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: Monday, May 18, 2009 8:33 PM Subject: Daily Bible Reading For Wednesday May 20 > Esther 7-10 (The Message) > > Esther 7 > 1-2 So the king and Haman went to dinner with Queen Esther. At this second > dinner, while they were > drinking wine the king again asked, "Queen Esther, what would you like? > Half of my kingdom! Just ask > and it's yours." > 3 Queen Esther answered, "If I have found favor in your eyes, O King, and > if it please the king, > give me my life, and give my people their lives. > > 4 "We've been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed-sold to be massacred, > eliminated. If we had > just been sold off into slavery, I wouldn't even have brought it up; our > troubles wouldn't have been > worth bothering the king over." > > 5 King Xerxes exploded, "Who? Where is he? This is monstrous!" > > 6 "An enemy. An adversary. This evil Haman," said Esther. > > Haman was terror-stricken before the king and queen. > > 7-8 The king, raging, left his wine and stalked out into the palace > garden. > > Haman stood there pleading with Queen Esther for his life-he could see > that the king was > finished with him and that he was doomed. As the king came back from the > palace garden into the > banquet hall, Haman was groveling at the couch on which Esther reclined. > The king roared out, "Will > he even molest the queen while I'm just around the corner?" > > When that word left the king's mouth, all the blood drained from > Haman's face. > > 9 Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, spoke up: "Look over > there! There's the gallows > that Haman had built for Mordecai, who saved the king's life. It's right > next to Haman's > house-seventy-five feet high!" > > The king said, "Hang him on it!" > > 10 So Haman was hanged on the very gallows that he had built for Mordecai. > And the king's hot anger > cooled. > > Esther 8 > 1-2 That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman, > archenemy of the Jews. And > Mordecai came before the king because Esther had explained their > relationship. The king took off his > signet ring, which he had taken back from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. > Esther appointed Mordecai > over Haman's estate. > 3-6 Then Esther again spoke to the king, falling at his feet, begging with > tears to counter the > evil of Haman the Agagite and revoke the plan that he had plotted against > the Jews. The king > extended his gold scepter to Esther. She got to her feet and stood before > the king. She said, "If it > please the king and he regards me with favor and thinks this is right, and > if he has any affection > for me at all, let an order be written that cancels the bulletins > authorizing the plan of Haman son > of Hammedatha the Agagite to annihilate the Jews in all the king's > provinces. How can I stand to see > this catastrophe wipe out my people? How can I bear to stand by and watch > the massacre of my own > relatives?" > > 7-8 King Xerxes said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew: "I've given > Haman's estate to Esther and > he's been hanged on the gallows because he attacked the Jews. So go ahead > now and write whatever you > decide on behalf of the Jews; then seal it with the signet ring." (An > order written in the king's > name and sealed with his signet ring is irrevocable.) > > 9 So the king's secretaries were brought in on the twenty-third day of the > third month, the month > of Sivan, and the order regarding the Jews was written word for word as > Mordecai dictated and was > addressed to the satraps, governors, and officials of the provinces from > India to Ethiopia, 127 > provinces in all, to each province in its own script and each people in > their own language, > including the Jews in their script and language. > > 10 He wrote under the name of King Xerxes and sealed the order with the > royal signet ring; he sent > out the bulletins by couriers on horseback, riding the fastest royal > steeds bred from the royal > stud. > > 11-13 The king's order authorized the Jews in every city to arm and defend > themselves to the death, > killing anyone who threatened them or their women and children, and > confiscating for themselves > anything owned by their enemies. The day set for this in all King Xerxes' > provinces was the > thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. The order was > posted in public places in > each province so everyone could read it, authorizing the Jews to be > prepared on that day to avenge > themselves on their enemies. > > 14 The couriers, fired up by the king's order, raced off on their royal > horses. At the same time, > the order was posted in the palace complex of Susa. > > 15-17 Mordecai walked out of the king's presence wearing a royal robe of > violet and white, a huge > gold crown, and a purple cape of fine linen. The city of Susa exploded > with joy. For Jews it was all > sunshine and laughter: they celebrated, they were honored. It was that way > all over the country, in > every province, every city when the king's bulletin was posted: the Jews > took to the streets in > celebration, cheering, and feasting. Not only that, but many non-Jews > became Jews-now it was > dangerous not to be a Jew! > > Esther 9 > 1-4 On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the > king's order came into > effect. This was the very day that the enemies of the Jews had planned to > overpower them, but the > tables were now