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Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with thematically matched Old and New Testament readings.
Duration: 1245 days
New International Version (NIV)
Version
Psalm 7

Psalm 7[a]

A shiggaion[b](A) of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

Lord my God, I take refuge(B) in you;
    save and deliver me(C) from all who pursue me,(D)
or they will tear me apart like a lion(E)
    and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue(F) me.

Lord my God, if I have done this
    and there is guilt on my hands(G)
if I have repaid my ally with evil
    or without cause(H) have robbed my foe—
then let my enemy pursue and overtake(I) me;
    let him trample my life to the ground(J)
    and make me sleep in the dust.[c](K)

Arise,(L) Lord, in your anger;
    rise up against the rage of my enemies.(M)
    Awake,(N) my God; decree justice.
Let the assembled peoples gather around you,
    while you sit enthroned over them on high.(O)
    Let the Lord judge(P) the peoples.
Vindicate me, Lord, according to my righteousness,(Q)
    according to my integrity,(R) O Most High.(S)
Bring to an end the violence of the wicked
    and make the righteous secure—(T)
you, the righteous God(U)
    who probes minds and hearts.(V)

10 My shield[d](W) is God Most High,
    who saves the upright in heart.(X)
11 God is a righteous judge,(Y)
    a God who displays his wrath(Z) every day.
12 If he does not relent,(AA)
    he[e] will sharpen his sword;(AB)
    he will bend and string his bow.(AC)
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
    he makes ready his flaming arrows.(AD)

14 Whoever is pregnant with evil
    conceives trouble and gives birth(AE) to disillusionment.
15 Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out
    falls into the pit(AF) they have made.(AG)
16 The trouble they cause recoils on them;
    their violence comes down on their own heads.

17 I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness;(AH)
    I will sing the praises(AI) of the name of the Lord Most High.(AJ)

Esther 8:3-17

Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite,(A) which he had devised against the Jews. Then the king extended the gold scepter(B) to Esther and she arose and stood before him.

“If it pleases the king,” she said, “and if he regards me with favor(C) and thinks it the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces. For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?”(D)

King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to Esther, and they have impaled(E) him on the pole he set up. Now write another decree(F) in the king’s name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal(G) it with the king’s signet ring(H)—for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.”(I)

At once the royal secretaries were summoned—on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan. They wrote out all Mordecai’s orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush.[a](J) These orders were written in the script of each province and the language of each people and also to the Jews in their own script and language.(K) 10 Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes, sealed the dispatches with the king’s signet ring, and sent them by mounted couriers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king.

11 The king’s edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate the armed men of any nationality or province who might attack them and their women and children,[b] and to plunder(L) the property of their enemies. 12 The day appointed for the Jews to do this in all the provinces of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar.(M) 13 A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so that the Jews would be ready on that day(N) to avenge themselves on their enemies.

14 The couriers, riding the royal horses, went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa.(O)

The Triumph of the Jews

15 When Mordecai(P) left the king’s presence, he was wearing royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold(Q) and a purple robe of fine linen.(R) And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration.(S) 16 For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy,(T) gladness and honor.(U) 17 In every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came, there was joy(V) and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear(W) of the Jews had seized them.(X)

Revelation 19:1-9

Threefold Hallelujah Over Babylon’s Fall

19 After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude(A) in heaven shouting:

“Hallelujah!(B)
Salvation(C) and glory and power(D) belong to our God,
    for true and just are his judgments.(E)
He has condemned the great prostitute(F)
    who corrupted the earth by her adulteries.
He has avenged on her the blood of his servants.”(G)

And again they shouted:

“Hallelujah!(H)
The smoke from her goes up for ever and ever.”(I)

The twenty-four elders(J) and the four living creatures(K) fell down(L) and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:

“Amen, Hallelujah!”(M)

Then a voice came from the throne, saying:

“Praise our God,
    all you his servants,(N)
you who fear him,
    both great and small!”(O)

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude,(P) like the roar of rushing waters(Q) and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:

“Hallelujah!(R)
    For our Lord God Almighty(S) reigns.(T)
Let us rejoice and be glad
    and give him glory!(U)
For the wedding of the Lamb(V) has come,
    and his bride(W) has made herself ready.
Fine linen,(X) bright and clean,
    was given her to wear.”

(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts(Y) of God’s holy people.)

Then the angel said to me,(Z) “Write this:(AA) Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!”(AB) And he added, “These are the true words of God.”(AC)

New International Version (NIV)

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