Removed Scriptures
Although we must reject the 14 (or 15) Ecclesiastical Books (also called Apocrypha / Deuterocanonicals) as part of the biblical canon, to be printed in between the two covers of any Bible, or to be reproduced online or read in churches, there are 3 significant passages which had been erroneously classified as 'apocryphal'.
These compromise a total of 162 Bible verses, which consist of the passages in Daniel 3:24-90 with 65 missing verses, of Esther 1A, 3B, 4C, 5D, 8E, 10F with 90 missing Bible verses, and of Psalms A with 7 verses missing in most of our Bibles.
Daniel 3:24-90
The Book of Daniel lacks in our standard Bibles a major section with 65 verses.
In chapter 3, this implies verses 24-45 (Azariah's prayer), verses 46-50 (Firing of the oven and the Angel of KYRIOS) and verses 51-90 (Praise of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego).
Yet this missing passage is not apocryphal in nature nor does it constitute one of the 14 Ecclesiastical books. In contrast, both 'Bel and the Dragon' and 'Susanna' constitute separate short books which are not direct part of the narrative of the Book of Daniel, and are clearly apocryphal in nature.
The (Old) Greek Text of Daniel 3:24-90 as it appears in the Consolidated Bible:
The English translation based on the NETS Bible (text marked in green is missing in Masoretic texts; divine titles reset to the original):
Dan 3:21 "Then these men were tied with their sandals on and their hats on their heads in their clothing, and they were thrown into the furnace of fire. 22Because the king's command was insistent, the furnace was also heated sevenfold more than before, and the men who had been selected, after they had tied and brought them to the furnace, threw them into it. 23Then the flame coming out from the furnace burned and killed the men who tied those with Azarias, but they were preserved.
[Initial Praise of All Four Men in the Fire, Introduction to Azariah's Prayer, Verses 24 - 25]
24So, therefore, Hananias and Azarias and Misael prayed and sang hymns to KYRIOS, when the king ordered them to be thrown into the furnace. 25Then Azarias stood and prayed in this way. And he opened his mouth, and he acknowledged KYRIOS together with his companions in the middle of the fire, while the furnace was being heated exceedingly by the Chaldeans, and he said:
[Azariah's Prayer, Verses 26 - 45]
26Blessed are you, O KYRIOS, THEOS of our ancestors, and praiseworthy and glorified is your name forever! 27 For you are just in all you have done for us, and all your works are genuine and your ways right, and all your judgments are genuine.
28And you have executed true judgments in all you have brought upon us and upon Ierousalem, your holy city of our ancestors, because in truth and judgment you have done all these things because of our sins. 29For we have sinned in everything and broken your law in turning away from you, and in all matters we have sinned grievously. 30And we have not heeded the commandments of your law, and we have not kept them or done as you have commanded us so that it might go well for us. 31And now all that you have brought upon us you have done by a true judgment.
32And you have handed us over into the power of our enemies, lawless and hateful rebels, and to an unjust king, the most wicked in the world. 33And now we cannot open our mouth: it has become a shame and a reproach for your slaves and those who worship you. 34For your name's sake do not give us up completely, and do not annul your covenant. 35And do not withdraw your mercy from us, for the sake of Abraam beloved by you and your slave Isaak and Israel your holy one, 36as you spoke to them saying:
Multiplied be their offspring like the stars of heaven and like the sand on the shore of the sea.
37For we, o MASTER, have become fewer than any other nation and are brought low this day in all the earth because of our sins. 38And in this time there is no ruler and prophet and leader, no whole burnt offering or sacrifice or oblation or incense, no place to make an offering before you and to find mercy.
39But rather with a broken life and a humbled spirit may we be accepted, 40as though it were with whole burnt offering of rams and bulls and with tens of thousands of fat lambs; thus let our sacrifice come before you today, because no shame will come to those who trust in you, and may it come to maturity behind you.
41And now with our whole heart we follow, and we fear you and seek your face. 42Do not put us to shame, but deal with us in your fairness and in your abundant mercy.