turned: the Jews overpowered those who hated them! The > Jews had gathered in the > cities throughout King Xerxes' provinces to lay hands on those who were > seeking their ruin. Not one > man was able to stand up against them-fear made cowards of them all. > What's more, all the government > officials, satraps, governors-everyone who worked for the king-actually > helped the Jews because of > Mordecai; they were afraid of him. Mordecai by now was a power in the > palace. As Mordecai became > more and more powerful, his reputation had grown in all the provinces. > 5-9 So the Jews finished off all their enemies with the sword, > slaughtering them right and left, > and did as they pleased to those who hated them. In the palace complex of > Susa the Jews massacred > five hundred men. They also killed the ten sons of Haman son of > Hammedatha, the archenemy of the > Jews: > Parshandatha Dalphon > Aspatha Poratha > Adalia Aridatha > Parmashta Arisai > Aridai Vaizatha > > 10-12 But they took no plunder. That day, when it was all over, the number > of those killed in the > palace complex was given to the king. The king told Queen Esther, "In the > palace complex alone here > in Susa the Jews have killed five hundred men, plus Haman's ten sons. > Think of the killing that must > have been done in the rest of the provinces! What else do you want? Name > it and it's yours. Your > wish is my command." > > 13 "If it please the king," Queen Esther responded, "give the Jews of Susa > permission to extend the > terms of the order another day. And have the bodies of Haman's ten sons > hanged in public display on > the gallows." > > 14 The king commanded it: The order was extended; the bodies of Haman's > ten sons were publicly > hanged. > > 15 The Jews in Susa went at it again. On the fourteenth day of Adar they > killed another three > hundred men in Susa. But again they took no plunder. > > 16-19 Meanwhile in the rest of the king's provinces, the Jews had > organized and defended > themselves, freeing themselves from oppression. On the thirteenth day of > the month of Adar, they > killed seventy-five thousand of those who hated them but did not take any > plunder. The next day, the > fourteenth, they took it easy and celebrated with much food and laughter. > But in Susa, since the > Jews had banded together on both the thirteenth and fourteenth days, they > made the fifteenth their > holiday for laughing and feasting. (This accounts for why Jews living out > in the country in the > rural villages remember the fourteenth day of Adar for celebration, their > day for parties and the > exchange of gifts.) > > > 20-22 Mordecai wrote all this down and sent copies to all the Jews in all > King Xerxes' provinces, > regardless of distance, calling for an annual celebration on the > fourteenth and fifteenth days of > Adar as the occasion when Jews got relief from their enemies, the month in > which their sorrow turned > to joy, mourning somersaulted into a holiday for parties and fun and > laughter, the sending and > receiving of presents and of giving gifts to the poor. > > 23 And they did it. What started then became a tradition, continuing the > practice of what Mordecai > had written to them. > > > 24-26 Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the archenemy of all Jews, had > schemed to destroy all > Jews. He had cast the pur (the lot) to throw them into a panic and destroy > them. But when Queen > Esther intervened with the king, he gave written orders that the evil > scheme that Haman had worked > out should boomerang back on his own head. He and his sons were hanged on > the gallows. That's why > these days are called "Purim," from the word pur or "lot." > > 26-28 Therefore, because of everything written in this letter and because > of all that they had been > through, the Jews agreed to continue. It became a tradition for them, > their children, and all future > converts to remember these two days every year on the specified dates set > down in the letter. These > days are to be remembered and kept by every single generation, every last > family, every province and > city. These days of Purim must never be neglected among the Jews; the > memory of them must never die > out among their descendants. > > 29-32 Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, backed Mordecai the Jew, > using her full queenly > authority in this second Purim letter to endorse and ratify what he wrote. > Calming and reassuring > letters went out to all the Jews throughout the 127 provinces of Xerxes' > kingdom to fix these days > of Purim their assigned place on the calendar, dates set by Mordecai the > Jew-what they had agreed to > for themselves and their descendants regarding their fasting and mourning. > Esther's word confirmed > the tradition of Purim and was written in the book. > > Esther 10 > 1-2 King Xerxes imposed taxes from one end of his empire to the other. For > the rest of it, King > Xerxes' extensive accomplishments, along with a detailed account of the > brilliance of Mordecai, whom > the king had promoted, that's all written in The Chronicles of the Kings > of Media and Persia. > 3 Mordecai the Jew ranked second in command to King Xerxes. He was popular > among the Jews and > greatly respected by them. He worked hard for the good of his people; he > cared for the peace and > prosperity of his race. > > > > > > > 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. 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