Jeremy Dawson Sermons and Devos

<p>A false balance is an abomination to the Lord,<br> but a just weight is his delight.<br>2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace,<br> but with the humble is wisdom.<br>3 The integrity of the upright guides them,<br> but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.<br>4 Riches do not profit in the day of wrath,<br> but righteousness delivers from death.<br>5 The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight,<br> but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.<br>6 The righteousness of the upright delivers them,<br> but the treacherous are taken captive by their lust.<br>7 When the wicked dies, his hope will perish,<br> and the expectation of wealth perishes too.<br>8 The righteous is delivered from trouble,<br> and the wicked walks into it instead.<br>9 With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,<br> but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.<br>10 When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,<br> and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.<br>11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,<br> but by the mouth of the wicked it is overthrown.<br>12 Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense,<br> but a man of understanding remains silent.<br>13 Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets,<br> but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.<br>14 Where there is no guidance, a people falls,<br> but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.<br>15 Whoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm,<br> but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.<br>16 A gracious woman gets honor,<br> and violent men get riches.<br>17 A man who is kind benefits himself,<br> but a cruel man hurts himself.</p>

<p>17 Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,<br> but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.<br>18 The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,<br> and whoever utters slander is a fool.<br>19 When words are many, transgression is not lacking,<br> but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.<br>20 The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;<br> the heart of the wicked is of little worth.<br>21 The lips of the righteous feed many,<br> but fools die for lack of sense.<br>22 The blessing of the Lord makes rich,<br> and he adds no sorrow with it.<br>23 Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool,<br> but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.<br>24 What the wicked dreads will come upon him,<br> but the desire of the righteous will be granted.<br>25 When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,<br> but the righteous is established forever.<br>26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,<br> so is the sluggard to those who send him.<br>27 The fear of the Lord prolongs life,<br> but the years of the wicked will be short.<br>28 The hope of the righteous brings joy,<br> but the expectation of the wicked will perish.<br>29 The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless,<br> but destruction to evildoers.<br>30 The righteous will never be removed,<br> but the wicked will not dwell in the land.<br>31 The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,<br> but the perverse tongue will be cut off.<br>32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,<br> but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.</p>

<p>The Proverbs of Solomon<br><br>A wise son makes a glad father,<br> but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.<br>2 Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,<br> but righteousness delivers from death.<br>3 The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,<br> but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.<br>4 A slack hand causes poverty,<br> but the hand of the diligent makes rich.<br>5 He who gathers in summer is a prudent son,<br> but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.<br>6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,<br> but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.<br>7 The memory of the righteous is a blessing,<br> but the name of the wicked will rot.<br>8 The wise of heart will receive commandments,<br> but a babbling fool will come to ruin.<br>9 Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,<br> but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.<br>10 Whoever winks the eye causes trouble,<br> and a babbling fool will come to ruin.<br>11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,<br> but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.<br>12 Hatred stirs up strife,<br> but love covers all offenses.<br>13 On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,<br> but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.<br>14 The wise lay up knowledge,<br> but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.<br>15 A rich man's wealth is his strong city;<br> the poverty of the poor is their ruin.<br>16 The wage of the righteous leads to life,<br> the gain of the wicked to sin.</p>

<p>The Way of Folly<br><br>13 The woman Folly is loud;<br> she is seductive and knows nothing.<br>14 She sits at the door of her house;<br> she takes a seat on the highest places of the town,<br>15 calling to those who pass by,<br> who are going straight on their way,<br>16 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”<br> And to him who lacks sense she says,<br>17 “Stolen water is sweet,<br> and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”<br>18 But he does not know that the dead are there,<br> that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.</p>

<p>The Way of Wisdom<br><br>Wisdom has built her house;<br> she has hewn her seven pillars.<br>2 She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;<br> she has also set her table.<br>3 She has sent out her young women to call<br> from the highest places in the town,<br>4 “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”<br> To him who lacks sense she says,<br>5 “Come, eat of my bread<br> and drink of the wine I have mixed.<br>6 Leave your simple ways,[a] and live,<br> and walk in the way of insight.”<br><br>7 Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,<br> and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.<br>8 Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;<br> reprove a wise man, and he will love you.<br>9 Give instruction[b] to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;<br> teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.<br>10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,<br> and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.<br>11 For by me your days will be multiplied,<br> and years will be added to your life.<br>12 If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;<br> if you scoff, you alone will bear it.</p>