43And deliver us in accordance with your marvelous works, and bring glory to your name, o KYRIOS. 44And may all who display evil to your slaves also be put to shame, and may they be disgraced by all dominance and their strength be broken. 45Let them know that you alone are KYRIOS and glorious over the whole world.
[Interlude - Firing of the oven and the Angel of KYRIOS, Verses 46-50]
46And when they cast the three in all at once into the furnace, the furnace was red hot, sevenfold in its heat. And when they threw them in, those who threw them in were over them, and those below them kept on stoking from underneath with naptha and pitch and tow and brushwood. 47And the flame poured out above the furnace forty-nine cubits 48and flared out and burned those of the Chaldeans who were caught near the furnace.
49But an Angel of KYRIOS came down into the furnace to be with Azarias and his companions and shook the flame of the fire out of the furnace 50and made the inside of the furnace as if a moist breeze were whistling through. And the fire did not touch them at all and caused them no pain or distress.
51Now, the three resuming, as though from one mouth, were singing hymns and glorifying and blessing and exalting THEOS in the furnace, saying:
[Praise of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego), Verses 51-90]
52Blessed are you, o KYRIOS, THEOS of our ancestors, and to be praised and highly exalted forever. And blessed is your glorious holy name, and to be highly praised and highly exalted forever and ever.
53 54Blessed are you upon the throne of your kingdom, and to be greatly hymned and highly glorified forever. 55Blessed are you who view the depths sitting upon cheroubin, and to be praised and glorified forever. 56Blessed are you in the firmament, and to be hymned and glorified forever.
57Bless KYRIOS, all you works of KYRIOS; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 58Bless KYRIOS, you angels of KYRIOS; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 59Bless KYRIOS, you heavens; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 60Bless KYRIOS, all you waters above the heavens; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 61Bless KYRIOS, all you powers of KYRIOS; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever.
62Bless KYRIOS, sun and moon; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 63Bless KYRIOS, stars of heaven; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 64Bless KYRIOS, all rain and dew; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 65Bless KYRIOS, all you winds; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 66Bless KYRIOS, fire and heat; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 67Bless KYRIOS, chill and winter cold; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 68Bless KYRIOS, dews and falling snow; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 69Bless KYRIOS, ice and cold; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 70Bless KYRIOS, snows and hoarfrosts; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever.
71Bless KYRIOS, nights and days; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 72Bless KYRIOS, darkness and light; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 73Bless KYRIOS, lightnings and clouds; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever.
74Let the earth bless KYRIOS; let it sing hymns and highly exalt Him forever. 75Bless KYRIOS, mountains and hills; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 76Bless KYRIOS, all that grows in the ground; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever.
77Bless KYRIOS, rain storms and springs; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 78Bless KYRIOS, seas and rivers; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 79Bless KYRIOS, you sea-monsters and all that move in the waters; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 80Bless KYRIOS, all birds of the air; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 81Bless KYRIOS, four-footed and wild animals of the land; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever.
82Bless KYRIOS, all humans on earth; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 83Bless KYRIOS, o Israel; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever.
84Bless KYRIOS, you priests, slaves of KYRIOS; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 85 86Bless KYRIOS, spirits and righteous souls; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. 87Bless KYRIOS, you who are holy and humble in heart; sing hymns and highly exalt Him forever.
88Bless KYRIOS, Hananias, Azarias, Misael; sing hymns, and highly exalt Him forever. For He has rescued us from Hades and saved us from the hand of death and delivered us from the midst of the burning flame and released us from the fire. 89Acknowledge KYRIOS, for He is kind, for His mercy is forever.
90All who worship KYRIOS, bless the THEOS of theon; sing hymns, and acknowledge Him, for His mercy is forever and ever and ever.
[Bible Texts Coincide Once Again]
91(24) And it happened that when the king heard them singing hymns and when he stood, he saw them alive. Then Nabouchodonosor the king was astonished. And he rose quickly and said to his friends, 92(25)"Lo, I see four men unbound and walking in the fire, and no ruin has come to them, and the appearance of the fourth is the likeness of a divine angel."
