the Week of Proper 28 / Ordinary 33
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Daily Bible Reading
December 22 - Old & New Testament
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Esther 6,7,8
Mordecai Honored by the King
1 That night sleep escaped(a) the king, so he ordered the book recording daily events to be brought and read to the king. 2 They found the written report of how Mordecai had informed on Bigthana and Teresh, two eunuchs who guarded the king's entrance, when they planned to assassinate King Ahasuerus.(b) 3 The king inquired, "What honor and special recognition have been given to Mordecai for this act?"(c)
The king's personal attendants replied, "Nothing has been done for him."
4 The king asked, "Who is in the court?" Now Haman was just entering the outer court of the palace to ask the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows he had prepared for him.(d)
5 The king's attendants answered him, "Haman is there, standing in the court."
"Have him enter," the king ordered.
6 Haman entered, and the king asked him, "What should be done for the man the king wants to honor?"(e)
Haman thought to himself, "Who is it the king would want to honor more than me?" 7 Haman told the king, "For the man the king wants to honor: 8 Have them bring a royal garment that the king himself has worn(f) and a horse the king himself has ridden,(g) which has a royal diadem on its head. 9 Put the garment and the horse under the charge of one of the king's most noble officials.(h) Have them clothe the man the king wants to honor, parade him on the horse through the city square, and proclaim before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king wants to honor.'"
10 The king told Haman, "Hurry, and do just as you proposed. Take a garment and a horse for Mordecai the Jew,(i) who is sitting at the King's Gate. Do not leave out anything you have suggested." 11 So Haman took the garment and the horse. He clothed Mordecai and paraded him through the city square, crying out before him, "This is what is done for the man the king wants to honor."
12 Then Mordecai returned to the King's Gate,(j) but Haman, overwhelmed,[a] hurried off for home with his head covered.(k) 13 Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends(l) everything that had happened. His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, "Since Mordecai is Jewish, and you have begun to fall before him, you won't overcome him, because your downfall is certain."(m) 14 While they were still speaking with him, the eunuchs of the king(n) arrived and rushed Haman to the banquet Esther had prepared.(o)
Haman Is Executed
1 The king and Haman came to feast[a](a) with Esther the queen. 2 Once again, on the second day while drinking wine,(b) the king asked Esther, "Queen Esther, whatever you ask will be given to you. Whatever you seek, even to half the kingdom, will be done."(c)
3 Queen Esther answered, "If I have obtained your approval,[b] my king, and if the king is pleased,(d) spare my life—this is my request; and spare my people—this is my desire.(e) 4 For my people and I have been sold out(f) to destruction, death, and extermination.(g) If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves,(h) I would have kept silent. Indeed, the trouble wouldn't be worth burdening the king."
5 King Ahasuerus spoke up and asked Queen Esther, "Who is this, and where is the one who would devise such a scheme?"[c](i)
6 Esther answered, "The adversary and enemy(j) is this evil Haman."
Haman stood terrified(k) before the king and queen. 7 Angered(l) by this, the king arose from where they were drinking wine and went to the palace garden.(m) Haman remained to beg Queen Esther for his life because he realized the king was planning something terrible for him.(n) 8 Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the house of wine drinking, Haman was falling on the couch(o) where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, "Would he actually violate the queen while I am in the palace?" As soon as the statement left the king's mouth, Haman's face was covered.(p)
9 Harbona, one of the royal eunuchs,(q) said: "There is a gallows 75 feet[d] tall at Haman's house that he made for Mordecai,(r) who gave the report that saved[e] the king."(s)
The king commanded, "Hang him on it."
10 They hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.(t) Then the king's anger subsided.(u)
Esther Intervenes for the Jews
1 That same day King Ahasuerus awarded Queen Esther the estate(a) of Haman, the enemy of the Jews.(b) Mordecai entered the king's presence because Esther had revealed her relationship to Mordecai.(c) 2 The king removed his signet ring he had recovered from Haman(d) and gave it to Mordecai, and Esther put him in charge of Haman's estate.
3 Then Esther addressed the king again.(e) She fell at his feet, wept, and begged(f) him to revoke the evil of Haman the Agagite,(g) and his plot he had devised against the Jews.(h) 4 The king extended the gold scepter(i) toward Esther, so she got up and stood before the king.
