Have I feared the crowd or the contempt of the masses, so that I kept quiet and stayed indoors?

因惧怕大众，又因宗族藐视我使我惊恐，以致闭口无言，杜门不出；

我若因大大惧怕众人，又因宗族的藐视而恐惧，以致我缄默不言，闭门不出；

我若因大大惧怕众人，又因宗族的藐视而恐惧，以致我缄默不言，闭门不出；

因惧怕群众，被族人藐视，就默不作声、不敢出门？

因为我惧怕群众，宗族的藐视又使我惊恐，以致我静默不言，足不出门。

因懼怕大眾，又因宗族藐視我使我驚恐，以致閉口無言，杜門不出；

我若因大大懼怕眾人，又因宗族的藐視而恐懼，以致我緘默不言，閉門不出；

我若因大大懼怕眾人，又因宗族的藐視而恐懼，以致我緘默不言，閉門不出；

因懼怕群眾，被族人藐視，就默不作聲、不敢出門？

因為我懼怕群眾，宗族的藐視又使我驚恐，以致我靜默不言，足不出門。

因懼怕蜂擁的眾人，又因宗族的藐視驚嚇我，以致我靜止不動，閉門不出；

因畏大眾、懼宗族之藐視、以致緘口、杜門不出、

如我若此、則必戰慄於眾前、為戚族所藐視、緘口無詞、杜門不出。

如我有此、自思大眾必驚恐我、宗族必藐視我、凌辱我、使我蒙羞緘口、不敢出門、

because I so feared the crowd and so dreaded the contempt of the clans that I kept silent and would not go outside—

I was never afraid of the crowd. I never worried that my relatives might hate me. I didn’t have to keep quiet or stay inside.

because I stood in great fear of the multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and did not go out of doors—

because I greatly feared the crowds and because the contempt of the clans terrified me, so I grew silent and would not go outside?

Because I feared the great multitude And the contempt of families terrified me, And I kept silent and did not go out of doors?

Because I feared the great multitude, And dreaded the contempt of families, So that I kept silence And did not go out of the door—

Because I feared the great multitude, And the contempt of families terrified me, So that I kept silence, and went not out of the door—

because I greatly feared the crowds, and the contempt of the clans terrified me, so I grew silent and would not go outside?

Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence,[ and] went not out of the door?

because I was terrified of the great multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I remained silent and would not go outdoors–

because I feared the great multitude, and the contempt of families terrified me, so that I kept silence, and didn’t go out of the door—

“ You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong. When you are called to testify in a dispute, do not be swayed by the crowd to twist justice.

So King Zedekiah secretly promised him,“ As surely as the Lord our Creator lives, I will not kill you or hand you over to the men who want you dead.”

You trample the poor, stealing their grain through taxes and unfair rent. Therefore, though you build beautiful stone houses, you will never live in them. Though you plant lush vineyards, you will never drink wine from them.For I know the vast number of your sins and the depth of your rebellions. You oppress good people by taking bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts.So those who are smart keep their mouths shut, for it is an evil time.

One of the sons of Joiada son of Eliashib the high priest had married a daughter of Sanballat the Horonite, so I banished him from my presence.

You probably think the land belongs to the powerful and only the privileged have a right to it!

Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death.So the governor asked again,“ Which of these two do you want me to release to you?” The crowd shouted back,“ Barabbas!”Pilate responded,“ Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” They shouted back,“ Crucify him!”“ Why?” Pilate demanded.“ What crime has he committed?” But the mob roared even louder,“ Crucify him!”Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying,“ I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”And all the people yelled back,“ We will take responsibility for his death— we and our children!”So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.

So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!

So these officials went to the king and said,“ Sir, this man must die! That kind of talk will undermine the morale of the few fighting men we have left, as well as that of all the people. This man is a traitor!”King Zedekiah agreed.“ All right,” he said.“ Do as you like. I can’t stop you.”

Moses told them,“ This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Each of you, take your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other. Kill everyone— even your brothers, friends, and neighbors.”

Before this had happened, Eliashib the priest, who had been appointed as supervisor of the storerooms of the Temple of our God and who was also a relative of Tobiah,had converted a large storage room and placed it at Tobiah’s disposal. The room had previously been used for storing the grain offerings, the frankincense, various articles for the Temple, and the tithes of grain, new wine, and olive oil( which were prescribed for the Levites, the singers, and the gatekeepers), as well as the offerings for the priests.I was not in Jerusalem at that time, for I had returned to King Artaxerxes of Babylon in the thirty second year of his reign, though I later asked his permission to return.When I arrived back in Jerusalem, I learned about Eliashib’s evil deed in providing Tobiah with a room in the courtyards of the Temple of God.I became very upset and threw all of Tobiah’s belongings out of the room.

“ But I am afraid to surrender,” the king said,“ for the Babylonians may hand me over to the Judeans who have defected to them. And who knows what they will do to me!”

Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety.

“ All the king’s officials and even the people in the provinces know that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being invited is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter. And the king has not called for me to come to him for thirty days.”

He doesn’t care how great a person may be, and he pays no more attention to the rich than to the poor. He made them all.

Both their hands are equally skilled at doing evil! Officials and judges alike demand bribes. The people with influence get what they want, and together they scheme to twist justice.

After thinking it over, I spoke out against these nobles and officials. I told them,“ You are hurting your own relatives by charging interest when they borrow money!” Then I called a public meeting to deal with the problem.

The Israelite man killed with the Midianite woman was named Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a family from the tribe of Simeon.The woman’s name was Cozbi; she was the daughter of Zur, the leader of a Midianite clan.

Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die; save them as they stagger to their death.Don’t excuse yourself by saying,“ Look, we didn’t know.” For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve.

If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?”