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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with sequential stories told across multiple weeks.

Duration: 1245 days

Psalm 124

Psalm 124^[a]

A song of ascents;^[b] by David.

124 “If the Lord had not been on our side”—
let Israel say this.—
²if the Lord had not been on our side,
when men attacked us,^[c]
³they would have swallowed us alive,
when their anger raged against us.
⁴The water would have overpowered us;
the current^[d] would have overwhelmed^[e] us.^[f]
⁵The raging water
would have overwhelmed us.^[g]
⁶The Lord deserves praise,^[h]
for^[i] he did not hand us over as prey to their teeth.
⁷We escaped with our lives,^[j] like a bird from a hunter’s snare.
The snare broke, and we escaped.
⁸Our deliverer is the Lord,^[k]
the Creator^[l] of heaven and earth.

Esther 2

Esther Becomes Queen in Vashti’s Place

2 When these things had been accomplished^[a] and the rage of King Ahasuerus had diminished, he remembered^[b] Vashti and what she had done and what had been decided^[c] against her. ²The king’s servants who attended him said, “Let a search be conducted on the king’s behalf for attractive young women.^[d] ³And let the king appoint officers throughout all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the attractive young women to Susa the citadel, to the harem^[e] under the authority of Hegai, the king’s eunuch who oversees the women, and let him provide whatever cosmetics they desire.^[f] ⁴Let the young woman whom the king finds most attractive^[g] become queen in place of Vashti.” This seemed like a good idea to the king,^[h] so he acted accordingly.

⁵Now there happened to be a Jewish man in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai.^[i] He was the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite, ⁶who had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the captives who had been carried into exile with Jeconiah^[j] king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken into exile. ⁷Now he was acting as the guardian of^[k] Hadassah^[l] (that is, Esther), the daughter of his uncle, for neither her father nor her mother was alive.^[m] This young woman was very attractive and had a beautiful figure.^[n] When her father and mother died, Mordecai had raised her^[o] as if she were his own daughter.

⁸It so happened that when the king’s edict and his law became known^[p] many young women were taken to Susa the citadel to be placed under the authority of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the royal palace^[q] to be under the authority of Hegai, who was overseeing the women. ⁹This young woman pleased him,^[r] and she found favor with him. He quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her rations; he also provided her with the seven specially chosen^[s] young women who were from the palace. He then transferred her and her young women to the best quarters in the harem.^[t]

¹⁰Now Esther had not disclosed her people or her lineage,^[u] for Mordecai had instructed her not to do so.^[v] ¹¹And day after day Mordecai used to walk back and forth in front of the court of the harem in order to learn how Esther was doing^[w] and what might happen to her.

¹²At the end of the twelve months that were required for the women,^[x] when the turn of each young woman arrived to go to King Ahasuerus—for in this way they had to fulfill their time of cosmetic treatment: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfume and various ointments used by women— ¹³the woman would go to the king in the following way: Whatever she asked for would be provided for her to take with her from the harem to the royal palace. ¹⁴In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to a separate part^[y] of the harem, to the authority of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was overseeing the concubines. She would not go back to the king unless the king was pleased with her^[z] and she was requested by name.

¹⁵When it became the turn of Esther daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai (who had raised her as if she were his own daughter^[aa]) to go to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai the king’s eunuch, who was overseer of the women, had recommended. Yet Esther met with the approval of all who saw her. ¹⁶Then Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus at his royal residence in the tenth^[ab] month (that is, the month of Tebeth) in the seventh^[ac] year of his reign. ¹⁷And the king loved Esther more than all the other women, and she met with his loving approval^[ad] more than all the other young women.^[ae] So he placed the royal high turban on her head and appointed her queen^[af] in place of Vashti. ¹⁸Then the king prepared a large banquet for all his officials and his servants—it was actually Esther’s banquet. He also set aside a holiday for the provinces, and he provided for offerings at the king’s expense.^[ag]

Mordecai Learns of a Plot against the King

¹⁹Now when the young women were being gathered again,^[ah] Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.^[ai] ²⁰Esther was still not divulging her lineage or her people,^[aj] just as Mordecai had instructed her.^[ak] Esther continued to do whatever Mordecai said, just as she had done when he was raising her.

