Since my youth they have often attacked me— let Israel say—

以色列当说：“从我幼年以来，敌人屡次苦害我，

说吧，以色列：“从我幼年以来，人屡次苦害我；

说吧，以色列：“从我幼年以来，人屡次苦害我；

以色列要说：我从小就深受仇敌的迫害，

愿以色列说：“从我幼年以来，敌人就多次苦害我。（本节在《马索拉文本》包括细字标题）

愿以色列说：“从我年幼以来，他们就多次苦害我——

以色列當說：從我幼年以來，敵人屢次苦害我，

說吧，以色列：「從我幼年以來，人屢次苦害我；

說吧，以色列：「從我幼年以來，人屢次苦害我；

以色列要說：我從小就深受仇敵的迫害，

願以色列說：“從我幼年以來，敵人就多次苦害我。（本節在《馬索拉文本》包括細字標題）

讓以色列說：『從我幼年以來敵人就大大苦害我。

願以色列說：「從我年幼以來，他們就多次苦害我——

以色列當曰、自我幼年、人屢苦我兮、

以色列族當曰、余自肇基以來、屢遭困苦兮、

以色列民當曰、從我幼時、敵人屢攻擊我、

嗟我義塞族。自幼多顚沛。

“ They have greatly oppressed me from my youth,” let Israel say;

Here is what Israel should say.“ My enemies have treated me badly ever since I was a young nation.

“ Greatly have they afflicted me from my youth”— let Israel now say—

From my earliest youth my enemies have persecuted me. Let all Israel repeat this:

“ Many times they have attacked me from my youth up,” Let Israel say,

“ Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth,” Let Israel now say—

Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth up, Let Israel now say,

Since my youth they have often attacked me— let Israel say—

Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth, may Israel now say:

“ Since my youth they have often attacked me,” let Israel say.

Many times they have afflicted me from my youth up. Let Israel now say,

If the LORD had not been on our side— let Israel say—

There I will give her vineyards back to her and make the Valley of Achor into a gateway of hope. There she will respond as she did in the days of her youth, as in the day she came out of the land of Egypt.

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

“ Go and announce directly to Jerusalem that this is what the LORD says: I remember the loyalty of your youth, your love as a bride— how you followed me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.

In my distress I called to the LORD, and he answered me.

Judah has gone into exile following affliction and harsh slavery; she lives among the nations but finds no place to rest. All her pursuers have overtaken her in narrow places.

Whenever the Israelites went out, the LORD was against them and brought disaster on them, just as he had promised and sworn to them. So they suffered greatly.

I spoke to you when you were secure. You said,“ I will not listen.” This has been your way since youth; indeed, you have never listened to me.

They shattered and crushed the Israelites that year, and for eighteen years they did the same to all the Israelites who were on the other side of the Jordan in the land of the Amorites in Gilead.The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim. Israel was greatly oppressed,so they cried out to the LORD, saying,“ We have sinned against you. We have abandoned our God and worshiped the Baals.”The LORD said to the Israelites,“ When the Egyptians, Amorites, Ammonites, Philistines,Sidonians, Amalekites, and Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, did I not deliver you from them?

I rejoiced with those who said to me,“ Let’s go to the house of the LORD.”

No blacksmith could be found in all the land of Israel because the Philistines had said,“ Otherwise, the Hebrews will make swords or spears.”

So take your stand with your spells and your many sorceries, which you have wearied yourself with from your youth. Perhaps you will be able to succeed; perhaps you will inspire terror!

