¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, ^(A)“Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; ^(B)eat, drink, and be merry.” ’

¹⁹ and so it may not happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall have peace, even though I ^[a]follow the ^(A)dictates of my heart’—^(B)as though the drunkard could be included with the sober.

³ And I saw one of his heads ^(A)as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And ^(B)all the world marveled and followed the beast. ⁴ So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, ^(C)“Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

Herod’s Violent Death

²⁰ Now Herod had been very angry with the people of ^(A)Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus ^[a]the king’s personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because ^(B)their country was ^[b]supplied with food by the king’s country.

²¹ So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. ²² And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!”

² And all the king’s servants who were ^(A)within the king’s gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai ^(B)would not bow or pay homage.

⁶ And thus you shall say to him who lives in prosperity: ^(A)‘Peace be to you, peace to your house, and peace to all that you have!