Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the LORD, concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite.

¹ ¶ O LORD my God, in thee I have put my trust: save me from all those that persecute me, and deliver me

² Lest they take my soul, as a lion dismembers his prey when there is none to deliver.

³ O LORD my God, if I have done this: if there is iniquity in my hands,

⁴ if I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me, then let my persecutor escape without retribution.

⁵ Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; let him tread down my life upon the earth and lay my honour in the dust. Selah.

⁶ Arise, O LORD, in thine anger; lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies: and awake the judgment in my favour that thou hast commanded.

⁷ So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about, for their sakes therefore return thou on high.

⁸ The LORD shall judge the people: judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.

⁹ Let wickedness consume the wicked; but establish the just: for the righteous God is he who tries the hearts and kidneys.

¹⁰ ¶ My shield is in God, he who saves the upright in heart.

¹¹ God is he who judges the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

¹² If he does not turn, he will whet his sword; he has bent his bow and made it ready.

¹³ He has also prepared for him the weapons of death; he ordains his arrows against the persecutors.

¹⁴ Behold, he travails with iniquity and has conceived of his own work and brought forth falsehood.

¹⁵ He made a pit and deepened it and shall fall into the ditch which he made.

¹⁶ His work shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.

¹⁷ I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.

³ ¶ And Esther spoke yet again before the king and fell down at his feet and besought him with tears to put away the evil of Haman, the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.

⁴ Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king,

⁵ And said, If it pleases the king and if I have found grace in his sight and if the thing is right before the king and if I am good in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces.

⁶ For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? How can I endure to see the destruction of my nation?

⁷ Then King Ahasuerus said unto Esther, the queen, and to Mordecai, the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him upon the gallows because he extended his hand against the Jews.

⁸ Write ye also for the Jews, as it pleases you, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring; for the writing which is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s ring may not be revoked.

⁹ Then the king’s scribes were called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the twenty-third day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews and to the lieutenants and the captains and the princes of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, unto each province according to the writing thereof, and unto each people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.

¹⁰ And he wrote in King Ahasuerus’s name and sealed it with the king’s ring and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, mules that were born of mares,

¹¹ that the king granted power to the Jews who were in all the cities to gather themselves together and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish any army of the people or province that would assault them, and even their little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,

¹² upon the same day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.

¹³ The copy of the writing which was to be given as law in each province was published unto all people and said that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves of their enemies.

¹⁴ So the posts rode upon mules, they went out on mules, being hastened and pressed on by the king’s commandment. And the law was given at Shushan, the palace.

¹⁵ ¶ And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white and with a great crown of gold and with a mantel of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.

¹⁶ The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honour.

¹⁷ And in each province and in each city wherever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a banquet and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews, for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.

19 ¶ And after these things I heard a great voice of a great company in the heaven, saying, Halelu-JAH; Salvation and glory and honour and power unto the Lord our God;

² for true and righteous are his judgments; for he has judged the great whore, who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and has avenged the blood of his slaves at her hand.

³ And again they said, Halelu-JAH. And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.

⁴ And the twenty-four elders and the four animals fell upon their faces and worshipped God that was seated upon the throne, saying, Amen! Halelu-JAH!

⁵ ¶ And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his slaves and ye that fear him, both small and great.

⁶ And I heard as it were the voice of a great company and as the voice of many waters and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Halelu-JAH; for the Lord God almighty reigns.

⁷ Let us be glad and rejoice and give glory to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his bride has made herself ready.

⁸ And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.

⁹ And he said unto me, Write, Blessed are those who are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he said unto me, These are the true words of God.