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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
October 12 - Bible-in-a-Year
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Esther 2
Chapter 2
Vashti's Successor Sought
1 After these things, (C1)when the anger of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done, and (C2)what had been decided regarding her.2 Then the king's attendants, who served him, said, "(C1)Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king.3 "And may the king appoint overseers in (C1)all the provinces of his kingdom, and have them (F1)bring every beautiful young virgin to the citadel of Susa, to the harem, into the custody of (C2)Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women; and (C3)let their cosmetics be given to them.4 "Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen in place of Vashti." And the (F1)suggestion pleased the king, and he did accordingly.
5 There was a Jew at the citadel in Susa whose name was (C1)Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjaminite,6 (C1)who had been taken from Jerusalem with the exiles who had been deported with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had deported.7 He was the guardian to Hadassah, that is (C1)Esther, his uncle's daughter, for she had no father or mother. Now the young woman was beautiful of form and (F1)face, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.
Esther Finds Favor
8 So it came about, when the command and decree of the king were heard and (C1)many young ladies were gathered to the citadel of Susa into the (F1)custody of (C2)Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king's (F2)palace into the custody of Hegai, who was in charge of the women.9 Now the young lady pleased him and found favor with him. So he quickly provided her with her (C1)cosmetics and (F1)food, gave her seven choice female attendants from the king's palace, and transferred her and her attendants to the best place in the harem.10 (C1)Esther did not reveal her people or her kindred, because Mordecai had instructed her that she was not to reveal them.11 And every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the courtyard of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her.
12 Now when the turn came for each young woman to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the end of her twelve months under the regulations for the women—for the days of their beauty treatment were completed as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with balsam oil and the cosmetics for women—13 the young woman would go in to the king in this way: anything that she (F1)desired was given her to (F2)take with her from the harem to the king's palace.14 In the evening she would enter and in the morning she would return to the second harem, to the (F1)custody of Shaashgaz, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the concubines. She would not go in to the king again, unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.
15 Now when the turn of Esther, (C1)the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter, came to go in to the king, she did not request anything except what (C2)Hegai, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the women, (F1)advised. And Esther was finding favor in the eyes of all who saw her.16 So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus in his royal palace in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.
Esther Becomes Queen
17 The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the virgins, so that (C1)he set the royal turban on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.18 Then (C1)the king held a great banquet, Esther's banquet, for all his officials and his servants; he also made a holiday for the provinces and gave gifts (C2)in proportion to the king's bounty.
19 (C1)Now when the virgins were gathered together for the second time, then Mordecai (C2)was sitting at the king's gate.20 (C1)Esther still had not revealed her relatives or her people, just as Mordecai had instructed her; for Esther did (F1)what Mordecai told her just as she had (C2)when under his care.
Mordecai Saves the King
21 In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, (C1)Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's officials from those who guarded the door, became angry and sought to (F1)attack King Ahasuerus.22 But the (F1)plot became known to Mordecai and (C1)he informed Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in Mordecai's name.23 Then when the plot was investigated and found to be so, they were both hanged on a wooden gallows; and it was written in (C1)the Book of the Chronicles in the king's presence.Psalms 105:26-45
Chapter 105
26 He (C1)sent His servant Moses,
And (C2)Aaron, whom He had chosen.
27 They (F1)(C1)performed His wondrous acts among them,
And miracles in the land of Ham.
28 He (C1)sent darkness and made it dark;
And they did not (C2)rebel against His words.
29 He (C1)turned their waters into blood,
And caused their fish to die.
30 Their land swarmed with (C1)frogs
Even in the (C2)chambers of their kings.
31 He spoke, and a (C1)swarm of flies
And (C2)gnats invaded all their territory.
32 He (F1)gave them (C1)hail for rain,
And flaming fire in their land.
33 He also (C1)struck their vines and their fig trees,
And smashed the trees of their territory.
34 He spoke, and (C1)locusts came,
And creeping locusts, beyond number,
35 And they ate all the vegetation in their land,
And ate the fruit of their ground.
36 He also (C1)fatally struck all the firstborn in their land,
The (C2)first fruits of all their vigor.
37 Then He brought (F1)the Israelites out with (C1)silver and gold,
And among His tribes there was not one who stumbled.
38 Egypt was (C1)glad when they departed,
For the (C2)dread of them had fallen upon (F1)the Egyptians.
39 He spread out a (C1)cloud as a (F1)covering,
And (C2)fire to illumine by night.
40 (F1)They (C1)asked, and He brought (C2)quail,
And satisfied them with the (F2)(C3)bread of heaven.
41 He opened the (F1)rock and (C1)water flowed out;
(F2)It ran in the dry places like a river.
42 For He (C1)remembered His holy word
With His servant Abraham;
43 And He led out His people with joy,
His chosen ones with a joyful (C1)shout.
44 He also (C1)gave them the lands of the (F1)nations,
So that they (C2)might take possession of the fruit of the peoples' labor,
45 And that they might (C1)keep His statutes
And comply with His laws;
(F1)Praise (F2)the LORD!
Revelation 12
Chapter 12
The Woman, Israel
1 A great (C1)sign appeared (C2)in heaven: (C3)a woman (C4)clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;2 and she was pregnant and she (*)(C1)cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth.
The Red Dragon, Satan
3 Then (C1)another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red (C2)dragon having (C3)seven heads and (C4)ten horns, and on his heads were (C5)seven crowns.4 And his tail (*)swept away a (C1)third of the stars of heaven and (C2)hurled them to the earth. And the (C3)dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth (C4)he might devour her Child.The Male Child, Christ
5 And (C1)she gave birth to a Son, a male, who is going to (F1)(C2)rule all the (F2)nations with a rod of iron; and her Child was (C3)caught up to God and to His throne.6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she (*)had a place prepared by God, so that there (F1)she would be nourished for (C1)1,260 days.The Angel, Michael
7 And there was war in heaven, (C1)Michael and his angels waging war with the (C2)dragon. The dragon and (C3)his angels waged war,8 and they did not prevail, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.9 And the great (C1)dragon was thrown down, the (C2)serpent of old who is called the devil and (C3)Satan, who (C4)deceives the whole (F1)world; he was (C5)thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
10 Then I heard (C1)a loud voice in heaven, saying,
13 And when the (C1)dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted (C2)the woman who gave birth to the male Child.14 But the (C1)two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly (C2)into the wilderness to her place, where she (*)was nourished for (C3)a time, times, and half a time, away from the presence of the serpent.15 And the (C1)serpent hurled water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood.16 (F1)But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon had hurled out of his mouth.17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to (C1)make war with the rest of her (F1)(C2)children, who (C3)keep the commandments of God and (C4)hold to the testimony of Jesus.
Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995,2020 by The Lockman Foundation
