Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Thanksgiving for the Lord’s Favor.
A Psalm of David.
138 (A)I will give You thanks with all my heart;
I will sing praises to You before the (B)gods.
2 I will bow down (C)toward Your holy temple
And (D)give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your [a]truth;
For You have (E)magnified Your [b]word [c]according to all Your name.
3 On the day I (F)called, You answered me;
You made me bold with (G)strength in my soul.
4 (H)All the kings of the earth will give thanks to You, O Lord,
When they have heard the words of Your mouth.
5 And they will (I)sing of the ways of the Lord,
For (J)great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For (K)though the Lord is exalted,
Yet He (L)regards the lowly,
But the (M)haughty He knows from afar.
7 Though I (N)walk in the midst of trouble, You will [d](O)revive me;
You will (P)stretch forth Your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will (Q)save me.
8 The Lord will (R)accomplish what concerns me;
Your (S)lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting;
(T)Do not forsake the (U)works of Your hands.
19 (A)When the virgins were gathered together the second time, then Mordecai (B)was sitting at the king’s gate. 20 (C)Esther had not yet made known her kindred or her people, even as Mordecai had commanded her; for Esther did [a]what Mordecai told her as she had done (D)when under his care.
Mordecai Saves the King
21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, (E)Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s officials from those who guarded the door, became angry and sought to [b]lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 22 But the [c]plot became known to Mordecai and (F)he told Queen Esther, and Esther [d]informed the king in Mordecai’s name. 23 Now when the plot was investigated and found to be so, they were both hanged on a [e]gallows; and it was written in (G)the Book of the Chronicles in the king’s presence.
Haman’s Plot against the Jews
3 After these events King Ahasuerus (H)promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha (I)the Agagite, and (J)advanced him and [f]established his authority over all the princes who were with him. 2 All the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down [g]and paid homage to Haman; for so the king had commanded concerning him. But (K)Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage. 3 Then the king’s servants who were at (L)the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “(M)Why are you transgressing the king’s command?” 4 Now it was when they had spoken daily to him and he would not listen to them, that they told Haman to see whether Mordecai’s reason would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew. 5 When Haman saw that (N)Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage to him, Haman was filled with rage. 6 But he [h]disdained to [i]lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore Haman (O)sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.
15 [a]At this time Peter stood up in the midst of (A)the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty [b]persons was there together), and said, 16 “Brethren, (B)the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, (C)who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. 17 For he was (D)counted among us and received his share in (E)this ministry.” 18 (Now this man (F)acquired a field with (G)the price of his wickedness, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his intestines gushed out. 19 And it became known to all who were living in Jerusalem; so that in (H)their own language that field was called Hakeldama, that is, Field of Blood.) 20 “For it is written in the book of Psalms,
‘(I)Let his homestead be made desolate,
And let no one dwell in it’;
and,
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.