The Banquets of the King

1 Now it happened in the days of ^(A)Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned ^(B)from India to ^[a]Cush over ^(C)127 provinces, ² in those days as King Ahasuerus ^(D)sat on his royal throne which was at the citadel in ^(E)Susa, ³ in the third year of his reign ^(F)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 [b]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 ^(G)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 ^(H)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 ^(I)in proportion to the king’s ^[c]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 ^[d]palace which belonged to King Ahasuerus.

Queen Vashti’s Refusal

¹⁰ On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was ^(J)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 ^(K)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 ^[e]delivered by the eunuchs. So the king became very angry, and his wrath burned within him.

¹³ Then the king said to ^(L)the wise men ^(M)who understood the times—for it was the custom of the king to speak this way before all who knew Persian law and justice ¹⁴ and were close to him, namely, Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven officials of Persia and Media ^(N)who ^[f]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 ^[g]obey the command of King Ahasuerus ^[h]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 ^[i]become known to all the women so as to make their own husbands despicable in their sight, when they say, ‘King Ahasuerus ^[j]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 ^[k]edict be issued by him and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so ^(O)that it cannot ^[l]be repealed, that Vashti may not come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to ^[m]another who is more worthy than she. ²⁰ When the king’s edict which he will make is heard throughout his kingdom, ^[n]great as it is, then ^(P)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 ^[o]as Memucan proposed. ²² So he sent letters to all the king’s provinces, ^(Q)to each province according to its script and to every people according to their language, that every man was to ^(R)be the ruler in his own house and the one who speaks in the language of his own people.

Vashti’s Successor Sought

2 After these things, ^(S)when the anger of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done, and ^(T)what had been decided regarding her. ² Then the king’s attendants, who served him, said, “^(U)Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king. ³ And may the king appoint overseers in ^(V)all the provinces of his kingdom, and have them ^[p]bring every beautiful young virgin to the citadel of Susa, to the harem, into the custody of ^(W)Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and ^(X)let their cosmetics be given to them. ⁴ Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen in place of Vashti.” And the ^[q]suggestion pleased the king, and he did accordingly.

⁵ There was a Jew at the citadel in Susa whose name was ^(Y)Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite, ^6 (Z)who had been taken from Jerusalem with the exiles who had been deported with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had deported. ⁷ He was the guardian to Hadassah, that is ^(AA)Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had no father or mother. Now the young woman was beautiful of form and ^[r]face, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

Esther Finds Favor

⁸ So it came about, when the command and decree of the king were heard and ^(AB)many young ladies were gathered to the citadel of Susa into the ^[s]custody of ^(AC)Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king’s ^[t]palace into the custody of Hegai, who was in charge of the women. ⁹ Now the young lady pleased him and found favor with him. So he quickly provided her with her ^(AD)cosmetics and ^[u]food, gave her seven choice female attendants from the king’s palace, and transferred her and her attendants to the best place in the harem. ^10 (AE)Esther did not reveal her people or her kindred, because Mordecai had instructed her that she was not to reveal them. ¹¹ And every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the courtyard of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her.

¹² Now when the turn came for each young woman to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the end of her twelve months under the regulations for the women—for the days of their beauty treatment were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with balsam oil and the cosmetics for women— ¹³ the young woman would go in to the king in this way: anything that she ^[v]desired was given her to ^[w]take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. ¹⁴ In the evening she would enter and in the morning she would return to the second harem, to the ^[x]custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.

¹⁵ Now when the turn of Esther, ^(AF)the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she did not request anything except what ^(AG)Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the women, ^[y]advised. And Esther was finding favor in the eyes of all who saw her. ¹⁶ So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus in his royal palace in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

Esther Becomes Queen

¹⁷ The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the virgins, so that ^(AH)he set the royal turban on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti. ¹⁸ Then ^(AI)the king held a great banquet, Esther’s banquet, for all his officials and his servants; he also made a holiday for the provinces and gave gifts ^(AJ)in proportion to the king’s bounty.

