Psalm 124; Esther 7:1–6; Esther 7:9–10; Esther 9:20–22; Mark 9:38–50; James 5:13–20

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Psalm 124

Our Help Is in the Name of the Lord

A Song of mAscents. Of David.

xIf it had not been the Lord who was on our side

ylet Israel now say

if it had not been the Lord who was on our side

when people rose up against us,

then they would have zswallowed us up alive,

when their anger was kindled against us;

then athe flood would have bswept us away,

the torrent would have gone cover us;

then over us would have gone

the raging waters.

Blessed be the Lord,

who has not given us

as prey to their teeth!

We have escaped like a bird

from dthe snare of the fowlers;

the snare is broken,

and we have escaped!

eOur help is in the name of the Lord,

who made heaven and earth.


Esther 7:1–6

So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. And on the second day, as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king again said to Esther, cWhat is your wish, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? dEven to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled. Then Queen Esther answered, eIf I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. fFor we have been sold, I and my people, gto be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king. Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, Who is he, and where is he, who has dared1 to do this? And Esther said, hA foe and enemy! This wicked Haman! Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.


Esther 7:9–10

Then kHarbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, Moreover, lthe gallows1 that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, mwhose word saved the king, is standing at Haman’s house, fifty cubits2 high. And the king said, Hang him on that. 10 nSo they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. oThen the wrath of the king abated.


Esther 9:20–22

The Feast of Purim Inaugurated

20 And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, 22 as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into ja holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.


Mark 9:38–50

Anyone Not Against Us Is for Us

38 fJohn said to him, Teacher, we saw someone gcasting out demons in your name,1 and hwe tried to stop him, because he was not following us. 39 But Jesus said, Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 iFor the one who is not against us is for us. 41 For truly, I say to you, jwhoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ will by no means lose his reward.

Temptations to Sin

42 kWhoever causes one of lthese little ones who believe in me to sin,2 mit would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. 43 nAnd if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to ohell,3 to pthe unquenchable fire.4 45 qAnd if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into ohell. 47 rAnd if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into shell, 48 where ttheir worm does not die and the fire is not quenched. 49 For everyone will be salted with fire.5 50 vSalt is good, wbut if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? xHave salt in yourselves, and ybe at peace with one another.


James 5:13–20

The Prayer of Faith

13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him vsing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, wanointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And xif he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, yconfess your sins to one another and pray for one another, zthat you may be healed. aThe prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.1 17 Elijah was a man bwith a nature like ours, and che prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for dthree years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 eThen he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

19 My brothers, fif anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone gbrings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering hwill save his soul from death and iwill cover a multitude of sins.