²³ that I will accept nothing belonging to you,^(A) not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’

¹⁶ The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.^(A)

¹⁵ The Jews in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they put to death in Susa three hundred men, but they did not lay their hands on the plunder.^(A)

¹⁶ Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get relief^(B) from their enemies.^(C) They killed seventy-five thousand of them^(D) but did not lay their hands on the plunder.^(E)

⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money^(A) and be content with what you have,^(B) because God has said,

¹⁴ Now I am ready to visit you for the third time,^(A) and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents,^(B) but parents for their children.^(C)