<p>The Blessings of Wisdom<br><br>Does not wisdom call?<br> Does not understanding raise her voice?<br>2 On the heights beside the way,<br> at the crossroads she takes her stand;<br>3 beside the gates in front of the town,<br> at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:<br>4 “To you, O men, I call,<br> and my cry is to the children of man.<br>5 O simple ones, learn prudence;<br> O fools, learn sense.<br>6 Hear, for I will speak noble things,<br> and from my lips will come what is right,<br>7 for my mouth will utter truth;<br> wickedness is an abomination to my lips.<br>8 All the words of my mouth are righteous;<br> there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.<br>9 They are all straight to him who understands,<br> and right to those who find knowledge.<br>10 Take my instruction instead of silver,<br> and knowledge rather than choice gold,<br>11 for wisdom is better than jewels,<br> and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.<br><br>12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,<br> and I find knowledge and discretion.<br>13 The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.<br>Pride and arrogance and the way of evil<br> and perverted speech I hate.<br>14 I have counsel and sound wisdom;<br> I have insight; I have strength.<br>15 By me kings reign,<br> and rulers decree what is just;<br>16 by me princes rule,<br> and nobles, all who govern justly.<br>17 I love those who love me,<br> and those who seek me diligently find me.<br>18 Riches and honor are with me,<br> enduring wealth and righteousness.<br>19 My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,<br> and my yield than choice silver.<br>20 I walk in the way of righteousness,<br> in the paths of justice,<br>21 granting an inheritance to those who love me,<br> and filling their treasuries.<br><br>22 “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work,<br> the first of his acts of old.<br>23 Ages ago I was set up,<br> at the first, before the beginning of the earth.<br>24 When there were no depths I was brought forth,<br> when there were no springs abounding with water.<br>25 Before the mountains had been shaped,<br> before the hills, I was brought forth,<br>26 before he had made the earth with its fields,<br> or the first of the dust of the world.<br>27 When he established the heavens, I was there;<br> when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,<br>28 when he made firm the skies above,<br> when he established the fountains of the deep,<br>29 when he assigned to the sea its limit,<br> so that the waters might not transgress his command,<br>when he marked out the foundations of the earth,<br>30 then I was beside him, like a master workman,<br>and I was daily his delight,<br> rejoicing before him always,<br>31 rejoicing in his inhabited world<br> and delighting in the children of man.<br><br>32 “And now, O sons, listen to me:<br> blessed are those who keep my ways.<br>33 Hear instruction and be wise,<br> and do not neglect it.<br>34 Blessed is the one who listens to me,<br> watching daily at my gates,<br> waiting beside my doors.<br>35 For whoever finds me finds life<br> and obtains favor from the Lord,<br>36 but he who fails to find me injures himself;<br> all who hate me love death.”</p>

<p>Who is God to you? And who are You to God?<br>Find out why Jesus didn't teach His disciples the Words of a Prayer, but the Worth of a Prayer. <br><br>This is a recording of Covenant Life's Sunday Morning Zoom Service. <br>Join us every Sunday at 10:30am over Zoom for Fellowship, Worship and the Word at Covenant Life Online. Visit <a href="http://www.onlinewithcovenant.life" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">www.onlinewithcovenant.life</a> for more details. <br><br>If you would like to support this ministry, kindly click here : <a href="https://rzp.io/l/pstjeremy" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://rzp.io/l/pstjeremy</a><br><br>CONNECT WITH Pastor Jeremy Dawson <br>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jeremyadawson/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/jeremyadawson/</a><br>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jeremydawso.." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/jeremydawso..</a>.<br>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/JeremyADawson" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/JeremyADawson</a></p>

