The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Thursday August 20, 2020 (NIV)

The King Helps the Jews

8 That same day King ·Xerxes [^LAhasuerus] gave Queen Esther ·everything belonging to [the estate of; ^Lthe house of] Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came in to see the king, because Esther had ·told [disclosed/revealed to] the king how he was related to her. ² Then the king took off his signet ring that he had taken back from Haman, and he gave it to Mordecai. Esther put Mordecai ·in charge of everything belonging to [^Lover the house of] Haman.

³ Once again Esther spoke to the king. She fell at the king’s feet and ·cried [wept] and ·begged [implored] him to stop the evil ·plan [plot] that Haman the Agagite had ·planned [devised] against the Jews [^CEsther wisely did not implicate the king in the plan]. ⁴ The king ·held out [extended] the gold scepter to Esther. So Esther got up and stood in front of him.

⁵ She said, “My king, if ·you are pleased with me [^LI have found favor in the king’s sight], and if it ·pleases [seems good to] you to do this, if you think it is the right thing to do, and if ·you are happy with me [I am pleasing/attractive to you], let an ·order [edict; decree] be written to ·cancel [revoke; rescind] the ·letters [dispatches; scrolls] Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite ·wrote [devised] to destroy the Jews in all of your ·kingdom [^Lprovinces]. ⁶ ·I could not stand [^LHow could I endure…?] to see that ·terrible thing [calamity; disaster] ·happen to [^Lfall on] my people. ·I could not stand [^LHow could I endure…?] to see my ·family [relatives; ^Lkindred] ·killed [destroyed].”

⁷ King ·Xerxes [^LAhasuerus] answered Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, “Because Haman was against the Jews, I have given his ·things [estate; property] to Esther, and my soldiers have ·hanged [impaled] him on the ·platform [gallows; pole]. ⁸ Now, in the king’s name, write another ·order [edict; decree] ·to [concerning] the Jews as seems ·best [appropriate] to you. Then seal the ·order [edict; decree] with the king’s signet ring, because no ·letter [dispatch] written in the king’s name and sealed with his signet ring can be ·canceled [revoked; rescinded].”

⁹ At that time the king’s ·secretaries [scribes] were called. This was the twenty-third day of the third month [^CJune 25], which is Sivan. The secretaries wrote out all of Mordecai’s ·orders [commands] ·to [concerning] the Jews, to the governors, to the ·captains of the soldiers [high officials] in each ·state [province], and to the ·important men [nobles] of the one hundred twenty-seven ·states [provinces] that reached from India to Cush [1:1]. They wrote in the ·writing [script] of each ·state [province] and in the language of each people. They also wrote to the Jews in their own ·writing [script] and language. ¹⁰ Mordecai wrote ·orders [edicts; decrees] in the name of King ·Xerxes [^LAhasuerus] and sealed the ·letters [dispatches; scrolls] with the king’s signet ring. Then he sent the king’s ·orders [edicts; decrees] by ·messengers [couriers] on fast horses, horses that were ·raised [bred] ·just [especially] for the king.

¹¹ These were the king’s ·orders [edicts; decrees]: The Jews in every city have the right to ·gather together [assemble] to ·protect themselves [defend their lives]. They may destroy, kill, and ·completely wipe out [annihilate] the army of any ·state [province] or ·people [nation] who attack them [^Cthe king could not cancel his previous unalterable decree, but he could allow the Jews to defend themselves and attack], including their women and children. They may also ·take by force [plunder; confiscate] the property of their enemies. ¹² The one day set for the Jews to do this in all the ·empire [provinces] of King ·Xerxes [^LAhasuerus] was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month [^CMarch 7, about twelve months after Haman devised his plot], the month of Adar. ¹³ A copy of the king’s ·order [edict; decree] was to be ·sent out [issued; presented] as a law in every ·state [province]. It was to be made known to ·the people of every nation living in the kingdom [^Lall the peoples] so the Jews would be ready on that set day to ·strike back at [avenge themselves on] their enemies.