When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the returned exiles were building a temple for the LORD, the God of Israel,they approached Zerubbabel and the family heads and said to them,“ Let us build with you, for we also worship your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time King Esar-haddon of Assyria brought us here.”But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the other heads of Israel’s families answered them,“ You may have no part with us in building a house for our God, since we alone will build it for the LORD, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.”Then the people who were already in the land discouraged the people of Judah and made them afraid to build.They also bribed officials to act against them to frustrate their plans throughout the reign of King Cyrus of Persia and until the reign of King Darius of Persia.At the beginning of the reign of Ahasuerus, the people who were already in the land wrote an accusation against the residents of Judah and Jerusalem.During the time of King Artaxerxes of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his colleagues wrote to King Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic and translated.Rehum the chief deputy and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter to King Artaxerxes concerning Jerusalem as follows:From Rehum the chief deputy, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues— the judges and magistrates from Tripolis, Persia, Erech, Babylon, Susa( that is, the people of Elam),and the rest of the peoples whom the great and illustrious Ashurbanipal deported and settled in the cities of Samaria and the region west of the Euphrates River.This is the text of the letter they sent to him: To King Artaxerxes from your servants, the men from the region west of the Euphrates River:Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came from you have returned to us at Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and evil city, finishing its walls, and repairing its foundations.Let it now be known to the king that if that city is rebuilt and its walls are finished, they will not pay tribute, duty, or land tax, and the royal revenue will suffer.Since we have taken an oath of loyalty to the king, and it is not right for us to witness his dishonor, we have sent to inform the kingthat a search should be made in your predecessors’ record books. In these record books you will discover and verify that the city is a rebellious city, harmful to kings and provinces. There have been revolts in it since ancient times. That is why this city was destroyed.We advise the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are finished, you will not have any possession west of the Euphrates.The king sent a reply to his chief deputy Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their colleagues living in Samaria and elsewhere in the region west of the Euphrates River: Greetings.The letter you sent us has been translated and read in my presence.I issued a decree and a search was conducted. It was discovered that this city has had uprisings against kings since ancient times, and there have been rebellions and revolts in it.Powerful kings have also ruled over Jerusalem and exercised authority over the whole region west of the Euphrates River, and tribute, duty, and land tax were paid to them.Therefore, issue an order for these men to stop, so that this city will not be rebuilt until a further decree has been pronounced by me.See that you not neglect this matter. Otherwise, the damage will increase and the royal interests will suffer.As soon as the text of King Artaxerxes’s letter was read to Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their colleagues, they immediately went to the Jews in Jerusalem and forcibly stopped them.

I lift my eyes to you, the one enthroned in heaven.

Unless the LORD builds a house, its builders labor over it in vain; unless the LORD watches over a city, the watchman stays alert in vain.

Pharaoh then commanded all his people,“ You must throw every son born to the Hebrews into the Nile, but let every daughter live.”

But the more they oppressed them, the more they multiplied and spread so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites.They worked the Israelites ruthlesslyand made their lives bitter with difficult labor in brick and mortar and in all kinds of fieldwork. They ruthlessly imposed all this work on them.

When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.

The LORD’s anger burned against Israel, and he sold them to King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim, and the Israelites served him eight years.

From my youth, I have been suffering and near death. I suffer your horrors; I am desperate.

Those who trust in the LORD are like Mount Zion. It cannot be shaken; it remains forever.

“ Don’t continue to supply the people with straw for making bricks, as before. They must go and gather straw for themselves.But require the same quota of bricks from them as they were making before; do not reduce it. For they are slackers— that is why they are crying out,‘ Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’Impose heavier work on the men. Then they will be occupied with it and not pay attention to deceptive words.”So the overseers and foremen of the people went out and said to them,“ This is what Pharaoh says:‘ I am not giving you straw.Go get straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but there will be no reduction at all in your workload.’”So the people scattered throughout the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.The overseers insisted,“ Finish your assigned work each day, just as you did when straw was provided.”Then the Israelite foremen, whom Pharaoh’s slave drivers had set over the people, were beaten and asked,“ Why haven’t you finished making your prescribed number of bricks yesterday or today, as you did before?”So the Israelite foremen went in and cried for help to Pharaoh:“ Why are you treating your servants this way?No straw has been given to your servants, yet they say to us,‘ Make bricks!’ Look, your servants are being beaten, but it is your own people who are at fault.”But he said,“ You are slackers. Slackers! That is why you are saying,‘ Let us go sacrifice to the LORD.’Now get to work. No straw will be given to you, but you must produce the same quantity of bricks.”The Israelite foremen saw that they were in trouble when they were told,“ You cannot reduce your daily quota of bricks.”

I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from?

How happy is everyone who fears the LORD, who walks in his ways!

who acted like prostitutes in Egypt, behaving promiscuously in their youth. Their breasts were fondled there, and their virgin nipples caressed.