Pawprints & Prayers: Devotions for Dog Lovers

When God Says No!

The Journey of Yes

See God’s Peace: 3 Days of Visio Divina

God Gives Good Gifts to Everyone

Dog Dad Devotions on Leadership, Loyalty and Love

Living With a Strong-Willed Child

The Last Half Hour: When Waiting Becomes Glory

A Brighter Future: A 5-Day Devotional

Acts Reading Plan

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="chapter ch3" data-usfm="EST.3">
 <div class="label">3</div><div class="s1">Haman&#8217;s Plot to Destroy the Jews</div><div class="p"> 1After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles. 2All the royal officials at the king&#8217;s gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.</div><div class="p"> 3Then the royal officials at the king&#8217;s gate asked Mordecai, &#8220;Why do you disobey the king&#8217;s command?&#8221; 4Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai&#8217;s behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew.</div><div class="p"> 5When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged. 6Yet having learned who Mordecai&#8217;s people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai&#8217;s people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.</div><div class="p"> 7In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, the pur (that is, the lot) was cast in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on#3:7 Septuagint; Hebrew does not have And the lot fell on. the twelfth month, the month of Adar.</div><div class="p"> 8Then Haman said to King Xerxes, &#8220;There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king&#8217;s laws; it is not in the king&#8217;s best interest to tolerate them. 9If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will give ten thousand talents#3:9 That is, about 375 tons or about 340 metric tons of silver to the king&#8217;s administrators for the royal treasury.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10So the king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11&#8220;Keep the money,&#8221; the king said to Haman, &#8220;and do with the people as you please.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12Then on the thirteenth day of the first month the royal secretaries were summoned. They wrote out in the script of each province and in the language of each people all Haman&#8217;s orders to the king&#8217;s satraps, the governors of the various provinces and the nobles of the various peoples. These were written in the name of King Xerxes himself and sealed with his own ring. 13Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king&#8217;s provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews&#8212;young and old, women and children&#8212;on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. 14A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so they would be ready for that day.</div><div class="p"> 15The couriers went out, spurred on by the king&#8217;s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was bewildered.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkEST">
 <div class="chapter ch4" data-usfm="EST.4">
 <div class="label">4</div><div class="s1">Mordecai Persuades Esther to Help</div><div class="p"> 1When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the city, wailing loudly and bitterly. 2But he went only as far as the king&#8217;s gate, because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. 3In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.</div><div class="p"> 4When Esther&#8217;s eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. 5Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king&#8217;s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.</div><div class="p"> 6So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king&#8217;s gate. 7Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. 8He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king&#8217;s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.</div><div class="p"> 9Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. 10Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, 11&#8220;All the king&#8217;s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12When Esther&#8217;s words were reported to Mordecai, 13he sent back this answer: &#8220;Do not think that because you are in the king&#8217;s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father&#8217;s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 15Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16&#8220;Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 17So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther&#8217;s instructions.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
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 <div class="chapter ch4" data-usfm="ZEC.4">
 <div class="label">4</div><div class="s1">The Gold Lampstand and the Two Olive Trees</div><div class="p"> 1Then the angel who talked with me returned and woke me up, like someone awakened from sleep. 2He asked me, &#8220;What do you see?&#8221;</div><div class="p">I answered, &#8220;I see a solid gold lampstand with a bowl at the top and seven lamps on it, with seven channels to the lamps. 3Also there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left.&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 4I asked the angel who talked with me, &#8220;What are these, my lord?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 5He answered, &#8220;Do you not know what these are?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;No, my lord,&#8221; I replied.</div><div class="p"> 6So he said to me, &#8220;This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: &#8216;Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,&#8217; says the Lord Almighty.</div><div class="p"> 7&#8220;What are you, mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of &#8216;God bless it! God bless it!&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 8Then the word of the Lord came to me: 9&#8220;The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it. Then you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you.</div><div class="p"> 10&#8220;Who dares despise the day of small things, since the seven eyes of the Lord that range throughout the earth will rejoice when they see the chosen capstone#4:10 Or the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 11Then I asked the angel, &#8220;What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 12Again I asked him, &#8220;What are these two olive branches beside the two gold pipes that pour out golden oil?&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 13He replied, &#8220;Do you not know what these are?&#8221;</div><div class="p">&#8220;No, my lord,&#8221; I said.</div><div class="p"> 14So he said, &#8220;These are the two who are anointed to#4:14 Or two who bring oil and serve the Lord of all the earth.&#8221;</div>
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