1 In the second year of the reign of Artaxerxes the great, on the first day of the month of Nisan, Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin,
2 a Jewish man who lived in the city of Susa, a great gentleman, and among the first ones of the king’s court, saw a dream.
3 Now he was one of a number of captives, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away from Jerusalem with Jeconiah king of Judah.
4 And this was his dream: voices appeared, and confusion, and thunders, and earthquakes, and a disturbance upon the earth.
5 And behold, there were two great dragons making preparations against one another for battle.
6 And at their cry all peoples rushed forth to fight against the nation of the just.
7 And that was a day of darkness and division, of tribulation and anguish, and there was an unnatural dread over the earth.
8 And the nation of the just was disturbed, fearing their own evils, and was prepared for death.
9 And they cried out to God, and from their loud crying, a little fountain grew into a very great river and overflowed into many waters.
10 The light and the sun rose up, and the humble were exalted, and they devoured the illustrious.
11 When Mordecai had seen this, and he arose from bed, he was considering what God might want to do, and he kept it fixed in his soul, desiring to know what the dream might signify.
1 Now he was staying at that time in the king’s court with Bagatha and Thara the king’s eunuchs, who were porters of the palace.
2 And when he realized their thoughts, and had diligently paid close attention, he learned that they were attempting to cast their hand against king Artaxerxes, and he reported this to the king.
3 Then the king had both of them questioned, and when they confessed, he ordered a sentence of death.
4 But the king had what had happened written in the commentaries. And even Mordecai handed over the memory of these things into writing.
5 And the king instructed him to remain in the court of the palace, having given him this position for the information.
6 In truth, Haman the son of Hammedatha the Bougaean had great honor in the eyes of the king, and he wanted to harm Mordecai and his people because of the two eunuchs of the king who had been executed.
1 In the days of Artaxerxes, who reigned from India to Ethiopia over one hundred twenty-seven provinces,
2 when he sat on the throne of his kingdom, the city of Susa was the root of his kingdom.
3 And so, in the third year of his reign, he made a great feast for all the leaders and his servants, for the most powerful among the Persians and the distinguished among the Medes, and for the rulers of the provinces before him,
4 so that he might show the glorious riches of his kingdom, as well as its greatness, and so boast of his power, for a long time, namely, one hundred and eighty days.
5 And when the days of the feast were nearly completed, he invited all the people, who had been found in Susa, from the greatest even to the least, and he commanded a feast to be prepared, for seven days, in the court of the garden and the arboretum, which had been planted by the care and by the hand of the king.
6 And, in every direction, tents the color of the sky and of flax as well as hyacinth were hung up, suspended by cords of linen and even purple, which had been placed through rings of ivory and were held up with marble columns. The couches also, of gold and silver, had been arranged over a pavement of emerald-green, bearing scattered jewels, which was decorated with a wonderful variety of images.
7 Moreover, those who had been invited drank from golden cups, and dishes of foods were brought in one after another. Likewise, choice wine was presented in abundance, as was worthy of royal magnificence.
8 Nor was anyone compelled to drink who was unwilling, but, just as the king had appointed, one of his nobles was set over each table, so that each one might select what he wanted.
9 Likewise, Vashti the queen made a feast for the women, in the palace where king Artaxerxes was accustomed to stay the night.
10 And so, on the seventh day, when the king was more cheerful, and, after excessive drinking, had become warmed with wine, he ordered Mehuman, and Biztha, and Harbona, and Bigtha, and Abagtha, and Zethar, and Charkas, seven eunuchs who served in his presence,
11 to bring in queen Vashti before the king, with the crown set upon her head, to show her beauty to the whole people and to the leaders, for she was very beautiful.
12 She refused, and she showed contempt towards the king’s command, which he had delivered to her by the eunuchs. Whereupon the king, being angry and inflamed with a very great fury,
13 questioned the wise men, who, according to royal custom were always near him and all he did was by their counsel, who knew the laws as well as the judgments of their ancestors,
14 (but first and foremost were Carshena, and Shethar, and Admatha, and Tarshish, and Meres, and Marsena, and Memucan, seven rulers of the Persians as well as the Medes, who saw the face of the king and who were accustomed to sitting down first after him,)
15 as to what sentence should fall upon Vashti the queen, who had refused to do the commandment of king Artaxerxes, which he had delivered to her by the eunuchs.
16 And Memucan answered, in the hearing of the king as well as the rulers, “Queen Vashti has wounded not only the king, but also all the people and the leaders, who are in all the provinces of king Artaxerxes.
17 For word about the queen will go out to all the women, so that they will show contempt for they husbands, and they will say, ‘King Artaxerxes ordered that queen Vashti should enter before him, and she would not.’