²¹In those days while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan^[al] and Teresh,^[am] two of the king’s eunuchs who protected the entrance,^[an] became angry and plotted to assassinate^[ao] King Ahasuerus. ²²When Mordecai learned of the conspiracy,^[ap] he informed Queen Esther,^[aq] and Esther told the king in Mordecai’s name. ²³The king then had the matter investigated and, finding it to be so, had the two conspirators^[ar] hanged on a gallows.^[as] It was then recorded in the daily chronicles in the king’s presence.

Footnotes

Esther 2:1 tn Heb “after these things” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). The expression is very vague from a temporal standpoint, not indicating precisely just how much time might have elapsed. Cf. v. 21.
Esther 2:1 sn There may be a tinge of regret expressed in the king’s remembrance of Vashti. There is perhaps a hint that he wished for her presence once again, although that was not feasible from a practical standpoint. The suggestions by the king’s attendants concerning a replacement seem to be an effort to overcome this nostalgia. Certainly it was to their advantage to seek the betterment of the king’s outlook. Those around him the most were probably the most likely to suffer the effects of his ire.
Esther 2:1 tn Or “decreed” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV); TEV “and about his proclamation against her.”
Esther 2:2 tn Heb “young women, virgins, good of form.” The same phrase also occurs in v. 3.
Esther 2:3 tn Heb “the house of the women” (so KJV, ASV). So also in vv. 9, 11, 13, and 14.
Esther 2:3 tn Heb “their ointments”; cf. NIV, CEV, NLT “beauty treatments.”
Esther 2:4 tn Heb “who is good in the eyes of the king.”
Esther 2:4 tn Heb “the matter was good in the eyes of the king.” Cf. TEV “The king thought this was good advice.”
Esther 2:5 sn Mordecai is a pagan name that reflects the name of the Babylonian deity Marduk. Probably many Jews of the period had two names, one for secular use and the other for use especially within the Jewish community. Mordecai’s Jewish name is not recorded in the biblical text.
Esther 2:6 sn Jeconiah is an alternative name for Jehoiachin. A number of modern English versions use the latter name to avoid confusion (e.g., NIV, NCV, TEV, NLT).
Esther 2:7 tn According to HALOT 64 s.v. II אמן the term אֹמֵן (ʾomen) means: (1) “attendant” of children (Num 11:12; Isa 49:23); (2) “guardian” (2 Kgs 10:1, 5; Esth 2:7); (3) “nurse-maid” (2 Sam 4:4; Ruth 4:16); and (4) “to look after” (Isa 60:4; Lam 4:5). Older lexicons did not distinguish this root from the homonym I אָמַן (ʾaman, “to support; to confirm”; cf. BDB 52 s.v. אָמַן). This is reflected in a number of translations by use of a phrase like “brought up” (KJV, ASV, RSV, NIV) or “bringing up” (NASB).
Esther 2:7 sn Hadassah is a Jewish name that probably means “myrtle”; the name Esther probably derives from the Persian word for “star,” although some scholars derive it from the name of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. Esther is not the only biblical character for whom two different names were used. Daniel (renamed Belteshazzar) and his three friends Hananiah (renamed Shadrach), Mishael (renamed Meshach), and Azariah (renamed Abednego) were also given different names by their captors.
Esther 2:7 tn Heb “for there was not to her father or mother.” This is universally understood to mean Esther’s father and mother were no longer alive.
Esther 2:7 tn Heb “beautiful of form.” The Hebrew noun תֹּאַר (toʾar, “form; shape”) is used elsewhere to describe the physical bodily shape of a beautiful woman (Gen 29:17; Deut 21:11; 1 Sam 25:3); see BDB 1061 s.v. Cf. TEV “had a good figure.”
Esther 2:7 tn Heb “had taken her to him.” The Hebrew verb לָקַח (laqakh, “to take”) describes Mordecai adopting Esther and treating her like his own daughter: “to take as one’s own property” as a daughter (HALOT 534 s.v. I לקח 6).
Esther 2:8 tn Heb “were heard” (so NASB); NRSV “were (had been NIV) proclaimed.”
Esther 2:8 tn Heb “the house of the king.” So also in vv. 9, 13. Cf. NLT “the king’s harem.”
Esther 2:9 tn Heb “was good in his eyes”; NLT “Hegai was very impressed with Esther.”
Esther 2:9 tn Heb “being looked at (with favor).”