¹⁴ The ·messengers [couriers] hurried out, riding on the royal horses, urged on by the king’s command. And the ·order [edict; decree] was also given in the ·palace [citadel; fortress; 1:2] at Susa.

¹⁵ Mordecai left the king’s presence wearing royal ·clothes [garments] of blue and white and a large gold crown. He also had a purple ·robe [mantle] made of the best linen. And the people of Susa shouted for joy. ¹⁶ It was a time of ·happiness [^Llight], joy, gladness, and honor for the Jews. ¹⁷ As the king’s ·order [edict; decree] went to every ·state [province] and city, there was joy and gladness among the Jews. In every ·state [province] and city to which the king’s ·order [edict; decree] went, they were having ·feasts [banquets] and ·celebrating [holidays]. And many ·people through all the empire [^Lpeoples of the land] ·became [professed/pretended to be] Jews, because ·they were afraid of the Jews [^Ldread of the Jews had fallen on them].

Victory for the Jews

9 The ·order [edict; decree] the king had commanded was to be ·done [executed; carried out] on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month [^CMarch 7], the month of Adar. That was the day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to ·defeat [overpower] them, but ·that was changed [the opposite happened]. So the Jews themselves ·defeated [overpowered] ·those who hated them [their enemies]. ² The Jews ·met [assembled] in their cities in all the ·empire [^Lprovinces] of King ·Xerxes [^LAhasuerus] in order to ·attack [strike; ^Llay hands on] those who wanted to ·harm [destroy] them. No one ·was strong enough to fight [^Lcould stand] against them, because ·all the other people living in the empire were afraid of them [^Ldread of them fell on all the peoples]. ³ All the ·important men [nobles] of the ·states [provinces], the governors, ·captains of the soldiers [high officials], and the king’s officers helped the Jews, because they were afraid of Mordecai. ⁴ Mordecai was ·very important [^Lgreat] in the king’s ·palace [^Lhouse]. He was famous in all the ·empire [^Lprovinces], because he was becoming ·a leader of more and more people [more and more powerful/influential].

⁵ And, with their swords, the Jews ·defeated [^Lstruck] all their enemies, ·killing [slaughtering] and destroying them. And they did ·what they wanted [as they pleased] with those people who hated them. ⁶ In the ·palace [citadel; fortress; 1:2] at Susa, they ·killed [slaughtered] and destroyed five hundred men. ⁷ They also killed: Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, ⁸ Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, ⁹ Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha, ¹⁰ the ten sons of Haman, son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But the Jews did not ·take [plunder; confiscate] their ·belongings [property; ^Cthis shows they attacked out of self-defense, not for material gain; 8:11; Gen. 14:23].

¹¹ On that day the number killed in the ·palace [citadel; fortress; 1:2] at Susa was reported to the king. ¹² The king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have ·killed [slaughtered] and destroyed five hundred people in the ·palace [citadel; fortress; 1:2] at Susa, as well as Haman’s ten sons. What then have they done in the rest of the king’s ·empire [provinces]! Now what ·else are you asking [^Lis your petition]? I will do it! What ·else [more] do you want? It will be ·done [granted]!”

¹³ Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, give the Jews who are in Susa permission to do again tomorrow what the king ·ordered [decreed] for today. And let the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be ·hanged [impaled] on the ·platform [gallows; pole].”

¹⁴ So the king ·ordered [decreed] that it be done. A ·law [edict; decree] was given in Susa, and the bodies of the ten sons of Haman were ·hanged [impaled]. ¹⁵ The Jews in Susa ·came together [assembled] on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar [^CMarch 8]. They ·killed [slaughtered] three hundred people in Susa, but they did not ·take [plunder; confiscate] their ·belongings [property; 9:10].

¹⁶ At that same time, all the Jews in the king’s ·empire [^Lprovinces] also ·met [assembled] to ·protect themselves [defend their lives] and get rid of their enemies. They ·killed [slaughtered] seventy-five thousand of those who hated them, but they did not ·take [plunder; confiscate] their ·belongings [property; 9:10]. ¹⁷ This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar [^CMarch 7]. On the fourteenth day they rested and made it a day of joyful ·feasting [banqueting].

