Bible Reading Plan

Esther 1

Chapter 1

The Banquets of the King

¹ Now it happened in the days of ^(C1)Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned ^(C2)from India to ^(F1)Cush over ^(C3)127 provinces,² in those days as King Ahasuerus ^(C1)sat on his royal throne which was at the citadel in ^(C2)Susa,³ in the third year of his reign ^(C1)he held a banquet for all his officials and attendants, the army officers of Persia and Media, the nobles and the officials of his provinces, in his presence.^4 (F1)At that time he displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty for many days, 180 days.

⁵ When these days were finished, the king held a banquet lasting seven days for all the people who were present at the citadel in Susa, from the greatest to the least, in the courtyard of ^(C1)the garden of the king's palace.⁶ There were curtains of fine white and violet linen held by cords of fine purple linen on silver rings and marble columns, and ^(C1)couches of gold and silver on a mosaic floor of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and mineral stones.⁷ Drinks were served in golden vessels of various kinds, and the royal wine was plentiful ^(C1)in proportion to the king's ^(F1)bounty.⁸ But the drinking was done according to the royal law; there was no compulsion, for so the king had given orders to each official of his household, that he was to do as each person pleased.⁹ Queen Vashti also held a banquet for the women in the ^(F1)palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus.

Queen Vashti's Refusal

¹⁰ On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was ^(C1)cheerful with wine, he ordered Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus,¹¹ to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal ^(C1)turban in order to display her beauty to the people and the officials, for she was beautiful.¹² But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's order ^(F1)delivered by the eunuchs. So the king became very angry, and his wrath burned within him.

¹³ Then the king said to ^(C1)the wise men ^(C2)who understood the times—for it was the custom of the king to speak this way before all who knew Persian law and justice¹⁴ and were close to him, namely, Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven officials of Persia and Media ^(C1)who ^(F1)had access to the king's presence and sat in the first place in the kingdom—¹⁵ "According to law, what is to be done with Queen Vashti, since she did not ^(F1)obey the command of King Ahasuerus ^(F2)delivered by the eunuchs?"¹⁶ And in the presence of the king and the other officials, Memucan said, "Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king but also all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.¹⁷ "For the queen's conduct will ^(F1)become known to all the women so as to make their own husbands despicable in their sight, when they say, 'King Ahasuerus ^(F2)commanded that Queen Vashti be brought in to his presence, but she did not come.'¹⁸ "And this day the wives of the officials of Persia and Media who have heard about the queen's conduct will talk about it to all the king's officials, and there will be plenty of contempt and anger.¹⁹ "If it pleases the king, let a royal ^(F1)edict be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so ^(C1)that it cannot ^(F2)be repealed, that Vashti may not come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to ^(F3)another who is more worthy than she.²⁰ "When the king's edict which he will make is heard throughout his kingdom, ^(F1)great as it is, then ^(C1)all women will give honor to their husbands, great and small."

²¹ Now this word pleased the king and the officials, and the king did ^(F1)as Memucan proposed.²² So he sent letters to all the king's provinces, ^(C1)to each province according to its script and to every people according to their language, that every man was to ^(C2)be the ruler in his own house and the one who speaks in the language of his own people.

Psalms 105:1-25

Revelation 11

Chapter 11

The Two Witnesses

¹ Then there was given to me a ^(F1)(C1)measuring rod like a staff; ^(F2)and ^(C2)someone said, "Get up and measure the ^(F3)temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it.² "^(F1)Leave out the ^(C1)courtyard which is outside the ^(F2)temple and do not measure it, because ^(C2)it has been given to the nations; and they will ^(C2)trample ^(C3)the holy city for ^(C4)forty-two months.³ "And I will grant authority to my two ^(C1)witnesses, and they will prophesy for ^(C2)1,260 days, clothed in ^(C3)sackcloth."⁴ These are the ^(C1)two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.⁵ And if anyone wants to harm them, ^(C1)fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; and so if anyone wants to harm them, ^(C2)he must be killed in this way.⁶ These have the power to ^(C1)shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during ^(C2)the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to ^(C3)turn them into blood, and ^(C4)to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.

⁷ When they have finished their testimony, ^(C1)the beast that comes up out of the ^(C2)abyss will ^(C3)make war with them, and overcome them and kill them.⁸ And their dead bodies will lie on the street of the ^(C1)great city which ^(F1)spiritually is called ^(C2)Sodom and ^(C3)Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified.⁹ Those from ^(C1)the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will look at their dead ^(F1)bodies for three and a half days, and ^(F2)(C2)will not allow their dead bodies to be laid in a tomb.¹⁰ And ^(C1)those who live on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will ^(C2)send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented ^(C1)those who live on the earth.

¹¹ And after the three and a half days, ^(C1)the breath of life from God came into them, and they stood on their feet; and great fear fell upon those who were watching them.¹² And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "^(C1)Come up here." And they ^(C2)went up into heaven in the cloud, and their enemies watched them.¹³ And ^(F1)at that time there was a great ^(C1)earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; ^(F2)seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and ^(C2)gave glory to the ^(C3)God of heaven.

¹⁴ The second ^(C1)woe has passed; behold, the third woe is coming quickly.

The Seventh Trumpet: Christ's Reign Foreseen

¹⁵ Then the ^(C1)seventh angel sounded; and there were ^(C2)loud voices in heaven, saying, "^(C3)The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of ^(C4)His ^(F1)Christ; and ^(C5)He will reign forever and ever."¹⁶ And the twenty-four elders, who ^(C1)sit on their thrones before God, ^(C2)fell on their faces and worshiped God,

¹⁷ saying, "We give You thanks, ^(C1)Lord God, the Almighty, the One who is and who was, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to ^(C2)reign.¹⁸ "And ^(C1)the nations were enraged, and ^(C2)Your wrath came, and ^(C3)the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to ^(F1)reward Your ^(C4)bond-servants the prophets and the ^(F2)saints and those who fear Your name, ^(C5)the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth."

¹⁹ And ^(C1)the ^(F1)temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and ^(C2)the ark of His covenant appeared in His ^(F1)temple, and there were flashes of ^(C3)lightning and sounds and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a ^(C4)great ^(F2)hailstorm.