But he had a friend, a very shrewd man named Jonadab, the son of David's brother Shammah.

Jonadab said to him, "Pretend that you are sick and go to bed. When your father comes to see you, say to him, 'Please ask my sister Tamar to come and feed me. I want her to fix the food here where I can see her, and then serve it to me herself.' "

"Well, are you the king or aren't you?" Jezebel replied. "Get out of bed, cheer up, and eat. I will get you Naboth's vineyard!"

(There was no one else who had devoted himself so completely to doing wrong in the LORD's sight as Ahab---all at the urging of his wife Jezebel.

(SEE 22:2)

He sinned against the LORD, because after his father's death other members of King Ahab's family became his advisers, and they led to his downfall.

So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him, but she could not because of Herod.

Finally Herodias got her chance. It was on Herod's birthday, when he gave a feast for all the top government officials, the military chiefs, and the leading citizens of Galilee.

With many vows he said to her, "I swear that I will give you anything you ask for, even as much as half my kingdom!"

Then one of them, who was named Harbonah, said, "Haman even went so far as to build a gallows at his house so that he could hang Mordecai, who saved Your Majesty's life. And it's seventy-five feet tall!" "Hang Haman on it!" the king commanded.

So Haman told the king, "There is a certain race of people scattered all over your empire and found in every province. They observe customs that are not like those of any other people. Moreover, they do not obey the laws of the empire, so it is not in your best interests to tolerate them.

The king took off his ring, which was used to stamp proclamations and make them official, and gave it to the enemy of the Jewish people, Haman son of Hammedatha, the descendant of Agag.

So on the thirteenth day of the first month Haman called the king's secretaries and dictated a proclamation to be translated into every language and system of writing used in the empire and to be sent to all the rulers, governors, and officials. It was issued in the name of King Xerxes and stamped with his ring.

The contents of the proclamation were to be made public in every province, so that everyone would be prepared when that day came.

"Are any of my officials in the palace?" the king asked. Now Haman had just entered the courtyard; he had come to ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on the gallows that was now ready.

At the king's command the decree was made public in the capital city of Susa, and runners carried the news to the provinces. The king and Haman sat down and had a drink while the city of Susa was being thrown into confusion.

"Well, are you the king or aren't you?" Jezebel replied. "Get out of bed, cheer up, and eat. I will get you Naboth's vineyard!"

How terrible it will be for you that stretch out on your luxurious couches, feasting on veal and lamb!

You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest perfumes, but you do not mourn over the ruin of Israel.

The people of the earth will be happy because of the death of these two. They will celebrate and send presents to each other, because those two prophets brought much suffering upon the whole human race.

Ahithophel answered, "Go and have intercourse with your father's concubines whom he left behind to take care of the palace. Then everyone in Israel will know that your father regards you as his enemy, and your followers will be greatly encouraged."

Any advice that Ahithophel gave in those days was accepted as though it were the very word of God; both David and Absalom followed it.

Not long after that, Ahithophel said to Absalom, "Let me choose twelve thousand men, and tonight I will set out after David.

and then bring back all his men to you, like a bride returning to her husband. You want to kill only one man; the rest of the people will be safe."

Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went off to the chief priests in order to betray Jesus to them.

They were pleased to hear what he had to say, and promised to give him money. So Judas started looking for a good chance to hand Jesus over to them.

Then they went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have taken a solemn vow together not to eat a thing until we have killed Paul.

Now then, you and the Council send word to the Roman commander to bring Paul down to you, pretending that you want to get more accurate information about him. But we will be ready to kill him before he ever gets here."

They know that God's law says that people who live in this way deserve death. Yet, not only do they continue to do these very things, but they even approve of others who do them.

So Haman was hanged on the gallows that he had built for Mordecai. Then the king's anger cooled down.

he takes up his deadly weapons and aims his burning arrows.

But in the traps they set for others, they themselves get caught.

The heathen have dug a pit and fallen in; they have been caught in their own trap.

The wicked draw their swords and bend their bows to kill the poor and needy, to slaughter those who do what is right;

Wicked people watch good people and try to kill them;

but people like that are setting a trap for themselves, a trap in which they will die.

Wicked people cannot sleep unless they have done something wrong. They lie awake unless they have hurt someone.

They are quick to hurt and kill;