What was the probable motivation behind this exclusion?
Anyone who has read those passages and who knows the basic history of the 70AD Fall of Jerusalem and the events leading to the (final) destruction of the physical Israel during the ~135AD Bar Kokhba revolt (also instigated through Rabbi Akiva, and wherein most of his disciples died),
will instantly understand that this praise and especially the initial prayer must have burned like a refiner's fire on Rabbi Akiva and Ben Halafta, because of the astounding parallelism between the first removal from Jerusalem described here, and their situation after the 70AD Fall of Jerusalem, were all Jews had been removed from Jerusalem and their major religious center was improvised in the city of Zippori.
Akiva could have chosen humility and repentance like Daniel and his friends, but he chose utter rebellion in both the spiritual and physical dimension, and went as far as to proclaim Bar Kokhba as the alternate messiah and thus empower the revolt substantially. 'Highly problematic' would a flattering adjective for Akiva and the disastrous 'fruits' he and his disciples produced and/or inspired, including heretical works such as the Midrash, Mishna (Oral Torah) and the Talmud as a whole. See also the separate discernment about Akiva.
Their Proto-Masoretic text manually redacted in Zippori had thus no authority to exclude those passages - certainly motivated by their personal dilemma.
It is surprising that such an obvious and primitive manipulation based on a personal dilemma has not been recognized earlier by scholars.
Instead we encounter more confusion, through the unnecessarily formalized title 'Prayer of Azariah' and a mystic-sounding 'Song of the Three Holy Children', which suggests to the reader two separate books and plainly ignores that both passages are connected within the very same chapter through the interlude of verses 46-50. There is no scholarship found here, but simply a cover-up and maximum confusion under the stubborn pretext that Scripture was never altered at any given moment.
If Scripture would have indeed never been attacked or altered during thousands of years, then this should rather give us food for thought.
Esther 1A, 3B, 4C, 5D, 8E, 10F
The Greek Text of Esther as it appears in the Consolidated Bible:
The English translation based on the Brenton Septuagint Translation (text marked in green is missing in Masoretic texts; divine titles reset to the original):
1In the second year of the reign of Artaxerxes the great king, on the first day of Nisan, Mardochæus the son of Jairus, the son of Semeias, the son of Cisæus, of the tribe of Benjamin, 1c a Jew dwelling in the city Susa, a great man, serving in the king's palace, saw a vision. 1c Now he was of the captivity which Nabuchodonosor king of Babylon had carried captive from Jerusalem, with Jechonias the king of Judea.
1d And this was his dream: Behold, voices and a noise, thunders and earthquake, tumult upon the earth. 1e And, behold, two great serpents came forth, both ready for conflict, and there came from them a great voice, 1f and by their voice every nation was prepared for battle, even to fight against the nation of the just. 1g And, behold, a day of darkness and blackness, tribulation and anguish, affliction and great tumult upon the earth. 1h And all the righteous nation was troubled, fearing their own afflictions; and they prepared to die, and cried to THEOS: 1i and from their cry there came as it were a great river from a little fountain, even much water. 1k And light and the sun arose, and the lowly were exalted, and devoured the honourable.
1l And Mardochæus who had seen this vision and what THEOS designed to do, having awoke, kept it in his heart, and desired by all means to interpret it, even till night. 1m And Mardochæus rested quiet in the palace with Gabatha and Tharrha the king's two chamberlains, eunuchs who guarded the palace. 1n And he heard their reasonings and searched out their plans, and learnt that they were preparing to lay hands on king Artaxerxes: and he informed the king concerning them. 1o And the king examined the two chamberlains, and they confessed, and were executed. 1p And the king wrote these things for a memorial; also Mardochæus wrote concerning these matters. 1q And the king commanded Mardochæus to attend in the palace, and gave him gifts for this service. 1r And Aman the son of Amadathes the Bugæan was honourable in the sight of the king, and he endeavoured to hurt Mardochæus and his people, because of the two chamberlains of the king.
