Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
(A song by David for worship.)
A Song of Praise
1 It made me glad when they said,
“Let's go to the house
of the Lord!”
2 Jerusalem, we are standing
inside your gates.
3 Jerusalem, what a strong
and beautiful city you are!
4 Every tribe of the Lord
obeys him and comes to you
to praise his name.
5 David's royal throne is here
where justice rules.
6 Jerusalem, we pray
that you will have peace,
and that all will go well
for those who love you.
7 May there be peace
inside your city walls
and in your palaces.
8 Because of my friends
and my relatives,
I will pray for peace.
9 And because of the house
of the Lord our God,
I will work for your good.
A Happy Ending for the Jews
8 Before the end of the day, King Xerxes gave Esther everything that had belonged to Haman, the enemy of the Jews. Esther told the king that Mordecai was her cousin. So the king made Mordecai one of his highest officials 2 and gave him the royal ring that Haman had worn. Then Esther put Mordecai in charge of Haman's property.
3 Once again Esther went to speak to the king. This time she fell down at his feet, crying and begging, “Please stop Haman's evil plan to have the Jews killed!” 4 King Xerxes held out the golden scepter to Esther, 5 and she got up and said, “Your Majesty, I know that you will do the right thing and that you really love me. Please stop what Haman has planned. He has already sent letters demanding that the Jews in all your provinces be killed, 6 and I can't bear to see my people and my own relatives destroyed.”
7 King Xerxes then said to Esther and Mordecai, “I have already ordered Haman to be hanged and his house given to Esther, because of his evil plans to kill the Jews. 8 (A) I now give you permission to make a law that will save the lives of your people. You may use my ring to seal the law, so that it can never be changed.”
9 On the twenty-third day of Sivan,[a] the third month, the king's secretaries wrote the law. They obeyed Mordecai and wrote to the Jews, the rulers, the governors, and the officials of all 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia.[b] The letters were written in every language used in the kingdom, including the Jewish language. 10 They were written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with his ring. Then they were taken by messengers who rode the king's finest and fastest horses.
11-13 In these letters the king said:
On the thirteenth day of Adar,[c] the twelfth month, the Jews in every city and province will be allowed to get together and defend themselves. They may destroy any army that attacks them, and they may kill all of their enemies, including women and children. They may also take everything that belongs to their enemies.
A copy of this law is to be posted in every province and read by everyone.
14-15 Then the king ordered his messengers to take their fastest horses and deliver the law as quickly as possible to every province. When Mordecai left, he was wearing clothes fit for a king. He wore blue and white robes, a large gold crown, and a cape made of fine linen and purple cloth.
After the law was announced in Susa, everyone shouted and cheered, 16 and the Jews were no longer afraid. In fact, they were very happy and felt that they had won a victory.
17 In every province and city where the law was sent, the Jews had parties and celebrated. Many of the people in the provinces accepted the Jewish religion, because they were now afraid of the Jews.
The Letter to Smyrna
8 (A) This is what you must write to the angel of the church in Smyrna:
I am the first and the last. I died, but now I am alive! Listen to what I say.
9 I know how much you suffer and how poor you are, but you are rich. I also know the cruel things being said about you by people who claim to be God's people. But they are not really God's people. They are a group that belongs to Satan.
10 Don't worry about what you will suffer. The devil will throw some of you into jail, and you will be tested and made to suffer for ten days. But if you are faithful until you die, I will reward you with a glorious life.[a]
11 (B) If you have ears, listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. Whoever wins the victory will not be hurt by the second death.[b]
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.