The Feast of Purim

¹⁸ But the Jews in Susa ·met [assembled] on the thirteenth and fourteenth days of the month of Adar [^Cand killed their enemies]. Then they rested on the fifteenth day and made it a day of joyful feasting [banqueting].

¹⁹ This is why the Jews who live in the country and small villages celebrate on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar [^CMarch 8]. It is a ·day [holiday] of joyful ·feasting [banqueting] and a day for exchanging ·gifts [gifts of food].

²⁰ Mordecai ·wrote down [recorded] everything that had happened. Then he sent ·letters [dispatches; scrolls] to all the Jews in all the ·empire [provinces] of King ·Xerxes [^LAhasuerus], far and near. ²¹ He ·told [called on] them to celebrate every year on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, ²² because that was when the Jews got rid of their enemies [^Ca descendant of Saul (2:5–6) had overcome an Amalekite and descendant of King Agag (3:1), thus completing God’s mandate (Deut. 23:3–6) that Saul failed to accomplish (1 Sam. 15)]. They were also to celebrate it as the month their ·sadness [sorrow] was turned to ·joy [gladness] and their ·crying for the dead [mourning] was turned into ·celebration [a holiday]. He told them to celebrate those days as days of joyful ·feasting [banqueting] and as a time for giving [presents of] food to each other and ·presents [gifts] to the poor [^CPurim thus became an annual festival still celebrated by the Jewish people today].

²³ So the Jews agreed to do what Mordecai had written to them, and ·they agreed to hold the celebration every year [^Lto continue what they had begun]. ²⁴ Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, was the enemy of all the Jews. He had ·made [devised] an evil ·plan [plot] against the Jews to destroy them, and he had thrown the Pur (that is, the lot [^Cdice-like objects]) to choose a day to ·ruin [crush; afflict] and destroy them. ²⁵ But when the king learned of the evil ·plan [plot], he sent out written ·orders [edicts; decrees] that the evil ·plans [plot] Haman had made against the Jews would ·be used against him [^Lfall/return on his own head]. And those ·orders [edicts; decrees] said that Haman and his sons should be ·hanged [impaled] on the ·platform [gallows; pole]. ²⁶ So these days were called Purim, which comes from the word “Pur” (the lot [^Cdice-like objects]). Because of everything written in this ·letter [dispatch] and what they had seen and what happened to them, ²⁷ the Jews set up this ·custom [tradition]. They and their descendants and all those who join them are ·always [^Lwithout fail] to ·celebrate [observe; keep] these two days every year. They should do it ·in the right way [^Las it is written] and at the time Mordecai had ·ordered [decreed]. ²⁸ These two days should be remembered and ·celebrated [observed; kept] ·from now on [^Lthrough every generation] in every family, in every ·state [province], and in every city. These days of Purim should ·always [^Lnot fail to] be ·celebrated [observed; kept] ·by [among] the Jews, and their memory never fade among their descendants.

²⁹ So Queen Esther daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second ·letter [dispatch] about Purim. ³⁰ And Mordecai sent ·letters [dispatches; scrolls] to all the Jews in the one hundred twenty-seven ·states [provinces] of the kingdom of ·Xerxes [^LAhasuerus], writing them ·a message [^Lwords] of peace and ·truth [or security; assurance]. ³¹ He wrote to ·set up [establish] these days of Purim at the ·chosen [proper; appointed] times. Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had sent out the ·order [edict; decree] for the Jews, just as they had ·set up [established] for themselves and their descendants instruction concerning fasting and ·loud weeping [lamentations]. ³² Esther’s ·letter [command] ·set up [established] the rules for Purim, and they were written down in the records.