^19 (AK)Now when the virgins were gathered together for the second time, then Mordecai ^(AL)was sitting at the king’s gate. ^20 (AM)Esther still had not revealed her relatives or her people, just as Mordecai had instructed her; for Esther did ^[z]what Mordecai told her just as she had ^(AN)when under his care.

Mordecai Saves the King

²¹ In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, ^(AO)Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s officials from those who guarded the door, became angry and sought to ^[aa]attack King Ahasuerus. ²² But the ^[ab]plot became known to Mordecai and ^(AP)he informed Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in Mordecai’s name. ²³ Then when the plot was investigated and found to be so, they were both hanged on a wooden gallows; and it was written in ^(AQ)the Book of the Chronicles in the king’s presence.

A Psalm of Praise.

Instructions

17 Now He said to His disciples, “^(A)It is inevitable that ^[a]stumbling blocks come, but woe to one through whom they come! ^2 (B)It is better for him if a millstone is hung around his neck and he ^[b]is thrown into the sea, than that he may cause one of these little ones to ^[c]sin. ^3 [d]Be on your guard! ^(C)If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. ⁴ And if he sins against you ^(D)seven times a day, and returns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him.”

^5 (E)The apostles said to ^(F)the Lord, “Increase our faith!” ⁶ But ^(G)the Lord said, “If you ^[e]had faith ^[f]the size of ^(H)a mustard seed, you could say to this ^(I)mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and be planted in the sea’; and it would ^[g]obey you.

⁷ “Now which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him after he comes in from the field, ‘Come immediately and recline at the table to eat’? ⁸ On the contrary, will he not say to him, ‘^(J)Prepare something for me to eat, and properly ^[h]clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and ^[i]afterward you ^[j]may eat and drink’? ⁹ He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? ¹⁰ So you too, when you do all the things which were commanded you, say, ‘We are ^[k]unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’”

Ten Men with Leprosy Healed

¹¹ While He was ^(K)on the way to Jerusalem, ^(L)He was passing ^[l]between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² And as He entered a village, ten men with leprosy who ^(M)stood at a distance met Him; ¹³ and they raised their voices, saying, “Jesus, ^(N)Master, have mercy on us!” ¹⁴ When He saw them, He said to them, “^(O)Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed. ¹⁵ Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed, turned back, ^(P)glorifying God with a loud voice, ¹⁶ and he fell on his face at His feet, giving thanks to Him. And he was a ^(Q)Samaritan. ¹⁷ But Jesus responded and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? ^18 [m]Was no one found who returned to ^(R)give glory to God, except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ And He said to him, “Stand up and go; ^(S)your faith has ^[n]made you well.”

Second Coming Foretold

²⁰ Now He was questioned by the Pharisees ^(T)as to when the kingdom of God was coming, and He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with ^[o](U)signs that can be observed; ²¹ nor will ^(V)they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is ^[p]in your midst.”

²² And He said to the disciples, “^(W)The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. ^23 (X)And they will say to you, ‘Look there,’ or, ‘Look here!’ Do not leave, and do not run after them. ^24 (Y)For just like the lightning, when it flashes out of one part ^[q]of the sky, shines to the other part ^[r]of the sky, so will the Son of Man be in His day. ^25 (Z)But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. ^26 (AA)And just as it happened ^(AB)in the days of Noah, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man: ²⁷ people were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, and they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. ^28 [s]It was the same as happened in ^(AC)the days of Lot: they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, and they were building; ²⁹ but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and ^[t]brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. ³⁰ It will be ^[u]just the same on the day that the Son of Man ^(AD)is revealed. ³¹ On that day, the one who will be ^(AE)on the ^[v]housetop, ^[w]with his goods in the house, must not go down to take them out; and likewise the one in the field must not turn back. ^32 (AF)Remember Lot’s wife. ^33 (AG)Whoever strives to ^[x]save his ^[y]life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will keep it. ³⁴ I tell you, on that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. ^35 (AH)There will be two women grinding at the same place; one will be taken and the other will be left. ³⁶ [^[z](AI)Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left.”] ³⁷ And responding, they *said to Him, “Where, Lord?” And He said to them, “^(AJ)Where the body is, there also the ^[aa]vultures will be gathered.”