Esther 2:9 tn Heb “of the house of the women” (so KJV, ASV). So also in vv. 11, 13, 14.
Esther 2:10 tn Cf. v. 20, where the same phrase occurs but with the word order reversed.
Esther 2:10 tn Heb “that she not tell” (NRSV similar); NASB “that she should not make them known.”
Esther 2:11 tn Heb “to know the peace of Esther.”
Esther 2:12 tc The LXX does not include the words “that were required for the women.”tn Heb “to be to her according to the law of the women”; NASB “under the regulations for the women.”
Esther 2:14 tn Heb “second.” The numerical adjective שֵׁנִי (sheni, “second”) is difficult here. As a modifier for “house” in v. 14 the word would presumably refer to a second part of the harem, one which was under the supervision of a separate official. But in this case the definite article would be expected before “second” (cf. LXX τὸν δεύτερον, ton deuteron). Some scholars emend the text to שֵׁנִית (shenit, “a second time”), but this does not completely resolve the difficulty since the meaning remains unclear. The translation adopted above follows the LXX and understands the word to refer to a separate group of women in the king’s harem, a group housed apparently in a distinct part of the residence complex.
Esther 2:14 tc The LXX does not include the words “was pleased with her.”
Esther 2:15 tn Heb “who had taken her to him as a daughter”; NRSV “who had adopted her as his own daughter.”
Esther 2:16 tc The Greek mss Codex Alexandrinus (A) and Codex Vaticanus (B) read “twelfth” here.
Esther 2:16 tc The Syriac Peshitta reads “fourth” here.
Esther 2:17 tn Heb “grace and loyal love.” The expression is probably a hendiadys.
Esther 2:17 tc The LXX does not include the words “more than all the other young women.”
Esther 2:17 tn Heb “caused her to rule.”
Esther 2:18 tc The LXX does not include the words “and he provided for offerings at the king’s expense.”
Esther 2:19 tc The LXX does not include the words “Now when the young women were being gathered again.” The Hebrew word שֵׁנִית (shenit, “a second time”) is difficult in v. 19, but apparently it refers to a subsequent regathering of the women to the harem.
Esther 2:19 sn That Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate apparently means that he was a high-ranking government official. It was at the city gate where important business was transacted. Being in this position afforded Mordecai an opportunity to become aware of the plot against the king’s life, although the author does not include the particular details of how this information first came to Mordecai’s attention.
Esther 2:20 sn That Esther was able so effectively to conceal her Jewish heritage suggests that she was not consistently observing Jewish dietary and religious requirements. As C. A. Moore observes, “In order for Esther to have concealed her ethnic and religious identity…in the harem, she must have eaten…, dressed, and lived like a Persian rather than an observant Jewess” (Esther [AB], 28.) In this regard her public behavior stands in contrast to that of Daniel, for example.
Esther 2:20 tc The LXX adds the words “to fear God.”
Esther 2:21 tn This individual is referred to as “Bigthana,” a variant spelling of the name, in Esth 6:2.
Esther 2:21 tc The LXX does not include the names “Bigthan and Teresh” here.
Esther 2:21 tn Heb “guarders of the threshold”; NIV “who guarded the doorway.”
Esther 2:21 tn Heb “sought to send a hand against”; CEV “decided to kill.”
Esther 2:22 sn The text of Esther does not disclose exactly how Mordecai learned about the plot against the king’s life. Ancient Jewish traditions state that Mordecai overheard conspiratorial conversation, or that an informant brought this information to him, or that it came to him as a result of divine prompting. These conjectures are all without adequate support from the biblical text. The author simply does not tell the source of Mordecai’s insight into this momentous event.
Esther 2:22 tc The LXX simply reads “Esther” and does not include “the queen.”
Esther 2:23 tn Heb “they both were hanged.” The referent (the two eunuchs who conspired against the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Esther 2:23 tn Or “on a pole”; KJV, ASV “on a tree.”

