Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
A Prayer Against the Enemies
A song. A psalm of Asaph [C a Levitical musician, a descendant of Gershon, at the time of David; 1 Chr. 6:39; 15:17; 2 Chr. 5:12].
83 God, do not keep quiet;
God, do not be silent or still.
2 Your enemies are ·making noises [in tumult];
those who hate you ·are getting ready to attack [L raise up their head; 2:1].
3 They are making secret ·plans [plots] against your people;
they plot against those you ·love [cherish; treasure].
4 They say, “Come, let’s ·destroy them [wipe them out] as a nation.
Then no one will ever remember the name ‘Israel.’”
9 God, do to them what you did to Midian,
what you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon ·River [Wadi; Judg. 4–5].
10 They ·died [were destroyed] at Endor,
·and their bodies rotted [L like dung/manure] on the ground.
17 Make them afraid and ashamed forever.
·Disgrace [Humiliate] them and destroy them.
18 Then they will know that ·you are the Lord [L the Lord is your name],
that only you are God Most High over all the earth.
Haman Is Hanged
7 So the king and Haman went in to ·eat [L drink; C a reference to elaborate feasting] with Queen Esther. 2 As they were drinking wine on ·the second day [or this second occasion; 5:4–6], the king asked Esther again, “What ·are you asking for [is your petition]? I will ·give it to you [grant it]. What is ·it you want [your request]? ·I will give you [Ask for] as much as half of my kingdom and it shall be done.”
3 Then Queen Esther answered, “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, let me live. This is ·what I ask [my petition]. And let my people live, too. This is ·what I want [my request]. 4 My people and I have been sold to be destroyed, ·killed [slaughtered] and ·completely wiped out [annihilated]. If we had ·merely [only; simply] been sold as male and female slaves, I would have ·kept quiet [remained silent], because that would not ·be enough of a problem to bother [have justified/been sufficent for troubling] the king.”
5 Then King ·Xerxes [L Ahasuerus] asked Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he? Who has ·done [dared; presumed to do] such a thing?”
6 Esther said, “Our ·enemy [oppressor; adversary] and foe is this ·wicked [evil] Haman!”
Then Haman was filled with terror before the king and queen. 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 Story of the Two Servants(A)
45 “Who is the ·loyal [faithful; trusted] and ·wise [sensible] ·servant [slave] that the master ·trusts [L puts in charge of his household] to give ·the other servants [L them] their food at the right time? 46 That servant will be ·blessed [happy; or rewarded] when the master comes and finds him doing his work. 47 I tell you the truth, the master will ·choose that servant to take care [put him in charge] of everything he owns. 48 But suppose that evil servant thinks to himself, ‘My master ·will not come back soon [will be away for a long time; is delayed],’ 49 and he begins to beat the other servants and eat and ·get drunk with others like him [drink with drunkards]? 50 The master [L of that servant/slave] will come [L on a day] when that servant is not ready and [L at an hour when he] is not expecting him. 51 Then the master will cut him in pieces and ·send him away to be [L assign/appoint him a place] with the hypocrites, where ·people will cry and grind their teeth with pain [T there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth; C indicating agony and remorse].
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