Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Go to the House of Yahweh

A Song of Ascents. Of David.

The Jews Strike Down Their Enemies

9 Now ^(A)in the twelfth month (that is, the month Adar), on ^(B)the thirteenth ^[a]day ^(C)when the king’s word and law had reached the point for them to be done, on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain power over them, it was turned around so that the Jews themselves gained power over those who hated them. ^2 (D)The Jews assembled in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to send forth their hand against those who sought their calamity; and no one could stand before them, ^(E)for the dread of them had fallen on all the peoples. ³ Even all the princes of the provinces, ^(F)the satraps, the governors, and those who were doing the king’s work ^[b]advanced the Jews, because the dread of Mordecai had fallen on them. ⁴ Indeed, Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and the report about him went throughout all the provinces; for the man Mordecai ^(G)became greater and greater. ⁵ Thus ^(H)the Jews struck all their enemies with ^[c]the sword, killing and causing them to perish; and they did what they pleased to those who hated them.

¹⁸ But the Jews who were in Susa ^(A)assembled on the thirteenth and ^(B)the fourteenth ^[a]of the same month, and they rested on the fifteenth ^[b]day and made it a day of feasting and gladness. ¹⁹ Therefore the Jews of the rural areas, who live in ^(C)the rural towns, make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a ^[c](D)holiday for gladness and feasting and ^(E)sending portions of food to one another.

The Feast of Purim Is Established

²⁰ Then Mordecai wrote down these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, ²¹ to establish among them to celebrate the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day ^[d]of the same month, annually, ²² because on those days the Jews obtained rest for themselves from their enemies, and it was a month which was ^(F)turned around for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a ^[e]holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness and ^(G)sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

²³ Thus the Jews fully accepted what they had started to do and what Mordecai had written to them.

⁴ “But I say to you, ^(A)My friends, do not fear those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. ⁵ But I will show you whom to fear: ^(B)fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into ^[a](C)hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! ⁶ Are not ^(D)five sparrows sold for two ^[b]assaria? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. ^7 (E)Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.

Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit

⁸ “And I say to you, everyone who ^(F)confesses Me before men, the Son of Man will confess him also before the angels of God, ⁹ but ^(G)he who denies Me before men will be denied ^(H)before the angels of God. ^10 (I)And everyone who ^[c]speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him, but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him. ¹¹ Now when they bring you before ^(J)the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not ^(K)worry about how or what you are to speak in your defense, or what you are to say, ¹² for ^(L)the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”