Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
Psalm 138[a]
Thanksgiving for God’s Favor
1 Of David.
I offer you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart;[b]
before the “gods” I sing your praise.
2 I bow down toward your holy temple
and I praise your name[c]
for your kindness and your faithfulness,
for you have exalted above all things
your name and your word.
3 On the day I cried out, you answered me
and granted strength to my spirit.
4 [d]All the kings of the earth will praise you, O Lord,
when they hear the words of your mouth.
5 They will sing of the ways of the Lord:
“How great is the Lord’s glory!”
6 For though the Lord is exalted, he cares for the lowly,[e]
but he remains far distant from the proud.
7 Although I walk in the midst of hostility,
you preserve my life.
You stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies,
and with your right hand[f] you deliver me.
8 The Lord will fulfill his plan for me.
Your kindness, O Lord, endures forever;
do not forsake the work of your hands.[g]
19 [Mordecai Uncovers a Conspiracy.[a] To resume: When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, 20 and Esther had still not revealed her family or nationality just as Mordecai had instructed her. For she was still following his advice as she had done when he was bringing her up.
21 During the time Mordecai spent at the king’s gate,[b] Bagathan and Thares, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance, became angry and plotted to kill King Ahasuerus. 22 However, Mordecai became aware of the plot and told Queen Esther about it, and she informed the king for Mordecai. 23 When the matter was investigated and proved to be true, both men were hanged on a gibbet. All this was recorded in the book of the annals in the king’s presence.]
Haman’s Plot To Destroy the Jews
Chapter 3
Mordecai Refuses To Honor Haman.[c] 1 Sometime later, King Ahasuerus honored Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, giving him a higher rank and seating him above all his royal nobles. 2 All the royal officials who were at the king’s gate would kneel down and render homage to Haman, for that is what the king had ordered to be done toward him. But Mordecai refused to kneel and bow down to him.
3 The other officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you fail to obey the king’s command?” 4 Day after day they spoke to him about this, but he did not listen to them. So they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai’s explanation was acceptable, for he had informed them that he was a Jew.
5 When Haman realized that Mordecai was not going to kneel down or pay him homage, he became enraged. 6 Moreover, he decided that it would not be enough to kill only Mordecai; having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he sought to destroy all the Jews—Mordecai’s people—in the kingdom of Ahasuerus.
15 The Choice of Judas’s Successor.[a] In those days, Peter stood up before the assembled brothers, numbering about one hundred and twenty, and said, 16 “Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit revealed through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. 17 He was one of our number and was granted a share in this ministry.
18 “With the money from his traitorous act, this man purchased a plot of land upon which he fell headlong, and he burst open, all of his entrails pouring out. 19 The news about this became known to all the people living in Jerusalem, so that in their own language that plot of land was called ‘Hakeldama,’ which means ‘Field of Blood.’[b] 20 For it is written in the Book of Psalms,
‘May his encampment become deserted,
and may there be no one to dwell in it.’
And again,
‘Let another take over his position.’
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