Acts 12:20-25

²⁰Now Herod^[a] was having an angry quarrel^[b] with the people of Tyre^[c] and Sidon.^[d] So they joined together^[e] and presented themselves before him. And after convincing^[f] Blastus, the king’s personal assistant,^[g] to help them,^[h] they asked for peace,^[i] because their country’s food supply was provided by the king’s country. ²¹On a day determined in advance, Herod^[j] put on his royal robes,^[k] sat down on the judgment seat,^[l] and made a speech^[m] to them. ²²But the crowd^[n] began to shout,^[o] “The voice of a god,^[p] and not of a man!” ²³Immediately an angel of the Lord^[q] struck^[r] Herod^[s] down because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died.^[t] ²⁴But the word of God^[u] kept on increasing^[v] and multiplying.

²⁵So Barnabas and Saul returned to^[w] Jerusalem^[x] when they had completed^[y] their mission,^[z] bringing along with them John Mark.^[aa]

Footnotes

Acts 12:20 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.sn Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great).
Acts 12:20 tn Or “was extremely angry.” L&N 33.453 gives the meaning “be angry and quarrel, quarrel angrily” here. However, in L&N 88.180 the alternative “to be violently angry, to be furious” is given. The term is used only once in the NT (BDAG 461 s.v. θυμομαχέω).
Acts 12:20 sn Tyre was a city and seaport on the coast of Phoenicia.
Acts 12:20 sn Sidon was an ancient Phoenician royal city on the coast between Berytus (Beirut) and Tyre (BDAG 923 s.v. Σιδών).
Acts 12:20 tn Or “with one accord.”
Acts 12:20 tn Or “persuading.”
Acts 12:20 tn On the term translated “personal assistant” BDAG 554 s.v. κοιτῶν states, “used as part of a title: ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ κοιτῶνος the one in charge of the bed-chamber, the chamberlain.” This individual was not just a domestic servant or butler, but a highly respected person who had considerable responsibility for the king’s living quarters and personal affairs. The English word “chamberlain” corresponds very closely to this meaning but is not in common use today. The term “personal assistant,” while it might convey more business associations than management of personal affairs, nevertheless communicates the concept well in contemporary English.
Acts 12:20 tn The words “to help them” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
Acts 12:20 tn Or “for a reconciliation.” There were grave political risks in having Herod angry at them. The detail shows the ruler’s power.
Acts 12:21 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.sn Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great).
Acts 12:21 tn Or “apparel.” On Herod’s robes see Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 (19.344), summarized in the note at the end of v. 23.
Acts 12:21 tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “speaker’s platform” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“rostrum,” NASB; “platform,” NRSV), since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here.sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bēma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city.
Acts 12:21 tn Or “delivered a public address.”
Acts 12:22 tn The translation “crowd” is given by BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος; the word often means a gathering of citizens to conduct public business. Here it is simply the group of people gathered to hear the king’s speech.
Acts 12:22 tn The imperfect verb ἐπεφώνει (epephōnei) is taken ingressively in the sequence of events. Presumably the king had started his speech when the crowd began shouting.
Acts 12:22 sn The voice of a god. Contrast the response of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14:13-15.
Acts 12:23 tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 5:19.
Acts 12:23 sn On being struck…down by an angel, see Acts 23:3; 1 Sam 25:38; 2 Sam 12:15; 2 Kgs 19:35; 2 Chr 13:20; 2 Macc 9:5.