5 She said, "If it pleases the king, and I have found approval before him, if the matter seems right to the king and I am pleasing in his sight,(j) let a royal edict be written. Let it revoke the documents the scheming Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king's provinces.(k) 6 For how could I bear to see the disaster that would come on my people?(l) How could I bear to see the destruction of my relatives?"(m)
7 King Ahasuerus said to Esther the Queen and to Mordecai the Jew, "Look, I have given Haman's estate to Esther,(n) and he was hanged on the gallows because he attacked[a] the Jews.(o) 8 You may write in the king's name whatever pleases you(p) concerning the Jews, and seal it with the royal signet ring.(q) A document written in the king's name and sealed with the royal signet ring cannot be revoked."(r)
9 On the twenty-third day of the third month(s) (that is, the month Sivan),[b] the royal scribes were summoned. Everything was written exactly as Mordecai(t) ordered for the Jews, to the satraps,(u) the governors, and the officials of the 127 provinces from India[c] to Cush.(v) The edict was written for each province in its own script, for each ethnic group in its own language,(w) and to the Jews in their own script and language.
10 Mordecai wrote in King Ahasuerus's name and sealed the edicts with the royal signet ring. He sent the documents by mounted couriers,(x) who rode fast horses(y) bred from the royal racing mares.
11 The king's edict gave the Jews in each and every city the right to assemble and defend themselves, to destroy, kill, and annihilate every ethnic and provincial army hostile to them, including women and children, and to take their possessions as spoils of war.(z) 12 This would take place on a single day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar.[d](aa)
13 A copy of the text, issued as law throughout every province, was distributed to all the peoples(ab) so the Jews could be ready to avenge themselves against their enemies on that day. 14 The couriers rode out in haste on their royal horses at the king's urgent command. The law was also issued in the fortress of Susa.(ac)
15 Mordecai went from the king's presence clothed in royal purple and white, with a great gold crown and a purple robe of fine linen.(ad) The city of Susa shouted and rejoiced,(ae) 16 and the Jews celebrated[e] with gladness, joy, and honor.(af) 17 In every province and every city, wherever the king's command and his law reached, joy and rejoicing took place among the Jews. There was a celebration and a holiday.[f](ag) And many of the ethnic groups of the land professed themselves to be Jews because fear of the Jews(ah) had overcome them.
Revelation 13
Chapter 13
The Beast from the Sea
1 And I saw a beast coming up out of the sea.(a) He[a] had 10 horns and seven heads. On his horns were 10 diadems,(b) and on his heads were blasphemous names.[b](c) 2 The beast I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like a bear's, and his mouth was like a lion's mouth.(d) The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. 3 One of his heads appeared to be fatally wounded,[c] but his fatal wound was healed. The whole earth was amazed and followed the beast.[d](e) 4 They worshiped the dragon(f) because he gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast?(g) Who is able to wage war against him?"
5 A mouth was given to him to speak boasts and blasphemies.(h) He was also given authority to act[e][f] for 42 months.(i) 6 He began to speak[g] blasphemies against God: to blaspheme His name and His dwelling—those who dwell in heaven. 7 And he was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. He was also given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.(j) 8 All those who live on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name was not written from the foundation of the world in the book[h] of life(k) of the Lamb who was slaughtered.[i](l)
9 If anyone has an ear, he should listen:(m)
10 If anyone is destined for captivity,
into captivity he goes.
If anyone is to be killed[j] with a sword,
with a sword he will be killed.(n)
This demands the perseverance[k] and faith of the saints.(o)
The Beast from the Earth
11 Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; he had two horns like a lamb,[l](p) but he sounded like a dragon. 12 He exercises all the authority of the first beast on his behalf and compels the earth and those who live on it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. 13 He also performs great signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in front of people. 14 He deceives those who live on the earth(q) because of the signs that he is permitted to perform on behalf of the beast,(r) telling those who live on the earth to make an image[m] of the beast who had the sword wound and yet lived. 15 He was permitted to give a spirit[n] to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast could both speak and cause whoever would not worship the image of the beast to be killed. 16 And he requires everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark[o] on his right hand or on his forehead,(s) 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast's name or the number of his name.
18 Here is wisdom:[p](t) The one who has understanding must calculate[q] the number of the beast, because it is the number of a man.[r] His number is 666.[s]
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