1s And it came to pass after these things in the days of Artaxerxes, (this Artaxerxes ruled over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India) 2 in those days, when king Artaxerxes was on the throne in the city of Susa, 3 in the third year of his reign, he made a feast to his friends, and the other nations, and to the nobles of the Persians and Medes, and the chief of the satraps.
13 And the message was sent by posts throughout the kingdom of Artaxerxes, to destroy utterly the race of the Jews on the first day of the twelfth month, which is Adar, and to plunder their goods.
13a And the following is the copy of the letter; The great king Artaxerxes writes thus to the rulers and inferior governors of a hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India even to Ethiopia, who hold authority under him.
13b Ruling over many nations, and having obtained dominion over the whole world, I was minded, (not elated by the confidence of power, but ever conducting myself with great moderation and with gentleness,) to make the lives of my subjects continually tranquil, desiring both to maintain the kingdom quiet and orderly to its utmost limits, and to restore the peace desired by all men.
13c But when I had enquired of my counsellors how this should be brought to pass, Aman, who excels in soundness of judgment among us, and has been manifestly well inclined without wavering and with unshaken fidelity, and has obtained the second post in the kingdom, 13d informed us that a certain ill-disposed people is mixed up with all the tribes throughout the world, opposed in their laws to every other nation, and continually neglecting the commands of the kings, so that the united government blamelessly administered by us is not quietly established. 13e Having then conceived that this nation alone of all others is continually set in opposition to every man, introducing as a change a foreign code of laws, and injuriously plotting to accomplish the worst of evils against our interests, and against the happy establishment of the monarchy;
13f we have accordingly appointed those who are signified to you in the letters written by Aman, who is set over the public affairs and is our second governor, to destroy them all utterly with their wives and children by the swords of the enemies, without pitying or sparing any, on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month Adar, of the present year; 13g that the people aforetime and now ill-disposed to us having been violently consigned to death in one day, may hereafter secure to us continually a well constituted and quiet state of affairs.
14 And the copies of the letters were published in every province; and an order was given to all the nations to be ready against that day. 15 And the business was hastened, and that at Susa: and the king and Aman began to drink; but the city was troubled.
16 Go and assemble the Jews that are in Susa, and fast you for me, and eat not and drink not for three days, night and day: and I also and my maidens will fast; and then I will go in to the king contrary to the law, even if I must die. 17 So Mardochæus went and did all that Esther commanded him.
17a [And he besought KYRIOS, making mention of all the works of KYRIOS; and he said, 17b KYRIOS KYRIOS, King ruling over all, for all things are in your power, and there is no one that shall oppose you in your purpose to save Israel. - 17c For you have made the heaven and the earth, and every wonderful thing in the world under heaven. And you are KYRIOS of all, and there is no one who shall resist you KYRIOS. 17d You know all things: you know, KYRIOS, that it is not in insolence, nor haughtiness, nor love of glory, that I have done this, to refuse obeisance to the haughty Aman. For I would gladly have kissed the soles of his feet for the safety of Israel. 17e But I have done this, that I might not set the glory of man above the glory of THEOS: and I will not worship any one except you, my KYRIOS, and I will not do these things in haughtiness. 17f And now, O KYRIOS, the THEOS, the King, the THEOS of Abraam, spare your people, for our enemies are looking upon us to our destruction, and they have desired to destroy your ancient inheritance. 17g Do not overlook your peculiar people, whom you have redeemed for yourself out of the land of Egypt. 17h Hearken to my prayer, and be propitious to your inheritance, and turn our mourning into gladness, that we may live and sing praise to your name, O KYRIOS; and do not utterly destroy the mouth of them that praise you, O KYRIOS.
17i And all Israel cried with all their might, for their death was before their eyes.
