Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The Lord’s Goodness to the Faithful

A Psalm of David.

Mordecai Discovers a Plot

¹⁹ When virgins were gathered together a second time, Mordecai sat within the king’s gate. ^20 (A)Now Esther had not revealed her family and her people, just as Mordecai had charged her, for Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai as when she was brought up by him.

²¹ In those days, while Mordecai sat within the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, ^[a]Bigthan and Teresh, doorkeepers, became furious and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. ²² So the matter became known to Mordecai, ^(B)who told Queen Esther, and Esther informed the king in Mordecai’s name. ²³ And when an inquiry was made into the matter, it was confirmed, and both were hanged on a gallows; and it was written in ^(C)the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.

Haman’s Conspiracy Against the Jews

3 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the ^(D)Agagite, and ^(E)advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him. ² And all the king’s servants who were ^(F)within the king’s gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But Mordecai ^(G)would not bow or pay homage. ³ Then the king’s servants who were within the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the ^(H)king’s command?” ⁴ Now it happened, when they spoke to him daily and he would not listen to them, that they told it to Haman, to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand; for Mordecai had told them that he was a Jew. ⁵ When Haman saw that Mordecai ^(I)did not bow or pay him homage, Haman was ^(J)filled with wrath. ⁶ But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of the people of Mordecai. Instead, Haman ^(K)sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus—the people of Mordecai.

Matthias Chosen^(A)

¹⁵ And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the ^[a]disciples (altogether the number ^(B)of names was about a hundred and twenty), and said, ¹⁶ “Men and brethren, this Scripture had to be fulfilled, ^(C)which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David concerning Judas, ^(D)who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus; ¹⁷ for ^(E)he was numbered with us and obtained a part in ^(F)this ministry.”

^18 (G)(Now this man purchased a field with ^(H)the ^[b]wages of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his ^[c]entrails gushed out. ¹⁹ And it became known to all those dwelling in Jerusalem; so that field is called in their own language, Akel Dama, that is, Field of Blood.)

²⁰ “For it is written in the Book of Psalms:

and,