Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
To the director: A praise song of David.
140 Lord, save me from people who are evil.
Protect me from those who are cruel,
2 from those who plan to do evil
and always cause trouble.
3 Their words are as harmful as the fangs of a snake,
as deadly as its venom. Selah
4 Lord, save me from the wicked!
Protect me from these cruel people who plan to hurt me.
5 These proud people are trying to trap me.
They spread nets to catch me;
they set traps in my path. Selah
6 Lord, you are my God.
Lord, listen to my prayer.
7 My Lord God, you are the powerful one who saves me.
You protect my head in battle.
8 Lord, don’t let the wicked have what they want.
Don’t let their plans succeed. Selah
9 My enemies are planning trouble for me.
Lord, make that trouble fall on them.
10 Pour burning coals on their heads.
Throw them into the fire.
Throw them into pits they can never escape.
11 Don’t let those cruel liars enjoy success here.
Let disaster hunt them down.
12 I know the Lord will provide justice for the poor
and will defend the helpless.
13 Those who do what is right will praise your name;
those who are honest will live in your presence.
Esther Speaks to the King
5 On the third day, Esther put on her special robes. Then she stood in the inside area of the king’s palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his throne in the hall, facing the place where people enter the throne room. 2 When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was very pleased. He held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther went in to the room and went near the king. Then she touched the end of the king’s gold scepter.
3 Then the king asked, “What is bothering you Queen Esther? What do you want to ask me? I will give you anything you ask for, even half my kingdom.”
4 Esther said, “I have prepared a party for you and Haman. Will you and Haman please come to the party today?”
5 Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly so that we may do what Esther asks.”
So the king and Haman went to the party Esther had prepared for them. 6 While they were drinking wine, the king asked her again, “Now Esther, what do you want to ask for? Ask for anything, I will give it to you. So what is it you want? I will give you anything you want, up to half my kingdom.”
7 Esther answered, “This is what I want to ask for: 8 If the king is pleased with me and thinks it good to give me what I ask for, let the king and Haman come tomorrow. I will prepare another party for them. Then I will tell what I really want.”
Haman’s Anger at Mordecai
9 Haman left the king’s palace that day very happy and in a good mood. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate, he became very angry. Haman was very mad at him because Mordecai didn’t show any respect when Haman walked by. Mordecai was not afraid of Haman, and this made Haman mad. 10 But Haman controlled his anger and went home. Then Haman called together his friends and his wife, Zeresh. 11 Haman started bragging about how rich he was. He was bragging to his friends about his many sons, and about all the ways the king had honored him. And he was bragging about how the king had promoted him higher than all the other leaders. 12 “And that’s not all,” Haman added. “I’m the only one Queen Esther invited to be with the king at the party she gave. And the Queen also has invited me to be with the king again tomorrow. 13 But all this means nothing to me. I cannot be happy as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.”
14 Then Haman’s wife Zeresh and all his friends had a suggestion. They said, “Tell someone to build a post to hang him on. Make it 75 feet[a] tall. In the morning ask the king to hang Mordecai on it. Then go to the party with the king and you can be happy.”
Haman liked this suggestion, so he ordered someone to build the hanging post.
Don’t Follow the Enemies of Christ
18 My dear children, the end is near! You have heard that the enemy of Christ is coming. And now many enemies of Christ are already here. So we know that the end is near. 19 These enemies were in our group, but they left us. They did not really belong with us. If they were really part of our group, they would have stayed with us. But they left. This shows that none of them really belonged with us.
20 You have the gift[a] that the Holy One[b] gave you. So you all know the truth. 21 Do you think I am writing this letter because you don’t know the truth? No, I am writing because you do know the truth. And you know that no lie comes from the truth.
22 So who is the liar? It is the one who says Jesus is not the Messiah. Whoever says that is the enemy of Christ—the one who does not believe in the Father or in his Son. 23 Whoever does not believe in the Son does not have the Father, but whoever accepts the Son has the Father too.
24 Be sure that you continue to follow the teaching you heard from the beginning. If you do that, you will always be in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what the Son promised us—eternal life.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International