Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
16 But I will call to God for help,
and the Lord will ·save me [give me victory].
17 Morning, noon, and ·night [L evening] I ·am troubled and upset [sigh and moan],
but he will listen to ·me [L my voice].
18 Many are against me,
but he ·keeps me safe [L redeems/ransoms me whole/in peace] in battle.
19 God who ·lives forever [or is enthroned from of old]
will hear me and ·punish [L humble] them. ·
But they will not change;
they do not fear God [Prov. 1:7].
20 ·The one who was my friend attacks his friends [L He sends his hand against his friend]
and ·breaks [violates; profanes] his ·promises [covenant; treaty].
21 His words are ·slippery like [L smoother than] butter,
but war is in his heart.
His words are ·smoother [softer] than oil,
but they cut like ·knives [unsheathed swords; Prov. 5:3–4].
22 ·Give [L Cast; Throw] your ·worries [burden; L that which he has given you] to the Lord,
and he will ·take care of [sustain] you.
He will never let ·good [righteous] people ·down [L be moved].
23 But, God, you will bring down
the wicked to the ·grave [deepest pit; L pit of corruption].
Murderers and ·liars [deceivers] will ·live
only half a lifetime [L not live half their days].
But I will ·trust [have confidence] in you.
7 The king was ·very angry [filled with rage], got up, left his wine, and went out into the ·palace [L house] garden. But Haman stayed inside to beg Queen Esther ·to save [for] his life. He could see that the king had already decided ·to kill [L on calamity/disaster for] him.
8 When the king returned from the ·palace [L house] garden to the banquet hall, he saw Haman falling on the couch where Esther was ·lying [reclining]. The king said, “Will he even ·attack [assault; molest] the queen while I am in the house?”
As soon as the king said that, servants came in and covered Haman’s face [C signaling his doom]. 9 Harbona, one of the eunuchs there serving the king, said, “Look, a ·seventy-five-foot [L fifty cubits high] ·platform [gallows; pole] stands near Haman’s house. This is the one Haman had prepared for Mordecai, who ·gave the warning that saved [spoke out on behalf of] the king.”
The king said, “·Hang [Impale] Haman on it!” 10 So they ·hanged [impaled] Haman on the ·platform [gallows; pole] he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s anger subsided.
The King Helps the Jews
8 That same day King ·Xerxes [L Ahasuerus] gave Queen Esther ·everything belonging to [the estate of; L the house of] Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came in to see the king, because Esther had ·told [disclosed/revealed to] the king how he was related to her. 2 Then the king took off his signet ring that he had taken back from Haman, and he gave it to Mordecai. Esther put Mordecai ·in charge of everything belonging to [L over the house of] Haman.
3 Once again Esther spoke to the king. She fell at the king’s feet and ·cried [wept] and ·begged [implored] him to stop the evil ·plan [plot] that Haman the Agagite had ·planned [devised] against the Jews [C Esther wisely did not implicate the king in the plan]. 4 The king ·held out [extended] the gold scepter to Esther. So Esther got up and stood in front of him.
5 She said, “My king, if ·you are pleased with me [L I have found favor in the king’s sight], and if it ·pleases [seems good to] you to do this, if you think it is the right thing to do, and if ·you are happy with me [I am pleasing/attractive to you], let an ·order [edict; decree] be written to ·cancel [revoke; rescind] the ·letters [dispatches; scrolls] Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite ·wrote [devised] to destroy the Jews in all of your ·kingdom [L provinces]. 6 ·I could not stand [L How could I endure…?] to see that ·terrible thing [calamity; disaster] ·happen to [L fall on] my people. ·I could not stand [L How could I endure…?] to see my ·family [relatives; L kindred] ·killed [destroyed].”
