Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

83 Do not keep silent, O God. Do not be still, and do not cease, O God.

² For lo, Your enemies murmur and those who hate You have lifted up the head.

³ They have taken crafty counsel against Your people and have consulted against Your treasured ones.

⁴ They have said, “Come and let us cut them off from being a nation. And let the name of Israel be in remembrance no more.”

⁹ Do to them as to the Midianites, as to Sisera and as to Jabin at the river of Kishon.

¹⁰ They perished at En Dor and were dung for the Earth.

¹⁷ Let them be confounded and troubled forever. Indeed, let them be put to shame and perish,

¹⁸ so that they may know that You, Who are called JEHOVAH, are alone, the Most High over all the Earth. To him who excels upon Gittith: A Psalm committed to the sons of Korah

7 So, the king and Haman came to banquet with Queen Esther.

² And the king repeated to Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, “What is your petition, Queen Esther that it may be given to you? And what is your request? It shall be done, even up to the half of the kingdom.”

³ And Esther the Queen answered, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given to me at my petition, and my people at my request.

⁴ “For we are sold —I and my people —to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. If we were merely sold as servants and handmaids, I would have held my tongue, for it would not have been worth the king’s time.”

⁵ Then king Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he? And where is he who presumes to do this?”

⁶ And Esther said, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman.” Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.

⁷ And the king arose from the banquet of wine in his wrath and went into the palace garden. But Haman stood up to beg Queen Esther for his life. For he saw that the king intended to do him harm.

⁸ And when the king came out of the palace garden into the house again, where they had been drinking wine, Haman had fallen upon the bed where Esther sat. Therefore, the King said, “Will he also force himself on the queen before me in the house?!” As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.

⁹ And Harbonah, one of the eunuchs, said in the presence of the king, “Behold, a hanging tree still stands at Haman’s house, 75 feet high, which Haman had prepared for Mordecai, who spoke well of the king.” Then the King said, “Hang him on it.”

¹⁰ So they hanged Haman on the tree that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the King’s wrath was pacified.

⁴⁵ “Who then is a faithful servant (and wise), whom his master has made ruler over his household, to give them food in season?

⁴⁶ “Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, shall find so doing.

⁴⁷ “Truly I say to you that he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

⁴⁸ “But if that evil servant shall say in his heart, ‘My master delays his coming’,

⁴⁹ “and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken,

⁵⁰ “that servant’s master will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour of which he is not aware,

⁵¹ “and will cut him in two and give him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”