<p>Warning Against the Adulteress <br><br>My son, keep my words<br> and treasure up my commandments with you;<br>2 keep my commandments and live;<br> keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;<br>3 bind them on your fingers;<br> write them on the tablet of your heart.<br>4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”<br> and call insight your intimate friend,<br>5 to keep you from the forbidden woman,<br> from the adulteress with her smooth words.<br><br>6 For at the window of my house<br> I have looked out through my lattice,<br>7 and I have seen among the simple,<br> I have perceived among the youths,<br> a young man lacking sense,<br>8 passing along the street near her corner,<br> taking the road to her house<br>9 in the twilight, in the evening,<br> at the time of night and darkness.<br><br>10 And behold, the woman meets him,<br> dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.<br>11 She is loud and wayward;<br> her feet do not stay at home;<br>12 now in the street, now in the market,<br> and at every corner she lies in wait.<br>13 She seizes him and kisses him,<br> and with bold face she says to him,<br>14 “I had to offer sacrifices,<br> and today I have paid my vows;<br>15 so now I have come out to meet you,<br> to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.<br>16 I have spread my couch with coverings,<br> colored linens from Egyptian linen;<br>17 I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,<br> aloes, and cinnamon.<br>18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;<br> let us delight ourselves with love.<br>19 For my husband is not at home;<br> he has gone on a long journey;<br>20 he took a bag of money with him;<br> at full moon he will come home.”<br><br>21 With much seductive speech she persuades him;<br> with her smooth talk she compels him.<br>22 All at once he follows her,<br> as an ox goes to the slaughter,<br>or as a stag is caught fast<br>23 till an arrow pierces its liver;<br>as a bird rushes into a snare;<br> he does not know that it will cost him his life.<br><br>24 And now, O sons, listen to me,<br> and be attentive to the words of my mouth.<br>25 Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;<br> do not stray into her paths,<br>26 for many a victim has she laid low,<br> and all her slain are a mighty throng.<br>27 Her house is the way to Sheol,<br> going down to the chambers of death.</p>

<p>Warnings Against Adultery<br><br>20 My son, keep your father's commandment,<br> and forsake not your mother's teaching.<br>21 Bind them on your heart always;<br> tie them around your neck.<br>22 When you walk, they will lead you;<br> when you lie down, they will watch over you;<br> and when you awake, they will talk with you.<br>23 For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light,<br> and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life,<br>24 to preserve you from the evil woman,<br> from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.<br>25 Do not desire her beauty in your heart,<br> and do not let her capture you with her eyelashes;<br>26 for the price of a prostitute is only a loaf of bread,<br> but a married woman hunts down a precious life.<br>27 Can a man carry fire next to his chest<br> and his clothes not be burned?<br>28 Or can one walk on hot coals<br> and his feet not be scorched?<br>29 So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife;<br> none who touches her will go unpunished.<br>30 People do not despise a thief if he steals<br> to satisfy his appetite when he is hungry,<br>31 but if he is caught, he will pay sevenfold;<br> he will give all the goods of his house.<br>32 He who commits adultery lacks sense;<br> he who does it destroys himself.<br>33 He will get wounds and dishonor,<br> and his disgrace will not be wiped away.<br>34 For jealousy makes a man furious,<br> and he will not spare when he takes revenge.<br>35 He will accept no compensation;<br> he will refuse though you multiply gifts.</p>

<p>Practical Warnings<br><br>My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor,<br> have given your pledge for a stranger,<br>2 if you are snared in the words of your mouth,<br> caught in the words of your mouth,<br>3 then do this, my son, and save yourself,<br> for you have come into the hand of your neighbor:<br> go, hasten, and plead urgently with your neighbor.<br>4 Give your eyes no sleep<br> and your eyelids no slumber;<br>5 save yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter,<br> like a bird from the hand of the fowler.<br><br>6 Go to the ant, O sluggard;<br> consider her ways, and be wise.<br>7 Without having any chief,<br> officer, or ruler,<br>8 she prepares her bread in summer<br> and gathers her food in harvest.<br>9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard?<br> When will you arise from your sleep?<br>10 A little sleep, a little slumber,<br> a little folding of the hands to rest,<br>11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,<br> and want like an armed man.<br><br>12 A worthless person, a wicked man,<br> goes about with crooked speech,<br>13 winks with his eyes, signals with his feet,<br> points with his finger,<br>14 with perverted heart devises evil,<br> continually sowing discord;<br>15 therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly;<br> in a moment he will be broken beyond healing.<br><br>16 There are six things that the Lord hates,<br> seven that are an abomination to him:<br>17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue,<br> and hands that shed innocent blood,<br>18 a heart that devises wicked plans,<br> feet that make haste to run to evil,<br>19 a false witness who breathes out lies,<br> and one who sows discord among brothers.</p>

<p>15 Drink water from your own cistern,<br> flowing water from your own well.<br>16 Should your springs be scattered abroad,<br> streams of water in the streets?<br>17 Let them be for yourself alone,<br> and not for strangers with you.<br>18 Let your fountain be blessed,<br> and rejoice in the wife of your youth,<br>19 a lovely deer, a graceful doe.<br>Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight;<br> be intoxicated always in her love.<br>20 Why should you be intoxicated, my son, with a forbidden woman<br> and embrace the bosom of an adulteress?<br>21 For a man's ways are before the eyes of the Lord,<br> and he ponders all his paths.<br>22 The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him,<br> and he is held fast in the cords of his sin.<br>23 He dies for lack of discipline,<br> and because of his great folly he is led astray.</p>

