Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
16 (17) As for me, I will call upon Elohim; and Hashem shall save me.
17 (18) Erev, and boker, and at tzohorayim (noon), will I pray, and cry aloud; and He shall hear my kol (voice).
18 (19) He hath redeemed my nefesh in shalom from the battle that was against me; for there were rabbim against me.
19 (20) El (G-d) shall hear, and afflict them, even He that abideth kedem (of old, forever). Selah. Because they do not change, therefore they fear not Elohim.
20 (21) He [the faithless friend of verse 13-14] hath laid his hands on such as are at shalom with him; he hath broken his Brit.
21 (22) The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his lev; his devarim were softer than shemen, yet they were drawn swords.
22 (23) Cast thy burden upon Hashem, and He shall sustain thee; He shall never suffer the tzaddik to be moved.
23 (24) But Thou, O Elohim, shalt bring them down into the pit of shachat; anshei damim umirmah (bloody and deceitful men) shall not live out half their yamim; but I will trust in Thee.
6 On that night HaMelech’s sleep fled away, and he commanded to bring the sefer of records of the chronicles; and they were read before HaMelech.
2 And it was found written, that Mordechai had told of Bigtan and Teresh, two of the sarisim of HaMelech, the Mishomrei HaSaf (Keepers of the Door, the Doorkeepers) who conspired to assassinate HaMelech Achashverosh.
3 And HaMelech said, What yekar (honor [see 1:4,20]) and what recognition hath been done to Mordechai for this? Then said the servants of HaMelech that ministered unto him, Nothing has been done for him.
4 And HaMelech said, Who is in the khatzer (court)? Now Haman was come into the Khatzer HaKhitzonah (Outer Court) of the Beis HaMelech, to speak unto HaMelech lit’lot (to hang; see Esth 2:23) Mordechai on HaEtz that he had erected for him. [T.N. See Moshiach Ben Dovid hanging on a tree 2Sm 18:10 as well as the specter of the same fate for this descendant of the first royal family of Israel].
5 And the servants of HaMelech said unto him, Hinei, Haman standeth in the khatzer. And HaMelech said, Let him come in.
6 So Haman came in. And HaMelech said unto him, What shall be done unto the ish whom HaMelech delighteth to show yekar (see 1:4,20: 6:3)? Now Haman thought in his lev, To whom would HaMelech delight to do yekar more than to myself?
7 And Haman answered HaMelech, For the ish HaMelech delighteth to show yekar (honor)
8 Let the levush malkhut (royal robe, clothing) be brought which HaMelech has worn, and the sus (horse) that HaMelech rideth upon, and the keter malkhut (royal crown, crest) which is set upon its head,
9 And let this levush and sus be delivered to the hand of one of the most noble sarim (princes) of HaMelech, that they may array the ish therewith whom HaMelech delighteth to show yekar [see 1:4,20;6:3,6], and bring him on horseback through the rechov of the ir, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the ish whom HaMelech delighteth to show yekar.
10 Then HaMelech said to Haman, Make haste, and take the levush and the sus, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordechai HaYehudi, that sitteth at the Sha’ar HaMelech; leave nothing undone of all that thou hast spoken.
11 Then took Haman the levush and the sus, and arrayed Mordechai, and brought him on horseback through the rechov of the ir, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the ish whom HaMelech delighteth to show yekar.
12 And Mordechai came again to the Sha’ar HaMelech. But Haman hasted to his bais, having his head covered in evel (mourning [see 4:3]).
13 And Haman told Zeresh his isha and all his ohavim everything that had befallen him. Then said his chachamim and Zeresh his isha unto him, If Mordechai be of the zera of the Yehudim, before whom thy downfall hast begun, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt nafol tipol (surely fall) before him [see Mt 27:19].
14 And while they were yet talking with him, came the sarisim of HaMelech, and hasted to bring Haman unto the mishteh (banquet) that Ester had prepared.
7 So HaMelech and Haman came to banquet with Ester HaMalkah.
2 And HaMelech said again unto Ester on the yom hasheni (second day) at the mishteh hayayin (feast), What is thy she’elah (petition), Ester HaMalkah? And it shall be granted thee; and what is thy bakash (request)? And it shall be performed, even to chatzi HaMalchut.
3 Then Ester HaMalkah answered and said, If I have found chen (favor) in thy sight, O HaMelech, and if it is tov to HaMelech, let nafshi (my life) be given me at my she’elah (petition), and my Am at my bakash (request);
4 For we are sold, Ani (I) and Ami (my People), to be made shmad, to be slain, and to be annihilated. But if we had been sold for avadim and shfakhot, I would have held my tongue, since then the tzoros would not have been such as to injure the interests of HaMelech.
5 Then HaMelech Achashverosh answered and said unto Ester HaMalkah, Who is he, and where is he, who dares to presume in his lev to do such?
6 And Ester said, HaTzar (the foe) and the oyev (enemy) is this Haman HaRah (Vile Haman). Then Haman was terrified before HaMelech and HaMalkah.
30 What then shall we say? That Goyim who do not pursue Tzedek (righteousness) have attained Tzedek which is Tzedek through emunah,
31 Whereas Yisroel pursuing a Tzedek (righteousness) based on the Torah (see Ga 3:12-13) did not arrive at that Torah?
32 Why so? Because it was not on the mekor (basis) of emunah but on the mekor (basis) of [zechus-earning] ma’asim (works 3:20,28; 4:2,6; 9:11-12). They have stumbled over the EVEN NEGEF ("Stone of Stumbling" Isa 8:14; 28:16),
33 As it is written "Hinei, I place in Tziyon a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense; and he who believes in Me shall not be put to shame" (Isa 8:14; 28:16).
10 Achim b’Moshiach, the great tshuka (desire, longing) of my lev and my tefillah to Hashem is for the Yeshu’at Yisroel (salvation of Israel).
2 For I can be meid (provide testimony, attest) regarding them that they have a kinat Hashem (zeal for G-d), but not in accordance with saving binah and da’as.
3 For, having no saving da’as of the Tzidkat Hashem (the righteousness of G-d), and seeking to establish their own (that is, self-attained) they have not subjected themselves to the Tzidkat Hashem (righteousness of G-d 1:17; 3:5,21,25-26; 6:18).
4 For Moshiach is the goal of the Torah as a means to being YITZDAK IM HASHEM, for all who have emunah.
Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2011 by Artists for Israel International