Acts 12:23 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Acts 12:23 sn He was eaten by worms and died. Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 (19.343-352), states that Herod Agrippa I died at Caesarea in a.d. 44. The account by Josephus, while not identical to Luke’s account, is similar in many respects: On the second day of a festival, Herod Agrippa appeared in the theater with a robe made of silver. When it sparkled in the sun, the people cried out flatteries and declared him to be a god. The king, carried away by the flattery, saw an owl (an omen of death) sitting on a nearby rope, and immediately was struck with severe stomach pains. He was carried off to his house and died five days later. The two accounts can be reconciled without difficulty, since while Luke states that Herod was immediately struck down by an angel, his death could have come several days later. The mention of worms with death adds a humiliating note to the scene. The formerly powerful ruler had been thoroughly reduced to nothing (cf. Jdt 16:17; 2 Macc 9:9; cf. also Josephus, Ant. 17.6.5 [17.168-170], which details the sickness which led to Herod the Great’s death).
Acts 12:24 sn A metonymy for the number of adherents to God’s word.
Acts 12:24 tn Or “spreading.”
Acts 12:25 tc There are a number of variants at this point in the text: εἰς (eis, “to”) in א B M sa^ms sy^hmg; ἀπό (apo, “from”) in D E Ψ 36 323 453 614 1175 al; ἐξ (ex, “from”) in P⁷⁴ A 33 945 1739 al; ἐξ ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ εἰς ᾿Αντιόχειαν (ex Ierousalēm eis Antiocheian, “from Jerusalem to Antioch”) in a few later manuscripts and part of the Itala. A decision on this problem is very difficult, but for several reasons εἰς can be preferred. It is the most difficult reading by far in light of the context, since Paul and Barnabas were going to Jerusalem in 11:30. It is found in better witnesses, א and B being very strong evidence. The other readings, ἐξ and ἀπό, are different from εἰς yet bear essentially the same meaning as each other; this seems to suggest that scribes had problems with εἰς and tried to choose an acceptable revision. If εἰς is the earliest reading, ἀπό may be a clarification of ἐξ, and ἐξ could have arisen through confusion of letters. Or ἐξ and ἀπό could both have independently arisen from εἰς as a more acceptable preposition. Despite such arguments, however, the case for εἰς is not airtight: either ἐξ or ἀπό could be preferred on other lines of reasoning. The reading ἐξ enjoys the earliest support, and εἰς could have arisen through the same confusion of letters mentioned above. The immediate and wider context seems to mitigate against εἰς as the original reading: The aorist participle πληρώσαντες (plērōsantes, “when they had completed”) seems to signal the end of the mission to Jerusalem with the famine relief, so it would make sense in the context for the team to be coming from Jerusalem (to Antioch) rather than to Jerusalem, and 13:1 certainly presents the scene at Antioch. The later addition εἰς ᾿Αντιόχειαν after ᾿Ιερουσαλήμ in some mss seems to be a clarification in light of 13:1 (notice that some of the mss that read ἐξ add εἰς ᾿Αντιόχειαν [945 1739], and some that read ἀπό also add εἰς ᾿Αντιόχειαν [E 323 1175]). Thus, the idea of spatial separation from Jerusalem is strongly implied by the context. This problem is so difficult that some scholars resort to conjectural emendation to determine the original reading. All in all, the reading εἰς should be preferred as that of the initial text, recognizing that there is a good measure of uncertainty with this solution. For additional discussion, see TCGNT 350-52.
Acts 12:25 sn That is, from Jerusalem to Antioch (see Acts 11:29-30).
Acts 12:25 tn Grk “fulfilled.”
Acts 12:25 tn Grk “ministry” or “service.”
Acts 12:25 tn Grk “John who was also called Mark.”

New English Translation (NET)

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Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Psalm 124[a]

A song of ascents;[b] by David.

Footnotes

Esther Becomes Queen in Vashti’s Place

Mordecai Learns of a Plot against the King

Footnotes

Footnotes

Psalm 124^[a]

A song of ascents;^[b] by David.