Study Desk

Thus Yo'ash the king did not remember the kindness which Y'hoyada, [Z'kharyah's] father, had done for him, but put his son to death. As he was dying he said, "May Adonai see this and take vengeance!"

"Because of this, Adonai 's anger has settled on Y'hudah and Yerushalayim; and he has made them an object of horror, astonishment and mocking — as you can see with your own eyes.

Don't be like your ancestors, or like your kinsmen who sinned against Adonai the God of their ancestors, with the result that he allowed them to become an object of horror, as you see.

‘Here, I will gather you to your ancestors; you will go to your grave in peace; and your eyes will not see all the calamity I am going to bring on this place and its inhabitants.'" So they brought back word to the king.

Now, because we eat the king's salt, and it is not right for us to see the king dishonored, we therefore are sending to inform the king,

Afterwards, I said to them, "You see what a sad state we are in, how Yerushalayim lies in ruins, with it gates burned up. Come, let's rebuild the wall of Yerushalayim, so that we won't continue in disgrace."

Our enemies were saying, "They won't know or see anything, until we have already infiltrated them and begun killing them and stopping the work."

But when Sanvalat, Toviyah, the Arabs, the ‘Amonim and the Ashdodim heard that the repairs on the walls of Yerushalayim were going forward, and the breaks were being filled in, they became very angry. All of them together plotted to come and fight against Yerushalayim and thus throw us into confusion. However, we prayed to our God and, because of them, organized a watch against them day and night. Y'hudah was saying, "The strength of the people who carry loads away is starting to fail, and there is so much rubble that we can't build the wall." Our enemies were saying, "They won't know or see anything, until we have already infiltrated them and begun killing them and stopping the work." And even the Judeans living near them came and must have said to us ten times, "From every place you must come back to us." So in the lower parts of the space behind the wall, I stationed men according to their families, with their swords, spears and bows. After inspecting them, I stood up and addressed the nobles, leaders and the rest of the people: "Don't be afraid of them! Remember Adonai, who is great and fearful; and fight for your brothers, sons, daughters, wives and homes." When our enemies heard that the plot was known to us, and God had foiled their plans, we all returned to the wall, everyone to his work. From then on, half of my men would do the work; and half of them held the spears, shields, bows and armor; while the leaders stood guard behind the entire house of Y'hudah, as they continued building the wall. Those who carried loads held their loads with one hand and carried a weapon in the other. As for the construction-workers, each one had his sword sheathed at his side; that is how they built. The man to sound the alarm on the shofar stayed with me. I said to the nobles, the leaders and the rest of the people, "This is a great work, and it is spread out; we are separated on the wall, one far from another. But wherever you are, when you hear the sound of the shofar, come to that place, to us. Our God will fight for us!" So we kept doing the work. Half of them held spears from daybreak until the stars appeared. Also at that time I told the people, "Let everyone with a servant stay the night within Yerushalayim, so that at night they can be a guard for us, even as they work during the day." I, my kinsmen, my servants and my bodyguards never took off our clothes, and everyone who went to get water took his weapon.

But when Sanvalat, Toviyah, the Arabs, the ‘Amonim and the Ashdodim heard that the repairs on the walls of Yerushalayim were going forward, and the breaks were being filled in, they became very angry. All of them together plotted to come and fight against Yerushalayim and thus throw us into confusion. However, we prayed to our God and, because of them, organized a watch against them day and night. Y'hudah was saying, "The strength of the people who carry loads away is starting to fail, and there is so much rubble that we can't build the wall." Our enemies were saying, "They won't know or see anything, until we have already infiltrated them and begun killing them and stopping the work." And even the Judeans living near them came and must have said to us ten times, "From every place you must come back to us." So in the lower parts of the space behind the wall, I stationed men according to their families, with their swords, spears and bows. After inspecting them, I stood up and addressed the nobles, leaders and the rest of the people: "Don't be afraid of them! Remember Adonai, who is great and fearful; and fight for your brothers, sons, daughters, wives and homes." When our enemies heard that the plot was known to us, and God had foiled their plans, we all returned to the wall, everyone to his work. From then on, half of my men would do the work; and half of them held the spears, shields, bows and armor; while the leaders stood guard behind the entire house of Y'hudah, as they continued building the wall. Those who carried loads held their loads with one hand and carried a weapon in the other. As for the construction-workers, each one had his sword sheathed at his side; that is how they built. The man to sound the alarm on the shofar stayed with me. I said to the nobles, the leaders and the rest of the people, "This is a great work, and it is spread out; we are separated on the wall, one far from another. But wherever you are, when you hear the sound of the shofar, come to that place, to us. Our God will fight for us!" So we kept doing the work. Half of them held spears from daybreak until the stars appeared. Also at that time I told the people, "Let everyone with a servant stay the night within Yerushalayim, so that at night they can be a guard for us, even as they work during the day." I, my kinsmen, my servants and my bodyguards never took off our clothes, and everyone who went to get water took his weapon.

