O. Addison Gethers e-mail address : [email protected] or [email protected] window live messenger: [email protected] aim: durangoadd64 skype: cowboys62 yahoo messenger: OADDISONGETHERS
----- Original Message ----- From: "Donnie Parrett" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, May 17, 2009 9:43 PM Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Monday May 18 > Esther 1-3 (The Message) > > Esther 1 > 1-3This is the story of something that happened in the time of Xerxes, the > Xerxes who ruled from > India to Ethiopia-127 provinces in all. King Xerxes ruled from his royal > throne in the palace > complex of Susa. In the third year of his reign he gave a banquet for all > his officials and > ministers. The military brass of Persia and Media were also there, along > with the princes and > governors of the provinces. > 4-7 For six months he put on exhibit the huge wealth of his empire and its > stunningly beautiful > royal splendors. At the conclusion of the exhibit, the king threw a > weeklong party for everyone > living in Susa, the capital-important and unimportant alike. The party was > in the garden courtyard > of the king's summer house. The courtyard was elaborately decorated with > white and blue cotton > curtains tied with linen and purple cords to silver rings on marble > columns. Silver and gold couches > were arranged on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, > and colored stones. Drinks > were served in gold chalices, each chalice one-of-a-kind. The royal wine > flowed freely-a generous > king! > > 8-9 The guests could drink as much as they liked-king's orders!-with > waiters at their elbows to > refill the drinks. Meanwhile, Queen Vashti was throwing a separate party > for women inside King > Xerxes' royal palace. > > 10-11 On the seventh day of the party, the king, high on the wine, ordered > the seven eunuchs who > were his personal servants (Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, > Zethar, and Carcas) to bring > him Queen Vashti resplendent in her royal crown. He wanted to show off her > beauty to the guests and > officials. She was extremely good-looking. > > 12-15 But Queen Vashti refused to come, refused the summons delivered by > the eunuchs. The king lost > his temper. Seething with anger over her insolence, the king called in his > counselors, all experts > in legal matters. It was the king's practice to consult his expert > advisors. Those closest to him > were Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, > the seven highest-ranking > princes of Persia and Media, the inner circle with access to the king's > ear. He asked them what > legal recourse they had against Queen Vashti for not obeying King Xerxes' > summons delivered by the > eunuchs. > > 16-18 Memucan spoke up in the council of the king and princes: "It's not > only the king Queen Vashti > has insulted, it's all of us, leaders and people alike in every last one > of King Xerxes' provinces. > The word's going to get out: 'Did you hear the latest about Queen Vashti? > King Xerxes ordered her to > be brought before him and she wouldn't do it!' When the women hear it, > they'll start treating their > husbands with contempt. The day the wives of the Persian and Mede > officials get wind of the queen's > insolence, they'll be out of control. Is that what we want, a country of > angry women who don't know > their place? > > 19-20 "So, if the king agrees, let him pronounce a royal ruling and have > it recorded in the laws of > the Persians and Medes so that it cannot be revoked, that Vashti is > permanently banned from King > Xerxes' presence. And then let the king give her royal position to a woman > who knows her place. When > the king's ruling becomes public knowledge throughout the kingdom, > extensive as it is, every woman, > regardless of her social position, will show proper respect to her > husband." > > 21-22 The king and the princes liked this. The king did what Memucan > proposed. He sent bulletins to > every part of the kingdom, to each province in its own script, to each > people in their own language: > "Every man is master of his own house; whatever he says, goes." > > Esther 2 > 1-4 Later, when King Xerxes' anger had cooled and he was having second > thoughts about what Vashti > had done and what he had ordered against her, the king's young attendants > stepped in and got the > ball rolling: "Let's begin a search for beautiful young virgins for the > king. Let the king appoint > officials in every province of his kingdom to bring every beautiful young > virgin to the palace > complex of Susa and to the harem run by Hegai, the king's eunuch who > oversees the women; he will put > them through their beauty treatments. Then let the girl who best pleases > the king be made queen in > place of Vashti." > The king liked this advice and took it. > > > 5-7 Now there was a Jew who lived in the palace complex in Susa. His name > was Mordecai the son of > Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish-a Benjaminite. His ancestors had > been taken from Jerusalem > with the exiles and carried off with King Jehoiachin of Judah by King > Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon into > exile. Mordecai had reared his cousin Hadassah, otherwise known as Esther, > since she had no father > or mother. The girl had a good figure and a beautiful face. After her > parents died, Mordecai had > adopted her. > > 8 When the king's order had been publicly posted, many young girls were > brought to the palace > complex of Susa and given over to Hegai who was overseer of the women. > Esther was among them. > > 9-10 Hegai liked Esther and took a special interest in her. Right off he > started her beauty > treatments, ordered special food, assigned her seven personal maids from > the palace, and put her and > her maids in the best rooms in the harem. Esther didn't say anything about > her family and racial > background because Mordecai had told her not to. > > 11 Every day Mordecai