Esther Agrees to Help the Jews

4 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes ^(A)and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry. ² He went up to the entrance of the king's gate, for no one was allowed to enter the king's gate clothed in sackcloth. ³ And in every province, wherever the king's command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, ^(B)with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them ^(C)lay in sackcloth and ashes.

⁴ When Esther's young women and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. ⁵ Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was. ⁶ Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king's gate, ⁷ and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, ^(D)and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. ⁸ Mordecai also gave him ^(E)a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction,^[a] that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him^[b] on behalf of her people. ⁹ And Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. ¹⁰ Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, ¹¹ “All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside ^(F)the inner court without being called, ^(G)there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one ^(H)to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”

¹² And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. ¹³ Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. ¹⁴ For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” ¹⁵ Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, ¹⁶ “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for ^(I)three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, ^(J)and if I perish, I perish.”^{[c] 17} Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.

Esther Prepares a Banquet

5 ^(K)On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in ^(L)the inner court of the king's palace, in front of the king's quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. ² And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, ^(M)she won favor in his sight, ^(N)and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. ³ And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even ^(O)to the half of my kingdom.” ⁴ And Esther said, “If it please the king,^[d] let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.” ⁵ Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther has asked.” So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared. ^6 (P)And as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, ^(Q)“What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? ^(R)Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.”^{[e] 7} Then Esther answered, “My wish and my request is: ^8 (S)If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king^[f] to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to ^(T)the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.”

The Coming Day of the Lord

14 Behold, ^(A)a day is coming for the Lord, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. ² For ^(B)I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and ^(C)the city shall be taken ^(D)and the houses plundered ^(E)and the women raped. ^(F)Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city. ^3 (G)Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations as when he fights on a day of battle. ^4 (H)On that day his feet shall stand ^(I)on ^(J)the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and ^(K)the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by ^(L)a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. ⁵ And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from ^(M)the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.^[a]

^6 (N)On that day ^(O)there shall be ^(P)no light, cold, or frost.^{[b] 7 (Q)}And there shall be a unique^[c] day, ^(R)which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but ^(S)at evening time there shall be light.

^8 (T)On that day ^(U)living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to ^(V)the eastern sea^[d] and half of them to ^(W)the western sea.^{[e] (X)}It shall continue in summer as in winter.

⁹ And ^(Y)the Lord will be king over all the earth. ^(Z)On that day the Lord will be ^(AA)one and ^(AB)his name one.

^10 (AC)The whole land shall be turned into a plain from ^(AD)Geba to ^(AE)Rimmon south of Jerusalem. But ^(AF)Jerusalem shall remain aloft ^(AG)on its site from ^(AH)the Gate of Benjamin to the place of the former gate, to ^(AI)the Corner Gate, and from ^(AJ)the Tower of Hananel to the king's winepresses. ¹¹ And it shall be inhabited, for ^(AK)there shall never again be a decree of utter destruction.^{[f] (AL)}Jerusalem shall dwell in security.

¹² And this shall be ^(AM)the plague with which the Lord will strike all the peoples that wage war against Jerusalem: their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.

¹³ And ^(AN)on that day a great panic from the Lord shall fall on them, so that ^(AO)each will seize the hand of another, and the hand of the one will be raised against the hand of the other. ¹⁴ Even ^(AP)Judah will fight at Jerusalem.^[g] And ^(AQ)the wealth of all the surrounding nations shall be collected, gold, silver, and garments in great abundance. ¹⁵ And ^(AR)a plague like this plague shall fall on the horses, the mules, the camels, the donkeys, and whatever beasts may be in those camps.

¹⁶ Then everyone who survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem ^(AS)shall go up year after year to worship ^(AT)the King, the Lord of hosts, and ^(AU)to keep ^(AV)the Feast of Booths. ¹⁷ And if ^(AW)any of the families of the earth do not go up to Jerusalem to worship ^(AX)the King, the Lord of hosts, ^(AY)there will be no rain on them. ¹⁸ And if the family of Egypt does not go up and present themselves, then on them there shall be no rain;^[h] there shall be ^(AZ)the plague with which the Lord afflicts the nations that do not go up ^(BA)to keep the Feast of Booths. ¹⁹ This shall be the punishment to Egypt and the punishment to all the nations that do not go up ^(BB)to keep the Feast of Booths.

²⁰ And ^(BC)on that day there shall be inscribed on the bells of the horses, ^(BD)“Holy to the Lord.” And the pots in the house of the Lord shall be as the bowls before the altar. ²¹ And every pot in Jerusalem and Judah shall be ^(BE)holy to the Lord of hosts, so that all who sacrifice may come and take of them and boil the meat of the sacrifice in them. And ^(BF)there shall no longer be ^(BG)a trader^[i] in the house of the Lord of hosts ^(BH)on that day.

Solomon Admires His Bride's Beauty

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Together in the Garden of Love

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Others

The Resurrection

20 ^(A)Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that ^(B)the stone had been taken away from the tomb. ² So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, ^(C)the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and ^(D)we do not know where they have laid him.” ^3 (E)So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. ⁴ Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵ And stooping to look in, he saw ^(F)the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, ⁷ and ^(G)the face cloth, which had been on Jesus'^[a] head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. ⁸ Then the other disciple, ^(H)who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; ⁹ for as yet ^(I)they did not understand the Scripture, ^(J)that he must rise from the dead. ¹⁰ Then the disciples went back to their homes.

The Defeat of Satan

⁷ And when the thousand years are ended, ^(A)Satan will be released from his prison ⁸ and will come out ^(B)to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, ^(C)Gog and Magog, ^(D)to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. ⁹ And ^(E)they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded ^(F)the camp of the saints and ^(G)the beloved city, but ^(H)fire came down from heaven^[a] and consumed them, ¹⁰ and the devil ^(I)who had deceived them was ^(J)thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where ^(K)the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Judgment Before the Great White Throne

¹¹ Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence ^(L)earth and sky fled away, and ^(M)no place was found for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and ^(N)books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is ^(O)the book of life. And ^(P)the dead were judged by what was written in the books, ^(Q)according to what they had done. ¹³ And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, ^(R)Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, ^(S)according to what they had done. ¹⁴ Then ^(T)Death and Hades ^(U)were thrown into the lake of fire. This is ^(V)the second death, the lake of fire. ¹⁵ And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, ^(W)he was thrown into the lake of fire.