Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

122 To thee have I lifted up my eyes, who dwellest in heaven.

² Behold as the eyes of the servants are on the hands of their masters, As the eyes of the handmaid are on the hands of her mistress: so are our eyes unto the Lord our God, until he have mercy on us.

³ Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us: for we are greatly filled with contempt.

⁴ For our soul is greatly filled: we are a reproach to the rich, and contempt to the proud.

9 So on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which as we have said above is called Adar, when all the Jews were designed to be massacred, and their enemies were greedy after their blood, the case being altered, the Jews began to have the upper hand, and to revenge themselves of their adversaries.

² And they gathered themselves together in every city, and town, and place, to lay their hands on their enemies, and their persecutors. And no one durst withstand them, for the fear of their power had gone through every people.

³ And the judges of the provinces, and the governors, and lieutenants, and every one in dignity, that presided over every place and work, extolled the Jews for fear of Mardochai:

⁴ For they knew him to be prince of the palace, and to have great power: and the fame of his name increased daily, and was spread abroad through all men's mouths.

⁵ So the Jews made a great slaughter of their enemies, and killed them, repaying according to what they had prepared to do to them:

¹⁸ But they that were killing in the city of Susan, were employed in the slaughter on the thirteenth and fourteenth day of the same month: and on the fifteenth day they rested. And therefore they appointed that day to be a holy day of feasting and gladness.

¹⁹ But those Jews that dwelt in towns not walled and in villages, appointed the fourteenth day of the month Adar for banquets and gladness, so as to rejoice on that day, and send one another portions of their banquets and meats.

²⁰ And Mardochai wrote all these things, and sent them comprised in letters to the Jews that abode in all the king's provinces, both those that lay near and those afar off,

²¹ That they should receive the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the month Adar for holy days, and always at the return of the year should celebrate them with solemn honour:

²² Because on those days the Jews revenged themselves of their enemies, and their mourning and sorrow were turned into mirth and joy, and that these should be days of feasting and gladness, in which they should send one to another portions of meats; and should give gifts to the poor.

²³ And the Jews undertook to observe with solemnity all they had begun to do at that time, which Mardochai by letters had commanded to be done.

⁴ And I say to you, my friends: Be not afraid of them who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

⁵ But I will shew you whom you shall fear: fear ye him, who after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell. Yea, I say to you, fear him.

⁶ Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?

⁷ Yea, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: you are of more value than many sparrows.

⁸ And I say to you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God.

⁹ But he that shall deny me before men, shall be denied before the angels of God.

¹⁰ And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but to him that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven.

¹¹ And when they shall bring you into the synagogues, and to magistrates and powers, be not solicitous how or what you shall answer, or what you shall say;

¹² For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what you must say.