Tuesday, August 31, 2021
Esther 8
1That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the
estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of
the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. 2The king
took off his signet ring, which he had reclaimed from Haman, and presented it
to Mordecai. And Esther appointed him over Haman's estate.
3Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his
feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the
Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews. 4Then the king
extended the gold scepter to Esther and she arose and stood before him.
5"If it pleases the king," she said,
"and if he regards me with favor and thinks it the right thing to do, and
if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches
that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the
Jews in all the king's provinces. 6For how can I bear to see
disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my
family?"
7King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai
the Jew, "Because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to
Esther, and they have hanged him on the gallows. 8Now write another
decree in the king's name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal
it with the king's signet ring--for no document written in the king's name and
sealed with his ring can be revoked."
9At once the royal secretaries were summoned--on the
twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan. They wrote out all
Mordecai's orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors and nobles of the
127 provinces stretching from India to Cush. These orders were written in the
script of each province and the language of each people and also to the Jews in
their own script and language. 10Mordecai wrote in the name of King
Xerxes, sealed the dispatches with the king's signet ring, and sent them by
mounted couriers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king.
11The king's edict granted the Jews in every city the
right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate any
armed force of any nationality or province that might attack them and their
women and children; and to plunder the property of their enemies. 12The
day appointed for the Jews to do this in all the provinces of King Xerxes was
the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. 13A copy
of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made
known to the people of every nationality so that the Jews would be ready on
that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.
14The couriers, riding the royal horses, raced out,
spurred on by the king's command. And the edict was also issued in the citadel
of Susa.
15Mordecai left the king's presence wearing royal
garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold and a purple robe of fine
linen. And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration. 16For the
Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, gladness and honor. 17In
every province and in every city, wherever the edict of the king went, there
was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many
people of other nationalities became Jews because fear of the Jews had seized
them.
Psalm
60
1For the
director of music. To [the tune of] "The Lily of the Covenant." A
[miktam] of David. For teaching. When he fought Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah,
and when Joab returned and struck down twelve thousand Edomites in the Valley
of Salt. You have rejected us, O God, and burst forth upon us; you have been
angry--now restore us! 2You have shaken the land and torn it open;
mend its fractures, for it is quaking. 3You have shown your people
desperate times; you have given us wine that makes us stagger. 4But
for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the
bow. [Selah] 5Save us and help us with your right hand, that those
you love may be delivered. 6God has spoken from his sanctuary:
"In triumph I will parcel out Shechem and measure off the Valley of
Succoth. 7Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine; Ephraim is my
helmet, Judah my scepter. 8Moab is my washbasin, upon Edom I toss my
sandal; over Philistia I shout in triumph." 9Who will bring me
to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? 10Is it not you, O
God, you who have rejected us and no longer go out with our armies? 11Give
us aid against the enemy, for the help of man is worthless. 12With
God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.
1
Thessalonians 4
1Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in
order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in
the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. 2For you know what
instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.
3It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that
you should avoid sexual immorality; 4that each of you should learn
to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5not in
passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; 6and that in
this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord
will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. 7For
God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8Therefore,
he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his
Holy Spirit.
9Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to
you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. 10And
in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet we urge you,
brothers, to do so more and more.
11Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind
your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, 12so
that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not
be dependent on anybody.
13Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about
those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14We
believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring
with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15According to the
Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the
coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For
the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the
voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ
will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left
will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage each
other with these words.
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