17k And queen Esther betook herself for refuge to KYRIOS, being taken as it were in the agony of death. And having taken off her glorious apparel, she put on garments of distress and mourning; and instead of grand perfumes she filled her head with ashes and dung, and she greatly brought down her body, and she filled every place of her glad adorning with the torn curls of her hair. And she besought KYRIOS the THEOS of Israel, and said, 17l O my KYRIOS, you alone are our king: help me who am destitute, and have no helper but you, for my danger is near at hand. 17m I have heard from my birth, in the tribe of my kindred, that you, KYRIOS, took Israel out of all the nations, and our fathers out of all their kindred for a perpetual inheritance, and have wrought for them all that you have said. 17n And now we have sinned before you, and you have delivered us into the hands of our enemies, because we honoured their gods: you are righteous, O KYRIOS. 17o But now they have not been contented with the bitterness of our slavery, but have laid their hands on the hands of their idols, in order to abolish the decree of your mouth, and utterly to destroy your inheritance, and to stop the mouth of them that praise you, and to extinguish the glory of your house and your altar, 17p and to open the mouth of the Gentiles to speak the praises of vanities, and in order that a mortal king should be admired for ever.
17q O KYRIOS, do not resign your sceptre to them that are not, and let them not laugh at our fall, but turn their counsel against themselves, and make an example of him who has begun to injure us. 17r Remember us, O KYRIOS, manifest yourself in the time of our affliction, and encourage me, O King of gods, and ruler of all dominion. 17s Put harmonious speech into my mouth before the lion, and turn his heart to hate him that fights against us, to the utter destruction of him and of them that consent with him. 17t But deliver us by your hand, and help me who am destitute, and have none but you, O KYRIOS. 17u You know all things, and know that I hate the glory of transgressors, and that I abhor the couch of the uncircumcised, and of every stranger. 17w You know my necessity, for I abhor the symbol of my proud station, which is upon my head in the days of my splendour: I abhor it as a menstruous cloth, and I wear it not in the days of my tranquillity. 17x And your handmaid has not eaten at the table of Aman, and I have not honoured the banquet of the king, neither have I drunk wine of libations. 17y Neither has your handmaid rejoiced since the day of my promotion until now, except in you, O KYRIOS the THEOS of Abraam. 17z O THEOS, who has power over all, hearken to the voice of the desperate, and deliver us from the hand of them that devise mischief; and deliver me from my fear.
1 And it came to pass on the third day, when she had ceased praying, that she put off her mean dress, and put on her glorious apparel. 1a And being splendidly arrayed, and having called upon THEOS the Overseer and Preserver of all things, she took her two maids, and she leaned upon one, as a delicate female, and the other followed bearing her train. 1b And she was blooming in the perfection of her beauty; and her face was cheerful, as it were benevolent, but her heart was straitened for fear. 1c And having passed through all the doors, she stood before the king: and he was sitting upon his royal throne, and he had put on all his glorious apparel, covered all over with gold and precious stones, and was very terrible. 1d And having raised his face resplendent with glory, he looked with intense anger: and the queen fell, and changed her colour as she fainted; and she bowed herself upon the head of the maid that went before her. 1e But THEOS changed the spirit of the king to gentleness, and in intense feeling he sprang from off his throne, and took her into his arms, until she recovered: and he comforted her with peaceable words, and said to her, 1f What is the matter, Esther? I am your brother; be of good cheer, you shall not die, for our command is openly declared to you, draw near.
2 And having raised the golden sceptre he laid it upon her neck, and embraced her, and said: Speak to me. 2a And she said to him: I saw you, my master, like an angel of THEOS, and my heart was troubled for fear of your glory; for you, my master, are to be wondered at, and your face is full of grace. 2b And while she was speaking, she fainted and fell. Then the king was troubled, and all his servants comforted her.
3 And the king said: What do you want, Esther? And what is your request? Ask even to the half of my kingdom, and it shall be yours. 4 And Esther said: To-day is my great day: if then it seem good to the king, let both him and Aman come to the feast which I will prepare this day. 5 And the king said: Hasten Aman here, that we may perform the word of Esther. So they both come to the feast of which Esther had spoken.
And they were written by order of the king, and sealed with his ring, and they sent the letters by the posts: 11 wherein he charged them to use their own laws in every city, and to help each other, and to treat their adversaries, and those who attacked them, as they pleased, 12 on one day in all the kingdom of Artaxerxes, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is Adar.
