Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
16 Let death strike my enemies by surprise;
let them descend alive to the netherworld,
for evil dwells in their homes
and in the depths of their hearts.[a]
17 [b]But I make my appeal to God,
and the Lord will save me.
18 Evening, morning, and noon[c]
I will cry out in my distress,
and he will hear my voice.
19 [d]He will deliver me in peace and safety
from those who are arrayed against me,
even though there are many of them.
20 God will hear me and humiliate them,
he who has been enthroned forever. Selah
For they neither change their ways
nor have any fear of God.
21 My companion treats his friends harshly
and breaks his covenant.
22 His speech is smoother than butter,
but war is in his heart.
His words are more soothing than oil,
yet in reality they are drawn swords.
23 Entrust your cares to the Lord,
and he will uphold you;[e]
he will never allow the righteous to waver.
Chapter 5
Esther’s Request to the King. [1 [a]On the third day, Esther donned her royal garments and positioned herself in the inner courtyard in front of the king’s hall. The king was seated on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. 2 When he spotted Queen Esther standing in the courtyard, he made her welcome by holding out the golden scepter that was in his hand. So Esther came near and touched the top of the scepter.]
3 Then the king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even if it should be half of my kingdom,[b] it will be given to you.”
4 “If it pleases the king,” Esther replied, “I would like you and Haman to be my guests today at a banquet that I have prepared for you.”
5 Thereupon the king exclaimed, “Hurry, bring Haman here so that we may do what Esther wishes.” With that, the king and Haman went to Esther’s banquet.
6 As they were drinking wine, the king again asked Esther, “Now, what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even if it is up to half of my kingdom, it will be granted.”
7 Esther replied, “My petition and my request is this: 8 If I have found favor with the king and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to another banquet that I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s question.”
Haman’s Rage against Mordecai. 9 When Haman left that day he was happy and in a good mood. But when he caught sight of Mordecai at the king’s gate and noted that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was consumed with rage toward Mordecai. 10 Nonetheless, he was able to control himself and go home.
Then he invited his friends to his house and asked his wife, Zeresh, to join them. 11 Haman boasted to them about his great wealth, his many sons, and about the honor the king had paid him by promoting him above the other nobles and officials. 12 “And even more than this,” Haman added, “Queen Esther invited me as the only one to the banquet with the king today, and tomorrow I am again invited to be her guest with the king. 13 Yet I get no pleasure out of any of this as long as I see that Jew Mordecai seated at the king’s gate.”
14 Then his wife, Zeresh, and all his friends suggested, “Why not have a gibbet set up, fifty cubits high,[c] and in the morning ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go to the banquet with the king and enjoy yourself.” Haman liked the idea, and he had the gibbet built.
16 The Reality Is Christ.[a] Therefore, do not allow anyone to pass judgment on you in regard to what you eat or drink, or about the observance of Festivals, New Moons, or Sabbaths.[b] 17 These are only a shadow of what is to come. The reality is Christ.
18 Do not allow yourself to be declared disqualified by those who revel in false humility and worship angels and visions, their vanity foolishly inflated by a human way of thinking. 19 They are not united with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, achieves the growth that comes from God.
20 Since you died with Christ to the elemental principles of this world, why are you living in the world as if you were subject to it? 21 “Do not handle!” “Do not taste!” “Do not touch!” 22 All this refers to things that perish as they are used. They are simply human commands and teachings. 23 Rules of this type indeed appear to be wise in promoting self-imposed piety, false humility, and harsh treatment of the body, but they are of no value in combating the flesh.
Exhortation To Live as Christians
Chapter 3
Seek the Things That Are Above.[c] 1 Therefore, since you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand.
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