<p>Warning Against Adultery <br><br>My son, be attentive to my wisdom;<br> incline your ear to my understanding,<br>2 that you may keep discretion,<br> and your lips may guard knowledge.<br>3 For the lips of a forbidden woman drip honey,<br> and her speech is smoother than oil,<br>4 but in the end she is bitter as wormwood,<br> sharp as a two-edged sword.<br>5 Her feet go down to death;<br> her steps follow the path to Sheol;<br>6 she does not ponder the path of life;<br> her ways wander, and she does not know it.<br><br>7 And now, O sons, listen to me,<br> and do not depart from the words of my mouth.<br>8 Keep your way far from her,<br> and do not go near the door of her house,<br>9 lest you give your honor to others<br> and your years to the merciless,<br>10 lest strangers take their fill of your strength,<br> and your labors go to the house of a foreigner,<br>11 and at the end of your life you groan,<br> when your flesh and body are consumed,<br>12 and you say, “How I hated discipline,<br> and my heart despised reproof!<br>13 I did not listen to the voice of my teachers<br> or incline my ear to my instructors.<br>14 I am at the brink of utter ruin<br> in the assembled congregation.”</p>

<p>20 My son, be attentive to my words;<br> incline your ear to my sayings.<br>21 Let them not escape from your sight;<br> keep them within your heart.<br>22 For they are life to those who find them,<br> and healing to all their flesh.<br>23 Keep your heart with all vigilance,<br> for from it flow the springs of life.<br>24 Put away from you crooked speech,<br> and put devious talk far from you.<br>25 Let your eyes look directly forward,<br> and your gaze be straight before you.<br>26 Ponder the path of your feet;<br> then all your ways will be sure.<br>27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left;<br> turn your foot away from evil.</p>

<p>A Father's Wise Instruction<br><br>Hear, O sons, a father's instruction,<br> and be attentive, that you may gain insight,<br>2 for I give you good precepts;<br> do not forsake my teaching.<br>3 When I was a son with my father,<br> tender, the only one in the sight of my mother,<br>4 he taught me and said to me,<br>“Let your heart hold fast my words;<br> keep my commandments, and live.<br>5 Get wisdom; get insight;<br> do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.<br>6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;<br> love her, and she will guard you.<br>7 The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,<br> and whatever you get, get insight.<br>8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;<br> she will honor you if you embrace her.<br>9 She will place on your head a graceful garland;<br> she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”<br><br>10 Hear, my son, and accept my words,<br> that the years of your life may be many.<br>11 I have taught you the way of wisdom;<br> I have led you in the paths of uprightness.<br>12 When you walk, your step will not be hampered,<br> and if you run, you will not stumble.<br>13 Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;<br> guard her, for she is your life.<br>14 Do not enter the path of the wicked,<br> and do not walk in the way of the evil.<br>15 Avoid it; do not go on it;<br> turn away from it and pass on.<br>16 For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;<br> they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.<br>17 For they eat the bread of wickedness<br> and drink the wine of violence.<br>18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,<br> which shines brighter and brighter until full day.<br>19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness;<br> they do not know over what they stumble.</p>

<p>The High Priestly Prayer<br><br>When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.<br><br>6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.<br><br>20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”</p>

<p>Jesus Christ came so that we may know the Father, and that we may know Him through Christ. <br>This is the first part is the Study of JOHN 17 – THE HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER OF CHRIST by Pst. Jeremy Dawson at Covenant Life's Sunday Zoom Service. <br><br>This sermon was preached by Pst. Jeremy Dawson at Covenant Life's Online Service at 10 :30 am over Zoom on Sundays. This is a Zoom Recording. Visit <a href="http://www.onlinewithcovenant.life" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">www.onlinewithcovenant.life</a> to know more. <br>. <br>If you would like to put in your offering online, kindly visit <a href="https://www.jeremydawson.org/donate_" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.jeremydawson.org/donate_</a><br>PayTM : 8447615553<br>GooglePay : dawsonmail@okhdfcbank<br>.<br>.<br>CONNECT WITH Pastor Jeremy Dawson <br>YouTube: <a href="http://bit.ly/YouTube-JeremyDawsonOff.." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/YouTube-JeremyDawsonOff..</a>.<br>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jeremyadawson/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/jeremyadawson/</a><br>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jeremydawso.." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/jeremydawso..</a>.<br>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/JeremyADawson" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/JeremyADawson</a></p>