12a And the following is the copy of the letter of the orders.
12b The great king Artaxerxes sends greeting to the rulers of provinces in a hundred and twenty-seven satrapies, from India to Ethiopia, even to those who are faithful to our interests.
12c Many who have been frequently honoured by the most abundant kindness of their benefactors have conceived ambitious designs, and not only endeavour to hurt our subjects, but moreover, not being able to bear prosperity, they also endeavour to plot against their own benefactors. 12d And they not only would utterly abolish gratitude from among men, but also, elated by the boastings of men who are strangers to all that is good, they suppose that they shall escape the sin-hating vengeance of the ever-seeing THEOS. 12e And oftentimes evil exhortation has made partakers of the guilt of shedding innocent blood, and has involved in irremediable calamities, many of those who were appointed to offices of authority, who had been entrusted with the management of their friends' affairs; 12f while men, by the false sophistry of an evil disposition, have deceived the simple candour of the ruling powers.
12g And it is possible to see this, not so much from more ancient traditionary accounts, as it is immediately in your power to see it by examining what things have been wickedly perpetrated by the baseness of men unworthily holding power. 12h And it is right to take heed with regard to the future, that we may maintain the government in undisturbed peace for all men, 12i adopting needful changes, and ever judging those cases which come under our notice, with truly equitable decision.
12k For whereas Aman, a Macedonian, the son of Amadathes, in reality an alien from the blood of the Persians, and differing widely from our mild course of government, having been hospitably entertained by us, 12l obtained so large a share of our universal kindness, as to be called our father, and to continue the person next to the royal throne, reverenced of all; 12m he, however, overcome by the pride of his station, endeavoured to deprive us of our dominion, and our life; 12n having by various and subtle artifices demanded for destruction both Mardochæus our deliverer and perpetual benefactor, and Esther the blameless consort of our kingdom, with their whole nation. 12o For by these methods he thought, having surprised us in a defenceless state, to transfer the dominion of the Persians to the Macedonians.
12p But we find that the Jews, who have been consigned to destruction by the most abominable of men, are not malefactors, but living according to the justest laws, 12q and being the sons of the living THEOS, the most high and mighty, who maintains the kingdom, to us as well as to our forefathers, in the most excellent order.
12r You will therefore do well in refusing to obey the letters sent by Aman the son of Amadathes, because he that has done these things, has been hanged with his whole family at the gates of Susa, Almighty THEOS having swiftly returned to him a worthy recompence. 12s We enjoin you then, having openly published a copy of this letter in every place, to give the Jews permission to use their own lawful customs, and to strengthen them, that on the thirteenth of the twelfth month Adar, on the self-same day, they may defend themselves against those who attacked them in a time of affliction. 12t For in the place of the destruction of the chosen race, Almighty THEOS has granted them this time of gladness.
12u Do you therefore also, among your notable feasts, keep a distinct day with all festivity, that both now and hereafter it may be a day of deliverance to us and those who are well disposed toward the Persians, but to those that plotted against us a memorial of destruction. 12x And every city and province collectively, which shall not do accordingly, shall be consumed with vengeance by spear and fire: it shall be made not only inaccessible to men, but also most hateful to wild beasts and birds for ever.
13 And let the copies be posted in conspicuous places throughout the kingdom, and let all the Jews be ready against this day, to fight against their enemies.
1 And the king levied a tax upon his kingdom both by land and sea. 2 And as for his strength and valour, and the wealth and glory of his kingdom, behold, they are written in the book of the Persians and Medes, for a memorial. 3 And Mardochæus was viceroy to king Artaxerxes, and was a great man in the kingdom, and honoured by the Jews, and passed his life beloved of all his nation.