The Greatness of Mordecai

10 King ·Xerxes [^LAhasuerus] demanded ·taxes everywhere, even from the cities [tribute on the land and] on the seacoast. ² And all the great ·things [achievements] ·Xerxes [^LAhasuerus] did by his ·power [authority] and strength ·are [^Lare they not…?] written in the ·record books [chronicles; annals] of the kings of Media and Persia. Also written in those record books are all the things done by Mordecai, whom the king made great. ³ Mordecai the Jew was second in importance to King ·Xerxes [^LAhasuerus], and he was ·the most important man [great; powerful; preeminent] among the Jews. His fellow Jews ·respected [admired; esteemed] him very much, because he ·worked for [^Lsought] the good of his people and ·spoke up [interceded; advocated] for the ·safety [welfare; ^Lpeace] of all the Jews.

²⁷ ·Together you [^LYou; ^Cthe Greek is plural] are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of that body. ²⁸ In the church God has ·given a place first to [appointed/placed first] apostles, second to prophets, and third to teachers, then those who do ·miracles [acts of powers], those who have gifts of healing, those who can help others, those who are able to ·govern [lead], and those who can speak ·in different languages [or with ecstatic utterance; ^Ldifferent kinds of tongues; v. 10]. ²⁹ ·Not all are apostles [^LNot all are apostles, are they? ^Cvv. 29–30 are all rhetorical questions assuming a negative answer]. Not all are prophets. Not all are teachers. Not all do miracles. ³⁰ Not all have gifts of healing. Not all speak ·in different languages [or with ecstatic utterance; ^Lin tongues]. Not all interpret those ·languages [^Ltongues]. ³¹ But ·you should truly want to have [eagerly desire; be zealous for] the greater gifts.

And now I will show you ·the best way of all [a better/superior way].

Love Is the Greatest Gift

13 I may speak in ·different languages [^Ltongues; 12:10, 29, 30] of people or even angels. But if I do not have love, I am only a ·noisy [resounding] ·bell [gong] or a ·crashing [clanging] cymbal. ² I may have the gift of prophecy. I may understand all ·the secret things of God [^Lmysteries] and have all knowledge, and I may have faith so great I can move mountains. But even with all these things, if I do not have love, then I am nothing. ³ I may give away everything I have, and I may even give my body ·as an offering to be burned [^Lto be burned].^[a] But I gain nothing if I do not have love.

⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not ·jealous [envious], it does not brag, and it is not ·proud [arrogant; conceited; puffed up]. ⁵ Love is not ·rude [disrespectful], is not ·selfish [self-serving], and ·does not get upset with others [is not easily provoked/angered]. Love does not ·count up [keep a record of] wrongs that have been done. ⁶ Love ·takes no pleasure [does not rejoice] in ·evil [wrongdoing; injustice] but rejoices over the truth. ⁷ Love ·patiently accepts all things [^Tbears all things; or always protects], ·always trusts [^Tbelieves all things], ·always hopes [^Thopes all things], and ·always endures [^Tendures all things].

⁸ Love never ·ends [fails; falls short]. There are gifts of prophecy, but they will ·be ended [cease; pass away]. There are gifts of ·speaking in different languages [or ecstatic utterance; ^Ltongues], but those gifts will ·stop [cease; fall silent]. There is the gift of knowledge, but it will ·come to an end [pass away; be set aside]. ⁹ ·The reason is that [For] ·our knowledge and our ability to prophesy are not perfect [^Lwe know in part/imperfectly and we prophesy in part/incompletely]. ¹⁰ But when ·perfection [the perfect; completeness; wholeness] comes, the ·things that are not perfect [partial] will ·end [pass away; be set aside]. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I ·stopped [set aside] those childish ways. ¹² ·It is the same with us [^LFor…]. Now we see ·a dim reflection [obscurely; or indirectly], ·as if we were looking into a mirror [^Tthrough a glass darkly], but then we shall see ·clearly [^Lface to face]. Now I know only a part, but then I will know fully, as ·God has known me [^LI am fully known]. ¹³ So these three things ·continue forever [endure; remain]: faith, hope, and love. And the greatest of these is love.

God Will Reward Fairly

Of David.