Esther Made Queen

2 Later when King Xerxes’ fury had subsided,^(A) he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what he had decreed about her. ² Then the king’s personal attendants proposed, “Let a search be made for beautiful young virgins for the king. ³ Let the king appoint commissioners in every province of his realm to bring all these beautiful young women into the harem at the citadel of Susa. Let them be placed under the care of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and let beauty treatments be given to them. ⁴ Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This advice appealed to the king, and he followed it.

⁵ Now there was in the citadel of Susa a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin, named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish,^{(B) 6} who had been carried into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, among those taken captive with Jehoiachin^[a](C) king of Judah.^{(D) 7} Mordecai had a cousin named Hadassah, whom he had brought up because she had neither father nor mother. This young woman, who was also known as Esther,^(E) had a lovely figure^(F) and was beautiful. Mordecai had taken her as his own daughter when her father and mother died.

⁸ When the king’s order and edict had been proclaimed, many young women were brought to the citadel of Susa^(G) and put under the care of Hegai. Esther also was taken to the king’s palace and entrusted to Hegai, who had charge of the harem. ⁹ She pleased him and won his favor.^(H) Immediately he provided her with her beauty treatments and special food.^(I) He assigned to her seven female attendants selected from the king’s palace and moved her and her attendants into the best place in the harem.

¹⁰ Esther had not revealed her nationality and family background, because Mordecai had forbidden her to do so.^{(J) 11} Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.

¹² Before a young woman’s turn came to go in to King Xerxes, she had to complete twelve months of beauty treatments prescribed for the women, six months with oil of myrrh and six with perfumes^(K) and cosmetics. ¹³ And this is how she would go to the king: Anything she wanted was given her to take with her from the harem to the king’s palace. ¹⁴ In the evening she would go there and in the morning return to another part of the harem to the care of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the concubines.^(L) She would not return to the king unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name.^(M)

¹⁵ When the turn came for Esther (the young woman Mordecai had adopted, the daughter of his uncle Abihail^(N)) to go to the king,^(O) she asked for nothing other than what Hegai, the king’s eunuch who was in charge of the harem, suggested. And Esther won the favor^(P) of everyone who saw her. ¹⁶ She was taken to King Xerxes in the royal residence in the tenth month, the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

¹⁷ Now the king was attracted to Esther more than to any of the other women, and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins. So he set a royal crown on her head and made her queen^(Q) instead of Vashti. ¹⁸ And the king gave a great banquet,^(R) Esther’s banquet, for all his nobles and officials.^(S) He proclaimed a holiday throughout the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality.^(T)

Mordecai Uncovers a Conspiracy

¹⁹ When the virgins were assembled a second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate.^{(U) 20} But Esther had kept secret her family background and nationality just as Mordecai had told her to do, for she continued to follow Mordecai’s instructions as she had done when he was bringing her up.^(V)

²¹ During the time Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthana^[b] and Teresh, two of the king’s officers^(W) who guarded the doorway, became angry^(X) and conspired to assassinate King Xerxes. ²² But Mordecai found out about the plot and told Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai. ²³ And when the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were impaled^(Y) on poles. All this was recorded in the book of the annals^(Z) in the presence of the king.^(AA)

Judgment on Israel’s Enemies

9 A prophecy:^(A)

The Coming of Zion’s King

The Lord Will Appear

The Lord Will Care for Judah

Two Shepherds

⁴ This is what the Lord my God says: “Shepherd the flock marked for slaughter.^{(CF) 5} Their buyers slaughter them and go unpunished. Those who sell them say, ‘Praise the Lord, I am rich!’ Their own shepherds do not spare them.^{(CG) 6} For I will no longer have pity on the people of the land,” declares the Lord. “I will give everyone into the hands of their neighbors^(CH) and their king. They will devastate the land, and I will not rescue anyone from their hands.”^(CI)

⁷ So I shepherded the flock marked for slaughter,^(CJ) particularly the oppressed of the flock. Then I took two staffs and called one Favor and the other Union, and I shepherded the flock. ⁸ In one month I got rid of the three shepherds.

The flock detested^(CK) me, and I grew weary of them ⁹ and said, “I will not be your shepherd. Let the dying die, and the perishing perish.^(CL) Let those who are left eat^(CM) one another’s flesh.”

¹⁰ Then I took my staff called Favor^(CN) and broke it, revoking^(CO) the covenant I had made with all the nations. ¹¹ It was revoked on that day, and so the oppressed of the flock who were watching me knew it was the word of the Lord.