3a And Mardochæus said, These things have been done of THEOS. 3b For I remember the dream which I had concerning these matters: for not one particular of them has failed. 3c There was the little fountain, which became a river, and there was light, and the sun, and much water. The river is Esther, whom the king married, and made queen. 3d And the two serpents are I and Aman. 3e And the nations are those nations that combined to destroy the name of the Jews. 3f But as for my nation, this is Israel, even they that cried to THEOS, and were delivered: for KYRIOS delivered His people, and KYRIOS rescued us out of all these calamities; and THEOS wrought such signs and great wonders as have not been done among the nations. 3g Therefore did he ordain two lots, one for the people of THEOS, and one for all the other nations. 3h And these two lots came for an appointed season, and for a day of judgment, before THEOS, and for all the nations. 3i And THEOS remembered His people, and vindicated His inheritance.
3k And they shall observe these days, in the month Adar, on the fourteenth and on the fifteenth day of the month, with an assembly, and joy and gladness before THEOS, throughout the generations for ever among His people Israel.
3l In the fourth year of the reign of Ptolemy and Cleopatra, Dositheus, who said that he was a priest and a Levite, and Ptolemy his son, brought in the published letter of Phruræ, which they said existed, and which Lysimachus the son of Ptolemy, who was in Jerusalem, had interpreted.
Those sections A-F do not constitute separate books, and have been erroneously considered Apocrypha. See below a detailed analysis of the motives and substantial manipulations of the Book of Esther, in which at least 44 direct references to KYRIOS / THEOS were omitted. Had Jerome, secretary to the Pope of Rome, in ~405 AD not single-handedly (re-) moved those 107 verses from the Book of Esther into a separate section, and had his employer not declared them 'Apocrypha' (in 1546 AD at their 'Council of Trent'), most of us would not even know the shorter version most commonly used today.
Specific Manipulations of the Book of Esther
1.
The name of KYRIOS appears 23 times, and the name of THEOS appears 21 times in the book of Esther (see the above slides where the divine name is marked in bold letters), mostly in the 6 major section (A-F) which do not appear in the Masoretic text, apart from the 3 following references which had been filtered out from the remaining text. The ancient and still prevalent legend, that the book of Esther does not contain any mention of the name of KYRIOS and / or THEOS, is therefore highly misleading and simply ridiculous. It is very clear that the divine name was both systematically removed and filtered out so as to remove credibility from the book.
2.
Active Scripture manipulation and removal of the 3 remaining references to 'KYRIOS' / 'THEOS', which are not part of the sections A-F. Those 3 references include Est 2:20, Est 6:1 and Est 6:13 .
Est 2:20 Greek OT "Now Esther had not discovered her kindred; for so Mardochæus commanded her, to fear THEOS, and perform his commandments, as when she was with him: and Esther changed not her manner of life."
Est 6:1 Masoretic OT "On that night the sleep of the king has fled away [elimination of the cause of his lack of sleep, which was KYRIOS Himself], and he commands to bring in the scroll of memorials of the chronicles, and they are read before the king"
Est 6:1 Greek OT "But KYRIOS removed sleep from the king that night: and he told his servant to bring in the books, the registers of daily events, to read to him."
Est 6:13 Masoretic OT "And Haman recounts to his wife Zeresh, and to all his friends, all that has met him, and his wise men and his wife Zeresh say to him, "If Mordecai [is] of the seed of the Jews, before whom you have begun to fall, you are not able for him ---------- [entire reference to THEOS cut out] ---------- , but certainly fall before him."
Est 6:13 Greek OT "And Aman related the events that had befallen him to Zosara his wife, and to his friends: and his friends and his wife said to him, If Mardochæus be of the race of the Jews, and thou hast begun to be humbled before him, thou wilt assuredly fall, and thou wilt not be able to withstand him, for the living THEOS is with him."
3.
Manipulation of Esther 8:9, the introduction to the letter announcing the liberty of the Jews (which in itself is entirely removed from the Masoretic text).
Est 8:9 Masoretic OT "And the scribes of the king are called, at that time, in the third month - it [is] the month of Sivan - in the twenty-third [day] of it, and it is written, according to all that Mordecai has commanded, to the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the governors, and the heads of the provinces, that [are] from Hodu even to Cush, one hundred twenty-seven provinces - province and province according to its writing, and people and people according to its tongue, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their tongue."