<p>Blessed Is the One Who Finds Wisdom<br><br>13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,<br> and the one who gets understanding,<br>14 for the gain from her is better than gain from silver<br> and her profit better than gold.<br>15 She is more precious than jewels,<br> and nothing you desire can compare with her.<br>16 Long life is in her right hand;<br> in her left hand are riches and honor.<br>17 Her ways are ways of pleasantness,<br> and all her paths are peace.<br>18 She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her;<br> those who hold her fast are called blessed.<br><br>19 The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;<br> by understanding he established the heavens;<br>20 by his knowledge the deeps broke open,<br> and the clouds drop down the dew.<br><br>21 My son, do not lose sight of these—<br> keep sound wisdom and discretion,<br>22 and they will be life for your soul<br> and adornment for your neck.<br>23 Then you will walk on your way securely,<br> and your foot will not stumble.<br>24 If you lie down, you will not be afraid;<br> when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.<br>25 Do not be afraid of sudden terror<br> or of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes,<br>26 for the Lord will be your confidence<br> and will keep your foot from being caught.<br>27 Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,<br> when it is in your power to do it.<br><br>28 Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,<br> tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.<br>29 Do not plan evil against your neighbor,<br> who dwells trustingly beside you.<br>30 Do not contend with a man for no reason,<br> when he has done you no harm.<br>31 Do not envy a man of violence<br> and do not choose any of his ways,<br>32 for the devious person is an abomination to the Lord,<br> but the upright are in his confidence.<br>33 The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked,<br> but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.<br>34 Toward the scorners he is scornful,<br> but to the humble he gives favor.<br>35 The wise will inherit honor,<br> but fools get disgrace.</p>

<p>Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart<br><br>My son, do not forget my teaching,<br> but let your heart keep my commandments,<br>2 for length of days and years of life<br> and peace they will add to you.<br><br>3 Let not steadfast love and faithfulness forsake you;<br> bind them around your neck;<br> write them on the tablet of your heart.<br>4 So you will find favor and good success<br> in the sight of God and man.<br><br>5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,<br> and do not lean on your own understanding.<br>6 In all your ways acknowledge him,<br> and he will make straight your paths.<br>7 Be not wise in your own eyes;<br> fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.<br>8 It will be healing to your flesh<br> and refreshment to your bones.<br><br>9 Honor the Lord with your wealth<br> and with the firstfruits of all your produce;<br>10 then your barns will be filled with plenty,<br> and your vats will be bursting with wine.<br><br>11 My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline<br> or be weary of his reproof,<br>12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,<br> as a father the son in whom he delights.</p>

<p>The Value of Wisdom<br>2 My son, if you receive my words<br> and treasure up my commandments with you,<br>2 making your ear attentive to wisdom<br> and inclining your heart to understanding;<br>3 yes, if you call out for insight<br> and raise your voice for understanding,<br>4 if you seek it like silver<br> and search for it as for hidden treasures,<br>5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord<br> and find the knowledge of God.<br>6 For the Lord gives wisdom;<br> from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;<br>7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;<br> he is a shield to those who walk in integrity,<br>8 guarding the paths of justice<br> and watching over the way of his saints.<br>9 Then you will understand righteousness and justice<br> and equity, every good path;<br>10 for wisdom will come into your heart,<br> and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;<br>11 discretion will watch over you,<br> understanding will guard you,<br>12 delivering you from the way of evil,<br> from men of perverted speech,<br>13 who forsake the paths of uprightness<br> to walk in the ways of darkness,<br>14 who rejoice in doing evil<br> and delight in the perverseness of evil,<br>15 men whose paths are crooked,<br> and who are devious in their ways.<br><br>16 So you will be delivered from the forbidden woman,<br> from the adulteress with her smooth words,<br>17 who forsakes the companion of her youth<br> and forgets the covenant of her God;<br>18 for her house sinks down to death,<br> and her paths to the departed;<br>19 none who go to her come back,<br> nor do they regain the paths of life.<br><br>20 So you will walk in the way of the good<br> and keep to the paths of the righteous.<br>21 For the upright will inhabit the land,<br> and those with integrity will remain in it,<br>22 but the wicked will be cut off from the land,<br> and the treacherous will be rooted out of it.</p>