But when Sanvalat, Toviyah, the Arabs, the ‘Amonim and the Ashdodim heard that the repairs on the walls of Yerushalayim were going forward, and the breaks were being filled in, they became very angry. All of them together plotted to come and fight against Yerushalayim and thus throw us into confusion. However, we prayed to our God and, because of them, organized a watch against them day and night. Y'hudah was saying, "The strength of the people who carry loads away is starting to fail, and there is so much rubble that we can't build the wall." Our enemies were saying, "They won't know or see anything, until we have already infiltrated them and begun killing them and stopping the work." And even the Judeans living near them came and must have said to us ten times, "From every place you must come back to us." So in the lower parts of the space behind the wall, I stationed men according to their families, with their swords, spears and bows. After inspecting them, I stood up and addressed the nobles, leaders and the rest of the people: "Don't be afraid of them! Remember Adonai, who is great and fearful; and fight for your brothers, sons, daughters, wives and homes." When our enemies heard that the plot was known to us, and God had foiled their plans, we all returned to the wall, everyone to his work. From then on, half of my men would do the work; and half of them held the spears, shields, bows and armor; while the leaders stood guard behind the entire house of Y'hudah, as they continued building the wall. Those who carried loads held their loads with one hand and carried a weapon in the other. As for the construction-workers, each one had his sword sheathed at his side; that is how they built. The man to sound the alarm on the shofar stayed with me. I said to the nobles, the leaders and the rest of the people, "This is a great work, and it is spread out; we are separated on the wall, one far from another. But wherever you are, when you hear the sound of the shofar, come to that place, to us. Our God will fight for us!" So we kept doing the work. Half of them held spears from daybreak until the stars appeared. Also at that time I told the people, "Let everyone with a servant stay the night within Yerushalayim, so that at night they can be a guard for us, even as they work during the day." I, my kinsmen, my servants and my bodyguards never took off our clothes, and everyone who went to get water took his weapon.

But when Sanvalat, Toviyah, the Arabs, the ‘Amonim and the Ashdodim heard that the repairs on the walls of Yerushalayim were going forward, and the breaks were being filled in, they became very angry. All of them together plotted to come and fight against Yerushalayim and thus throw us into confusion. However, we prayed to our God and, because of them, organized a watch against them day and night. Y'hudah was saying, "The strength of the people who carry loads away is starting to fail, and there is so much rubble that we can't build the wall." Our enemies were saying, "They won't know or see anything, until we have already infiltrated them and begun killing them and stopping the work." And even the Judeans living near them came and must have said to us ten times, "From every place you must come back to us." So in the lower parts of the space behind the wall, I stationed men according to their families, with their swords, spears and bows. After inspecting them, I stood up and addressed the nobles, leaders and the rest of the people: "Don't be afraid of them! Remember Adonai, who is great and fearful; and fight for your brothers, sons, daughters, wives and homes." When our enemies heard that the plot was known to us, and God had foiled their plans, we all returned to the wall, everyone to his work. From then on, half of my men would do the work; and half of them held the spears, shields, bows and armor; while the leaders stood guard behind the entire house of Y'hudah, as they continued building the wall. Those who carried loads held their loads with one hand and carried a weapon in the other. As for the construction-workers, each one had his sword sheathed at his side; that is how they built. The man to sound the alarm on the shofar stayed with me. I said to the nobles, the leaders and the rest of the people, "This is a great work, and it is spread out; we are separated on the wall, one far from another. But wherever you are, when you hear the sound of the shofar, come to that place, to us. Our God will fight for us!" So we kept doing the work. Half of them held spears from daybreak until the stars appeared. Also at that time I told the people, "Let everyone with a servant stay the night within Yerushalayim, so that at night they can be a guard for us, even as they work during the day." I, my kinsmen, my servants and my bodyguards never took off our clothes, and everyone who went to get water took his weapon.