- Est 8:9 Greek OT "So the scribes were called in the first month, which is Nisan, on the three and twentieth day of the same year; and orders were written to the Jews, whatever the king had commanded to the local governors and chiefs of the satraps, from India even to Ethiopia, a hundred and twenty-seven satraps, according to the several provinces, according to their dialects."
This last manipulation reveals the most probable motivation of those who removed the divine name and entire sections from the Book of Esther, and why some scholars / sources such as Amphilochius, Athanasius of Alexandria, Dead Sea Scrolls, Melito, Nazianus boycotted / removed the book from their canonical list. Luther also strongly disliked it and argued that the book "Judaized too much" (he generally disliked or rather hated the Jews) and lacked any mention of G‑d, calling it "less worthy of being held canonical" than other OT books (he also boycotted and partly even insulted the books of Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation).
What was the main motivation behind the change?
The 23rd of Nisan / Abib is precisely the day our KYRIOS and SAVIOR resurrected, and the day of First Fruits (as also affirmed by Beta Israel who never lost sight of Ancient Judaism). The Book of Esther and specifically the letter of liberty to the Jews was a strong pointer and allusion to the Resurrection of IESOUS CHRISTOS. In the same way liberation from the consequences of sin was granted to those who repented in Susa (their death sentence was literally annulled), so also all those who repent today and trust in IESOUS CHRISTOS as SAVIOR have annulled their spiritual death sentence and have been proactively liberated on the precise same day, on Abib 23rd. ▶ See also the study 'CHRISTOS IESOUS 〣 Passover Chronology · Refutation of Fast-Track Trial'.
Through the removal of this very important date, those evil men both concealed the death & resurrection at the end of the Passover Week, and removed the main essence of the book of Esther - being a precursor to the most important of all the Passover Weeks. This is probably the main reason why the book was and is still being -mutilated-.
Psalms A (Often Called '151')
The Greek Text of Psalms A as it appears in the Consolidated Bible:
The English translation based on the NETS Bible (divine titles reset to the original):
1This Psalm is autographical. Regarding David and outside the number.
I was small among my brothers and the youngest in the house of my father; I would shepherd the sheep of my father.
2My hands made an instrument; my fingers tuned a harp. 3And who will report to my master? KYRIOS Himself, it is He who listens.
4It was He who sent His messenger and took me from the sheep of my father and anointed me with the oil of his anointing. 5My brothers were handsome and tall, and KYRIOS did not take delight in them.
6I went out to meet the foreigner, and he cursed me by his idols. 7But I, having drawn the dagger from him, I beheaded him and removed reproach from Israel's sons.
The Psalms A can impossibly be named 'Psalm 151' as often done while suggesting a mysterious and additional chapter, because as the very text of the passage states, it is "outside the number", which means that it cannot receive just another number added to the sumtotal. 'A' is possibly the most accurate designation, as it reflects the 'A'utographical character, can be rightly seen as an 'A'ddendum (German 'A'nhang, Spanish 'A'nexo) and verses considered supplemental to the Masoretic numbering system are usually also designated with e.g. 2a, b, c . . .
Those seven autographical verses at the end of the book, which were originally written in Hebrew but long considered of Greek origin and for that reason regarded Apocrypha, also do not constitute a separate book, and are erroneously considered Apocrypha. The second reason for the consideration as Apocrypha was the erroneously assumed absence from the source of the Proto-Masoretic text, which, as we have seen above, is an empty argument in itself, as this late text from the 2nd century AD is very far away from having divine authority -as a whole-. The addendum was also discovered in the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Hebrew text therein is even more than twice the length of the Greek version, with many details of David's life having been embellished beyond the Greek.
It is entirely possible that Rabbi Akiva and his (later) scribes did not mischievously remove Psalms A, but that they assumed based on the superscription "outside the number", that the Psalms A do not even constitute an original addendum, but constitute a retroactive addendum, and that they singled it out for that reason.
In short, we do not know the precise reason(s) for its exclusion. But we can now clearly see that there is no legitimate reason for having done so.