strolled beside the court of the harem to find out > how Esther was and get > news of what she was doing. > > 12-14 Each girl's turn came to go in to King Xerxes after she had > completed the twelve months of > prescribed beauty treatments-six months' treatment with oil of myrrh > followed by six months with > perfumes and various cosmetics. When it was time for the girl to go to the > king, she was given > whatever she wanted to take with her when she left the harem for the > king's quarters. She would go > there in the evening; in the morning she would return to a second harem > overseen by Shaashgaz, the > king's eunuch in charge of the concubines. She never again went back to > the king unless the king > took a special liking to her and asked for her by name. > > 15 When it was Esther's turn to go to the king (Esther the daughter of > Abihail the uncle of > Mordecai, who had adopted her as his daughter), she asked for nothing > other than what Hegai, the > king's eunuch in charge of the harem, had recommended. Esther, just as she > was, won the admiration > of everyone who saw her. > > 16 She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal palace in the tenth month, > the month of Tebeth, in the > seventh year of the king's reign. > > 17-18 The king fell in love with Esther far more than with any of his > other women or any of the > other virgins-he was totally smitten by her. He placed a royal crown on > her head and made her queen > in place of Vashti. Then the king gave a great banquet for all his nobles > and officials-"Esther's > Banquet." He proclaimed a holiday for all the provinces and handed out > gifts with royal generosity. > > > 19-20 On one of the occasions when the virgins were being gathered > together, Mordecai was sitting at > the King's Gate. All this time, Esther had kept her family background and > race a secret as Mordecai > had ordered; Esther still did what Mordecai told her, just as when she was > being raised by him. > > 21-23 On this day, with Mordecai sitting at the King's Gate, Bigthana and > Teresh, two of the king's > eunuchs who guarded the entrance, had it in for the king and were making > plans to kill King Xerxes. > But Mordecai learned of the plot and told Queen Esther, who then told King > Xerxes, giving credit to > Mordecai. When the thing was investigated and confirmed as true, the two > men were hanged on a > gallows. This was all written down in a logbook kept for the king's use. > > Esther 3 > 1-2 Some time later, King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the > Agagite, making him the > highest-ranking official in the government. All the king's servants at the > King's Gate used to honor > him by bowing down and kneeling before Haman-that's what the king had > commanded. > 2-4 Except Mordecai. Mordecai wouldn't do it, wouldn't bow down and kneel. > The king's servants at > the King's Gate asked Mordecai about it: "Why do you cross the king's > command?" Day after day they > spoke to him about this but he wouldn't listen, so they went to Haman to > see whether something > shouldn't be done about it. Mordecai had told them that he was a Jew. > > 5-6 When Haman saw for himself that Mordecai didn't bow down and kneel > before him, he was outraged. > Meanwhile, having learned that Mordecai was a Jew, Haman hated to waste > his fury on just one Jew; he > looked for a way to eliminate not just Mordecai but all Jews throughout > the whole kingdom of Xerxes. > > 7 In the first month, the month of Nisan, of the twelfth year of Xerxes, > the pur-that is, the > lot-was cast under Haman's charge to determine the propitious day and > month. The lot turned up the > thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. > > 8-9 Haman then spoke with King Xerxes: "There is an odd set of people > scattered through the > provinces of your kingdom who don't fit in. Their customs and ways are > different from those of > everybody else. Worse, they disregard the king's laws. They're an affront; > the king shouldn't put up > with them. If it please the king, let orders be given that they be > destroyed. I'll pay for it > myself. I'll deposit 375 tons of silver in the royal bank to finance the > operation." > > 10 The king slipped his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman son > of Hammedatha the > Agagite, archenemy of the Jews. > > 11 "Go ahead," the king said to Haman. "It's your money-do whatever you > want with those people." > > 12 The king's secretaries were brought in on the thirteenth day of the > first month. The orders were > written out word for word as Haman had addressed them to the king's > satraps, the governors of every > province, and the officials of every people. They were written in the > script of each province and > the language of each people in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the > royal signet ring. > > 13-14 Bulletins were sent out by couriers to all the king's provinces with > orders to massacre, > kill, and eliminate all the Jews-youngsters and old men, women and > babies-on a single day, the > thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar, and to plunder their > goods. Copies of the > bulletin were to be posted in each province, publicly available to all > peoples, to get them ready > for that day. > > 15 At the king's command, the couriers took off; the order was also posted > in the palace complex of > Susa. The king and Haman sat back and had a drink while the city of Susa > reeled from the news. > > > > > > > Please join us on Skype Monday thru Friday at 8:00 EST for our Morning > Skype Prayer Time. > > > Contact Me At: > Donnie Parrett > 1956 Asa Flat Road > Annville, Kentucky 40402 > Home Phone: 606-364-3321 > Church Phone: 606-364-PRAY > Skype Name: Donnie1261 > Email: [email protected] > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Deaf-Blind Inspirational Life Group" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/DBILG?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
