Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
16 As for me, I will call to God,
and Yahweh will save me.
17 Morning, noon and night[a] I will lament and groan loudly,
and he will hear my voice.
18 He safely redeems my life from the battle against me,[b]
because those standing against me are among many.
19 God will hear and answer them,[c]
he who is enthroned from of old, Selah
Because they do not change,
and they do not fear God.
20 He has put forth his hands against his friends;[d]
he has defiled his covenant.
21 The buttery words[e] of his mouth were smooth,
but there was battle in his heart.
His words were smoother than oil,
but they were drawn swords.
22 Cast your burden on Yahweh,
and he will sustain you.
He will never allow the righteous to be moved.[f]
23 But you, O God, you will bring them down to the pit of corruption.
The men of bloodshed and deceit will not live half their days,
but I will trust you.
Esther’s Banquet
5 And it happened, on the third day, and Esther put on royal clothes, and she stood in the inner courtyard of the king’s palace,[a] opposite the king’s palace;[b] the king was sitting on his royal throne in the throne room[c] opposite the doorway of the palace. 2 When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard she found favor in his eyes, and the king held out the gold scepter that was in his hand to Esther, and Esther approached and touched the top of the scepter. 3 And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It will be given to you—even half the kingdom.” 4 And Esther said, “If it is good to the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.” 5 And the king said, “Bring Haman quickly to fulfill[d] the request of Esther.” So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared. 6 And the king said to Esther while they were drinking wine,[e] “What is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even half the kingdom, it will done. 7 And Esther answered and said, “This is my petition and my request. 8 If I have found favor in the eyes of the king,[f] and if it is good to the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I will prepare for them tomorrow, and I will do according to the word of the king.
9 And Haman went out on that day rejoicing and feeling good.[g] But when Haman saw Mordecai at the gate of the king, and he did not rise or tremble before him, Haman was filled with rage toward[h] Mordecai. 10 But Haman controlled himself and went to his house, and he sent for and brought his friends and Zeresh his wife. 11 And Haman recounted to them the splendor of his wealth and the number of his sons and all the ways that the king had honored him and promoted him above the officials and king’s servants. 12 And Haman added,[i] “Esther the Queen did not let just anyone come to the banquet that she prepared with the king except me, and I am also invited tomorrow to her banquet with the king. 13 But all this fails to satisfy me[j] when[k] I see Mordecai the Jew setting at the gate of the king.” 14 And Zeresh his wife and all of his friends said to him, “Let them make a gallows fifty cubits[l] high, and in the morning tell the king, “Let them hang Mordecai on it; then go with the king to the banquet happily.” The advice pleased Haman, so he had the gallows made.
Do Not Be Judged by Human Religious Rules
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you with reference to eating or[a] drinking or participation in a feast or a new moon or a Sabbath, 17 which are a shadow of what is to come, but the reality is Christ. 18 Let no one condemn you, taking pleasure in humility and the worship of angels, going into detail about the things which he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by the ligaments and sinews, grows with the growth of God.
20 If you have died with Christ to the elemental spirits of the world, why do you submit to them as if living in the world? 21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch,” 22 which things are all meant for destruction by consuming according to human commandments and teachings, 23 which things although they have[b],[c] to be sure, an appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and humility and unsparing treatment of the body, do not have any value[d] against the indulgence of the flesh.
Seek the Things Above
3 Therefore, if you have been raised together with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
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