,

^b“We have no portion in David,
and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse;
^cevery man to his tents, O Israel!”

Esther 3:8-15

8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. ^dTheir laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king’s laws, so that it is not to the king’s profit to tolerate them. 9 If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents ^{▼▼A talent was about 75 pounds or 34 kilograms} of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king’s business, that they may put it into the king’s treasuries.” 10 ^fSo the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman ^gthe Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, ^hthe enemy of the Jews. 11 And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.”

12 ⁱThen the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and an edict, according to all that Haman commanded, was written to the king’s ^jsatraps and to the governors over all the provinces and to the officials of all the peoples, ^kto every province in its own script and every people in its own language. It was written ^lin the name of King Ahasuerus ^mand sealed with the king’s signet ring. 13 Letters were sent ⁿby couriers to all the king’s provinces with instruction ^oto destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, ^pin one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, ^qand to plunder their goods. 14 ^rA copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province by proclamation to all the peoples to be ready for that day. 15 ^sThe couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, ^tbut the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.

Esther 9:1-16

The Jews Destroy Their Enemies

1 ^uNow in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, ^von the thirteenth day of the same, ^wwhen the king’s command and edict were about to be carried out, ^xon the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them. 2 ^yThe Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could stand against them, ^zfor the fear of them had fallen on all peoples. 3 All the officials of the provinces and ^aathe satraps and the governors and the royal agents also helped the Jews, for the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them. 4 For Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for the man Mordecai grew ^abmore and more powerful. 5 The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them. 6 In Susa the citadel itself the Jews killed and destroyed 500 men, 7 and also killed Parshandatha and Dalphon and Aspatha 8 and Poratha and Adalia and Aridatha 9 and Parmashta and Arisai and Aridai and Vaizatha, 10 ^acthe ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, ^adthe enemy of the Jews, ^aebut they laid no hand on the plunder.

11 That very day the number of those killed in Susa the citadel was reported to the king. 12 And the king said to Queen Esther, “In Susa the citadel the Jews have killed and destroyed 500 men and also the ten sons of Haman. What then have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces! ^afNow what is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what further is your request? It shall be fulfilled.” 13 And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the Jews who are in Susa be allowed ^agtomorrow also to do according to this day’s edict. And let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows.” ^{▼▼Or stake} 14 So the king commanded this to be done. A decree was issued in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged. 15 The Jews who were in Susa gathered also on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and they killed 300 men in Susa, but they laid no hands on the plunder.

16 ^aiNow the rest of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also ^ajgathered to defend their lives, and got relief from their enemies and killed 75,000 of those who hated them, but they laid no hands on the plunder.

James 3:6

6 And ^akthe tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, ^alstaining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, ^{▼▼Or wheel of birth} and set on fire by hell. ^{▼▼Greek Gehenna}