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because they did not supply the people of Isra'el with food and water, but hired Bil‘am against them to put a curse on them — although our God turned the curse into a blessing.

Also, prior to this, Elyashiv the cohen, who had been put in charge of the storage rooms in the house of our God, and who was related by marriage to Toviyah,

and returned to Yerushalayim, where I found out about the terrible thing Elyashiv had done for Toviyah by preparing a room for him in the courtyards of the house of our God.

Then, at my order, they cleansed the rooms; and I brought back the equipment of the house of God, the grain offerings and frankincense.

I disputed with the leaders, demanding, "Why is the house of God abandoned?" I gathered the L'vi'im together and restored them to their stations;

My God, remember me for this; don't wipe out my good deeds which I have done for the house of my God and for his service!

Didn't your ancestors do this, and didn't our God bring all this disaster on us and on this city? Yet you are bringing still more fury against Isra'el by profaning Shabbat!"

Then I ordered the L'vi'im to purify themselves and come and guard the gates, in order to keep the day of Shabbat holy. My God, remember this too for me, and have mercy on me in keeping with the greatness of your grace!

I disputed with them and cursed them, and I beat some of them up and pulled out their hair. Then I made them swear by God, "You will not give your daughters as wives for their sons or take their daughters as wives for your sons or for yourselves.

Wasn't it by doing these things that Shlomo king of Isra'el sinned? There was no king like him among many nations, and his God loved him, and God made him king over all Isra'el; nevertheless the foreign women caused even him to sin.

Are we to give in to you and let you continue in this very great evil, breaking faith with our God by marrying foreign women?"

My God, remember them; because they have defiled the office of cohen and the covenant of the cohanim and L'vi'im.

I also made provision for the delivery of wood at stated times, and for the firstfruits. My God, remember me favorably.

There was a man in the land of ‘Utz whose name was Iyov. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil.

After a cycle of banquets, Iyov would send for them to come and be consecrated; then he would get up early in the morning and offer burnt offerings for each of them, because Iyov said, "My sons might have sinned and blasphemed God in their thoughts." This is what Iyov did every time.

It happened one day that the sons of God came to serve Adonai , and among them came the Adversary .

Adonai asked the Adversary, "Did you notice my servant Iyov, that there's no one like him on earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil?"

The Adversary answered Adonai , "Is it for nothing that Iyov fears God?

While he was still speaking, another one came and said, "Fire from God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants; it completely destroyed them, and I'm the only one who escaped to tell you."

In all this Iyov neither committed a sin nor put blame on God.