But when Sanvalat, Toviyah, the Arabs, the ‘Amonim and the Ashdodim heard that the repairs on the walls of Yerushalayim were going forward, and the breaks were being filled in, they became very angry. All of them together plotted to come and fight against Yerushalayim and thus throw us into confusion. However, we prayed to our God and, because of them, organized a watch against them day and night. Y'hudah was saying, "The strength of the people who carry loads away is starting to fail, and there is so much rubble that we can't build the wall." Our enemies were saying, "They won't know or see anything, until we have already infiltrated them and begun killing them and stopping the work." And even the Judeans living near them came and must have said to us ten times, "From every place you must come back to us." So in the lower parts of the space behind the wall, I stationed men according to their families, with their swords, spears and bows. After inspecting them, I stood up and addressed the nobles, leaders and the rest of the people: "Don't be afraid of them! Remember Adonai, who is great and fearful; and fight for your brothers, sons, daughters, wives and homes." When our enemies heard that the plot was known to us, and God had foiled their plans, we all returned to the wall, everyone to his work. From then on, half of my men would do the work; and half of them held the spears, shields, bows and armor; while the leaders stood guard behind the entire house of Y'hudah, as they continued building the wall. Those who carried loads held their loads with one hand and carried a weapon in the other. As for the construction-workers, each one had his sword sheathed at his side; that is how they built. The man to sound the alarm on the shofar stayed with me. I said to the nobles, the leaders and the rest of the people, "This is a great work, and it is spread out; we are separated on the wall, one far from another. But wherever you are, when you hear the sound of the shofar, come to that place, to us. Our God will fight for us!" So we kept doing the work. Half of them held spears from daybreak until the stars appeared. Also at that time I told the people, "Let everyone with a servant stay the night within Yerushalayim, so that at night they can be a guard for us, even as they work during the day." I, my kinsmen, my servants and my bodyguards never took off our clothes, and everyone who went to get water took his weapon.

But when Sanvalat, Toviyah, the Arabs, the ‘Amonim and the Ashdodim heard that the repairs on the walls of Yerushalayim were going forward, and the breaks were being filled in, they became very angry. All of them together plotted to come and fight against Yerushalayim and thus throw us into confusion. However, we prayed to our God and, because of them, organized a watch against them day and night. Y'hudah was saying, "The strength of the people who carry loads away is starting to fail, and there is so much rubble that we can't build the wall." Our enemies were saying, "They won't know or see anything, until we have already infiltrated them and begun killing them and stopping the work." And even the Judeans living near them came and must have said to us ten times, "From every place you must come back to us." So in the lower parts of the space behind the wall, I stationed men according to their families, with their swords, spears and bows. After inspecting them, I stood up and addressed the nobles, leaders and the rest of the people: "Don't be afraid of them! Remember Adonai, who is great and fearful; and fight for your brothers, sons, daughters, wives and homes." When our enemies heard that the plot was known to us, and God had foiled their plans, we all returned to the wall, everyone to his work. From then on, half of my men would do the work; and half of them held the spears, shields, bows and armor; while the leaders stood guard behind the entire house of Y'hudah, as they continued building the wall. Those who carried loads held their loads with one hand and carried a weapon in the other. As for the construction-workers, each one had his sword sheathed at his side; that is how they built. The man to sound the alarm on the shofar stayed with me. I said to the nobles, the leaders and the rest of the people, "This is a great work, and it is spread out; we are separated on the wall, one far from another. But wherever you are, when you hear the sound of the shofar, come to that place, to us. Our God will fight for us!" So we kept doing the work. Half of them held spears from daybreak until the stars appeared. Also at that time I told the people, "Let everyone with a servant stay the night within Yerushalayim, so that at night they can be a guard for us, even as they work during the day." I, my kinsmen, my servants and my bodyguards never took off our clothes, and everyone who went to get water took his weapon.

‘Ezra opened the scroll where all the people could see him, because he was higher than all the people; when he opened it, all the people rose to their feet.

During all this time I wasn't present in Yerushalayim; because in the thirty-second year of Artach'shashta king of Bavel, I went to see the king; then, after some time had passed, I asked permission from the king

So when the gates of Yerushalayim began to grow dark before Shabbat, I ordered that the doors be shut; and I ordered that they not be reopened until after Shabbat. I put some of my servants in charge of the gates, to see to it that no loads be brought in on Shabbat.

Then, when the girl went to see the king, whatever she wanted would be given to her as she went from the harem's house to the king's palace.

In a rage, the king got up from the wine banquet and went out to the palace garden. But Haman remained, pleading with Ester the queen to spare his life; for he could see that the king had decided to do him in.

For how can I bear to see the disaster that will overcome my people? How can I endure seeing the extermination of my kinsmen?"

may the stars of its twilight be dark, may it look for light but get none, may it never see the shimmer of dawn —