7 King ·Xerxes [L Ahasuerus] answered Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, “Because Haman was against the Jews, I have given his ·things [estate; property] to Esther, and my soldiers have ·hanged [impaled] him on the ·platform [gallows; pole]. 8 Now, in the king’s name, write another ·order [edict; decree] ·to [concerning] the Jews as seems ·best [appropriate] to you. Then seal the ·order [edict; decree] with the king’s signet ring, because no ·letter [dispatch] written in the king’s name and sealed with his signet ring can be ·canceled [revoked; rescinded].”
9 At that time the king’s ·secretaries [scribes] were called. This was the twenty-third day of the third month [C June 25], which is Sivan. The secretaries wrote out all of Mordecai’s ·orders [commands] ·to [concerning] the Jews, to the governors, to the ·captains of the soldiers [high officials] in each ·state [province], and to the ·important men [nobles] of the one hundred twenty-seven ·states [provinces] that reached from India to Cush [1:1]. They wrote in the ·writing [script] of each ·state [province] and in the language of each people. They also wrote to the Jews in their own ·writing [script] and language. 10 Mordecai wrote ·orders [edicts; decrees] in the name of King ·Xerxes [L Ahasuerus] and sealed the ·letters [dispatches; scrolls] with the king’s signet ring. Then he sent the king’s ·orders [edicts; decrees] by ·messengers [couriers] on fast horses, horses that were ·raised [bred] ·just [especially] for the king.
11 These were the king’s ·orders [edicts; decrees]: The Jews in every city have the right to ·gather together [assemble] to ·protect themselves [defend their lives]. They may destroy, kill, and ·completely wipe out [annihilate] the army of any ·state [province] or ·people [nation] who attack them [C the king could not cancel his previous unalterable decree, but he could allow the Jews to defend themselves and attack], including their women and children. They may also ·take by force [plunder; confiscate] the property of their enemies. 12 The one day set for the Jews to do this in all the ·empire [provinces] of King ·Xerxes [L Ahasuerus] was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month [C March 7, about twelve months after Haman devised his plot], the month of Adar. 13 A copy of the king’s ·order [edict; decree] was to be ·sent out [issued; presented] as a law in every ·state [province]. It was to be made known to ·the people of every nation living in the kingdom [L all the peoples] so the Jews would be ready on that set day to ·strike back at [avenge themselves on] their enemies.
14 The ·messengers [couriers] hurried out, riding on the royal horses, urged on by the king’s command. And the ·order [edict; decree] was also given in the ·palace [citadel; fortress; 1:2] at Susa.
15 Mordecai left the king’s presence wearing royal ·clothes [garments] of blue and white and a large gold crown. He also had a purple ·robe [mantle] made of the best linen. And the people of Susa shouted for joy. 16 It was a time of ·happiness [L light], joy, gladness, and honor for the Jews. 17 As the king’s ·order [edict; decree] went to every ·state [province] and city, there was joy and gladness among the Jews. In every ·state [province] and city to which the king’s ·order [edict; decree] went, they were having ·feasts [banquets] and ·celebrating [holidays]. And many ·people through all the empire [L peoples of the land] ·became [professed/pretended to be] Jews, because ·they were afraid of the Jews [L dread of the Jews had fallen on them].
Love All People(A)
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy [Lev. 19:18].’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies. Pray for those who ·hurt [persecute] you.[a] 45 ·If you do this, […so that] you will be ·true children [L children; or sons] of your Father in heaven. [L For] He causes ·the [L his] sun to rise on evil people and on good people, and he sends rain ·to those who do right and to those who do wrong [L on the just/righteous and the unjust/unrighteous]. 46 [L For] If you love only the people who love you, ·you will get no reward [what reward is there for that?]. ·Even [L Don’t even…?] the tax collectors do that. 47 And if you ·are nice only to your friends [L greet only your brothers; C probably meaning fellow Jews], ·you are no better than other people [L what more are you doing (than others)?]. Even ·those who don’t know God [the Gentiles; pagans] ·are nice to their friends [L do the same]. 48 ·So [Therefore] you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
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