Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
16 As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon will I pray and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.
18 He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me, for there were many with me.
19 God shall hear and afflict them, even He that abideth of old. Selah Because they have not changed, therefore they fear not God.
20 He hath put forth his hands against those that are at peace with him; he hath broken his covenant.
21 The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet were they drawn swords.
22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
23 But Thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction; bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in Thee.
6 On that night the king could not sleep; and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles, and they were read before the king.
2 And it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.
3 And the king said, “What honor and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this?” Then said the king’s servants who ministered unto him, “There is nothing done for him.”
4 And the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had come into the outer court of the king’s house to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.
5 And the king’s servants said unto him, “Behold, Haman standeth in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.”
6 So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, “What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor?” Now Haman thought in his heart, “To whom would the king delight to do honor more than to myself?”
7 And Haman answered the king, “For the man whom the king delighteth to honor,
8 let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head.
9 And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that they may array the man thereby whom the king delighteth to honor; and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honor!’”
10 Then the king said to Haman, “Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew who sitteth at the king’s gate. Let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.”
11 Then Haman took the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, “Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honor!”
12 And Mordecai came again to the king’s gate. But Haman hastened to his house, mourning and having his head covered.
13 And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, “If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.”
14 And while they were yet talking with him, the king’s chamberlains came and hastened to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.
7 So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen.
2 And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, “What is thy petition, Queen Esther? And it shall be granted thee. And what is thy request? And it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom.”
3 Then Esther the queen answered and said, “If I have found favor in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request.
4 For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain and to perish. But if we had been sold as bondmen and bondwomen, I would have held my tongue, although the enemy could not compensate for the king’s damage.”
5 Then King Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, “Who is he, and where is he, who dared presume in his heart to do so?”
6 And Esther said, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman.” Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.
30 What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith;
31 but Israel, who followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
32 Why so? Because they sought it not by faith but, as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone.
33 As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whosoever believeth in Him shall not be ashamed.”
10 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved.
2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For they, being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth.
Copyright © 1994 by Deuel Enterprises, Inc.