18 And so, by this example all the wives of the leaders of the Persians and the Medes will belittle the authority of their husbands; therefore, the indignation of the king is just.
19 If it pleases you, let an edict be sent out from your presence, and let it be written according to the law of the Persians and the Medes, which it is forbidden to disregard, that Vashti shall no longer enter before the king, but let another, who is better than her, receive her queenship.
20 And let this be published in all the provinces of your empire, (which is very wide,) and let all wives, the greater as much as the lesser, give honor to their husbands.”
21 His counsel pleased the king and the rulers, and the king acted according to the counsel of Memucan,
22 and he sent letters to all the provinces of his kingdom, so that every nation was able to hear and to read, in various languages and letters, that husbands are to be the greater rulers in their own houses, and that this should be published to every people.
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1 The word of the Lord that came to Zephaniah the son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah.
2 While gathering, I will gather together all things from the face of the earth, says the Lord.
3 I will gather man and cattle; I will gather the flying things of the air and the fish of the sea. And the impious will be a catastrophe. And I will disperse men before the face of the earth, says the Lord.
4 And I will extend my hand over Judah and over all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will disperse from this place the remnant of Baal, and the names of the administrators along with the priests,
5 and those who adore the military campaign over the ceiling of the sky, both those who adore and swear by the Lord, and those who swear by Melchom,
6 both those who turn aside from following after the Lord, and those who have not sought the Lord, nor inquired about him.
7 Be silent before the face of the Lord God. For the day of the Lord is near; for the Lord has prepared a victim, he has sanctified those he has called.
8 And this shall be: in the day of the victim of the Lord, I will visit upon the leaders, and upon the sons of the king, and upon all who have been clothed with strange garments.
9 And I will visit upon all who enter arrogantly over the threshold in that day, those who fill the house of the Lord their God with iniquity and deceit.
10 And this shall be in that day, says the Lord: the voice of an outcry from the fish gate, and a howling from the Second, and a great contrition from the hills.
11 Howl, inhabitants of the Pillar. All the people of Canaan have fallen silent. All were ruined who had been wrapped in silver.
12 And this shall be in that time: I will scrutinize Jerusalem with lamps, and I will visit upon the men who have become stuck in the dregs, who say in their hearts, “The Lord will not do good, and he will not do evil.”
13 And their strength will be in plundering, and their houses in the desert. And they will build houses and not dwell in them, and they will plant vineyards and not drink their wine.
14 The great day of the Lord is near; it is near and exceedingly swift. The voice of the day of the Lord is bitter; the strong will be tested there.
15 That day is a day of wrath, a day of tribulation and anguish, a day of calamity and misery, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and whirlwinds,
16 a day of the trumpet and the trumpet blast over fortified cities and over exalted ramparts.
17 And I will trouble men, and they will walk like the blind, because they have sinned against the Lord. And their blood will be poured out like soil, and their bodies like manure.
18 Neither their silver, nor their gold, will be able to free them in the day of the wrath of the Lord. All the land will be devoured in the fire of his zeal, for with all speed, he will bring to consummation every inhabitant of the land.
28 They will curse and thou will bless: let them that rise up against me be confounded: but thy servant shall rejoice.
29 Let them that detract me be clothed with shame: and let them be covered with the their confusion as with a double cloak.
30 I will give great thanks to the Lord with my mouth: and in the midst of many I will praise him.
31 Because he hath stood at the right hand of the poor, to save my soul from persecutors.
16 The promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. He did not say, “and to descendents,” as if to many, but instead, as if to one, he said, “and to your offspring,” who is Christ.
17 But I say this: the testament confirmed by God, which, after four hundred and thirty years became the Law, does not nullify, so as to make the promise empty.
18 For if the inheritance is of the law, then it is no longer of the promise. But God bestowed it to Abraham through the promise.
19 Why, then, was there a law? It was established because of transgressions, until the offspring would arrive, to whom he made the promise, ordained by Angels through the hand of a mediator.
20 Now a mediator is not of one, yet God is one.
21 So then, was the law contrary to the promises of God? Let it not be so! For if a law had been given, which was able to give life, truly justice would be of the law.
22 But Scripture has enclosed everything under sin, so that the promise, by the faith of Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
23 But before the faith arrived, we were preserved by being enclosed under the law, unto that faith which was to be revealed.
24 And so the law was our guardian in Christ, in order that we might be justified by faith.
25 But now that faith has arrived, we are no longer under a guardian.
26 For you are all sons of God, through the faith which is in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized in Christ have become clothed with Christ.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither servant nor free; there is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.
29 And if you are Christ’s, then are you the offspring of Abraham, heirs according to the promise.
