Revelation 12; Esther 2; Psalms 105:26-45

Revelation 12

1 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of 12 stars on her head.

2 She was pregnant and cried out in labor and agony to give birth.

3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: There was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and 10 horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.

4 His tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth he might devour her child.

5 But she gave birth to a Son-a male who is going to shepherd all nations with an iron scepter-and her child was caught up to God and to His throne.

6 The woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, to be fed there for 1,260 days.

7 Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought,

8 but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer.

9 So the great dragon was thrown out-the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him.

10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Messiah have now come, because the accuser of our brothers has been thrown out: the one who accuses them before our God day and night.

11 They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they did not love their lives in the face of death.

12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the earth and the sea, for the Devil has come down to you with great fury, because he knows he has a short time.

13 When the dragon saw that he had been thrown to earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male.

14 The woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so that she could fly from the serpent's presence to her place in the wilderness, where she was fed for a time, times, and half a time.

15 From his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river after the woman, to sweep her away in a torrent.

16 But the earth helped the woman: the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon had spewed from his mouth.

17 So the dragon was furious with the woman and left to wage war against the rest of her offspring-those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony about Jesus.

18 He stood on the sand of the sea.

Esther 2

1 Some time later, when King Ahasuerus' rage had cooled down, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what was decided against her.

2 The king's personal attendants suggested, "Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king.

3 Let the king appoint commissioners in each province of his kingdom, so that they may assemble all the beautiful young virgins to the harem at the fortress of Susa. [Put them] under the care of Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women, and give them the required beauty treatments.

4 Then the young woman who pleases the king will reign in place of Vashti." This suggestion pleased the king, and he did accordingly.

5 A Jewish man was in the fortress of Susa named Mordecai son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite.

6 He had been taken into exile from Jerusalem with the other captives when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took King Jeconiah of Judah into exile.

7 Mordecai was the legal guardian of his cousin Hadassah (that is, Esther), because she didn't have a father or mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was extremely good-looking. When her father and mother died, Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter.

8 When the king's command and edict became public knowledge, many young women gathered at the fortress of Susa under Hegai's care. Esther was also taken to the palace and placed under the care of Hegai, who was in charge of the women.

9 The young woman pleased him and gained his favor so that he accelerated the process of the beauty treatments and the special diet that she received. He assigned seven hand-picked female servants to her from the palace and transferred her and her servants to the harem's best quarters.

10 Esther did not reveal her ethnic background or her birthplace, because Mordecai had ordered her not to.

11 Every day Mordecai took a walk in front of the harem's courtyard to learn how Esther was doing and to see what was happening to her.

12 During the year before each young woman's turn to go to King Ahasuerus, the harem regulation required her to receive beauty treatments with oil of myrrh for six months and then with perfumes and cosmetics for [another] six months.

13 When the young woman would go to the king, she was given whatever she requested to take with her from the harem to the palace.

14 She would go in the evening, and in the morning she would return to a second harem under the supervision of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch in charge of the concubines. She never went to the king again, unless he desired her and summoned her by name.

15 Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai who had adopted [her] as his own daughter. When her turn came to go to the king, she did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the king's trusted official in charge of the harem, suggested. Esther won approval in the sight of everyone who saw her.

16 Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus in the royal palace in the tenth month, the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

17 The king loved Esther more than all the other women. She won more favor and approval from him than did any of the other virgins. He placed the royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.

18 The king held a great banquet for all his officials and staff. It was Esther's banquet. He freed his provinces from tax payments and gave gifts worthy of the king's bounty.

19 When the young women were assembled together for a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the King's Gate.

20 Esther still had not revealed her birthplace or her ethnic background, as Mordecai had directed. She obeyed Mordecai's orders, as she always had while he raised her.

21 During those days while Mordecai was sitting at the King's Gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two eunuchs who guarded the [king's] entrance, became infuriated and tried to assassinate King Ahasuerus.

22 When Mordecai learned of the plot, he reported it to Queen Esther, and she told the king on Mordecai's behalf.

23 When the report was investigated and verified, both men were hanged on the gallows. This event was recorded in the court records of daily events in the king's presence.

Psalms 105:26-45

26 He sent Moses His servant, and Aaron, whom He had chosen.

27 They performed His miraculous signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham.

28 He sent darkness, and it became dark- for did they not defy His commands?

29 He turned their waters into blood and caused their fish to die.

30 Their land was overrun with frogs, even in their kings' chambers.

31 He spoke, and insects came- gnats throughout their country.

32 He gave them hail for rain, and lightning throughout their land.

33 He struck their vines and fig trees and shattered the trees of their territory.

34 He spoke and locusts came- young locusts without number.

35 They devoured all the vegetation in their land and consumed the produce of their soil.

36 He struck all the firstborn in their land, all their first progeny.

37 Then He brought Israel out with silver and gold, and no one among His tribes stumbled.

38 Egypt was glad when they left, for dread of Israel had fallen on them.

39 He spread a cloud as a covering and [gave] a fire to light up the night.

40 They asked, and He brought quail and satisfied them with bread from heaven.

41 He opened a rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a stream in the desert.

42 For He remembered His holy promise to Abraham His servant.

43 He brought His people out with rejoicing, His chosen ones with shouts of joy.

44 He gave them the lands of the nations, and they inherited what other peoples had worked for.

45 [All this happened] so that they might keep His statutes and obey His laws. Hallelujah!