¹² I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver.^(CP)

¹³ And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver^(CQ) and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.^(CR)

¹⁴ Then I broke my second staff called Union, breaking the family bond between Judah and Israel.

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to me, “Take again the equipment of a foolish shepherd. ¹⁶ For I am going to raise up a shepherd over the land who will not care for the lost, or seek the young, or heal the injured, or feed the healthy, but will eat the meat of the choice sheep, tearing off their hooves.

The Beast out of the Sea

13 The dragon^[a] stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea.^(A) It had ten horns and seven heads,^(B) with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.^{(C) 2} The beast I saw resembled a leopard,^(D) but had feet like those of a bear^(E) and a mouth like that of a lion.^(F) The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.^{(G) 3} One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed.^(H) The whole world was filled with wonder^(I) and followed the beast. ⁴ People worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, “Who is like^(J) the beast? Who can wage war against it?”

⁵ The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies^(K) and to exercise its authority for forty-two months.^{(L) 6} It opened its mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.^{(M) 7} It was given power to wage war^(N) against God’s holy people and to conquer them. And it was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.^{(O) 8} All inhabitants of the earth^(P) will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life,^(Q) the Lamb^(R) who was slain from the creation of the world.^[b](S)

⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.^(T)

This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness^(V) on the part of God’s people.^(W)

The Beast out of the Earth

¹¹ Then I saw a second beast, coming out of the earth.^(X) It had two horns like a lamb, but it spoke like a dragon.^{(Y) 12} It exercised all the authority^(Z) of the first beast on its behalf,^(AA) and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast,^(AB) whose fatal wound had been healed.^{(AC) 13} And it performed great signs,^(AD) even causing fire to come down from heaven^(AE) to the earth in full view of the people. ¹⁴ Because of the signs^(AF) it was given power to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived^(AG) the inhabitants of the earth.^(AH) It ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.^{(AI) 15} The second beast was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that the image could speak and cause all who refused to worship^(AJ) the image to be killed.^{(AK) 16} It also forced all people, great and small,^(AL) rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads,^{(AM) 17} so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark,^(AN) which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.^(AO)

¹⁸ This calls for wisdom.^(AP) Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.^[e](AQ) That number is 666.

The Lamb and the 144,000

14 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb,^(AR) standing on Mount Zion,^(AS) and with him 144,000^(AT) who had his name and his Father’s name^(AU) written on their foreheads.^{(AV) 2} And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters^(AW) and like a loud peal of thunder.^(AX) The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps.^{(AY) 3} And they sang a new song^(AZ) before the throne and before the four living creatures^(BA) and the elders.^(BB) No one could learn the song except the 144,000^(BC) who had been redeemed from the earth. ⁴ These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins.^(BD) They follow the Lamb wherever he goes.^(BE) They were purchased from among mankind^(BF) and offered as firstfruits^(BG) to God and the Lamb. ⁵ No lie was found in their mouths;^(BH) they are blameless.^(BI)

The Three Angels

⁶ Then I saw another angel flying in midair,^(BJ) and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth^(BK)—to every nation, tribe, language and people.^{(BL) 7} He said in a loud voice, “Fear God^(BM) and give him glory,^(BN) because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made^(BO) the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”^(BP)

⁸ A second angel followed and said, “‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great,’^[f](BQ) which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries.”^(BR)

⁹ A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast^(BS) and its image^(BT) and receives its mark on their forehead^(BU) or on their hand, ¹⁰ they, too, will drink the wine of God’s fury,^(BV) which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath.^(BW) They will be tormented with burning sulfur^(BX) in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. ¹¹ And the smoke of their torment will rise for ever and ever.^(BY) There will be no rest day or night^(BZ) for those who worship the beast and its image,^(CA) or for anyone who receives the mark of its name.”^{(CB) 12} This calls for patient endurance^(CC) on the part of the people of God^(CD) who keep his commands^(CE) and remain faithful to Jesus.

¹³ Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord^(CF) from now on.”

“Yes,” says the Spirit,^(CG) “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

Harvesting the Earth and Trampling the Winepress

¹⁴ I looked, and there before me was a white cloud,^(CH) and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man^[g](CI) with a crown^(CJ) of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. ¹⁵ Then another angel came out of the temple^(CK) and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, “Take your sickle^(CL) and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest^(CM) of the earth is ripe.” ¹⁶ So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.

¹⁷ Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle.^{(CN) 18} Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar^(CO) and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle^(CP) and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.” ¹⁹ The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God’s wrath.^{(CQ) 20} They were trampled in the winepress^(CR) outside the city,^(CS) and blood^(CT) flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.^[h]