<p>The Call of Wisdom<br><br>20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street,<br> in the markets she raises her voice;<br>21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;<br> at the entrance of the city gates she speaks:<br>22 “How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?<br>How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing<br> and fools hate knowledge?<br>23 If you turn at my reproof,<br>behold, I will pour out my spirit to you;<br> I will make my words known to you.<br>24 Because I have called and you refused to listen,<br> have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,<br>25 because you have ignored all my counsel<br> and would have none of my reproof,<br>26 I also will laugh at your calamity;<br> I will mock when terror strikes you,<br>27 when terror strikes you like a storm<br> and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,<br> when distress and anguish come upon you.<br>28 Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;<br> they will seek me diligently but will not find me.<br>29 Because they hated knowledge<br> and did not choose the fear of the Lord,<br>30 would have none of my counsel<br> and despised all my reproof,<br>31 therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way,<br> and have their fill of their own devices.<br>32 For the simple are killed by their turning away,<br> and the complacency of fools destroys them;<br>33 but whoever listens to me will dwell secure<br> and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.”</p>

<p>The Enticement of Sinners<br>8 Hear, my son, your father's instruction,<br> and forsake not your mother's teaching,<br>9 for they are a graceful garland for your head<br> and pendants for your neck.<br>10 My son, if sinners entice you,<br> do not consent.<br>11 If they say, “Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood;<br> let us ambush the innocent without reason;<br>12 like Sheol let us swallow them alive,<br> and whole, like those who go down to the pit;<br>13 we shall find all precious goods,<br> we shall fill our houses with plunder;<br>14 throw in your lot among us;<br> we will all have one purse”—<br>15 my son, do not walk in the way with them;<br> hold back your foot from their paths,<br>16 for their feet run to evil,<br> and they make haste to shed blood.<br>17 For in vain is a net spread<br> in the sight of any bird,<br>18 but these men lie in wait for their own blood;<br> they set an ambush for their own lives.<br>19 Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain;<br> it takes away the life of its possessors.</p>

<p>The Beginning of Knowledge<br>1 The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:<br><br>2 To know wisdom and instruction,<br> to understand words of insight,<br>3 to receive instruction in wise dealing,<br> in righteousness, justice, and equity;<br>4 to give prudence to the simple,<br> knowledge and discretion to the youth—<br>5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning,<br> and the one who understands obtain guidance,<br>6 to understand a proverb and a saying,<br> the words of the wise and their riddles.<br><br>7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;<br> fools despise wisdom and instruction.</p>

<p>The Greatness of Mordecai<br>10 King Ahasuerus imposed tax on the land and on the coastlands of the sea. 2 And all the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honor of Mordecai, to which the king advanced him, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? 3 For Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.</p>

<p>The Feast of Purim Inaugurated<br>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 a 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.<br><br>23 So the Jews accepted what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur (that is, cast lots), to crush and to destroy them. 25 But when it came before the king, he gave orders in writing that his evil plan that he had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. 26 Therefore they called these days Purim, after the term Pur. Therefore, because of all that was written in this letter, and of what they had faced in this matter, and of what had happened to them, 27 the Jews firmly obligated themselves and their offspring and all who joined them, that without fail they would keep these two days according to what was written and at the time appointed every year, 28 that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, in every clan, province, and city, and that these days of Purim should never fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should the commemoration of these days cease among their descendants.<br><br>29 Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew gave full written authority, confirming this second letter about Purim. 30 Letters were sent to all the Jews, to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, in words of peace and truth, 31 that these days of Purim should be observed at their appointed seasons, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther obligated them, and as they had obligated themselves and their offspring, with regard to their fasts and their lamenting. 32 The command of Esther confirmed these practices of Purim, and it was recorded in writing.</p>

<p>The Jews Destroy Their Enemies<br>Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's command and edict were about to be carried out, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them. 2 The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could stand against them, for the fear of them had fallen on all peoples. 3 All the officials of the provinces and the satraps and the governors and the royal agents also helped the Jews, for the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them. 4 For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for the man Mordecai grew more and more powerful. 5 The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them. 6 In Susa the citadel itself the Jews killed and destroyed 500 men, 7 and also killed Parshandatha and Dalphon and Aspatha 8 and Poratha and Adalia and Aridatha 9 and Parmashta and Arisai and Aridai and Vaizatha, 10 the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, but they laid no hand on the plunder.<br><br>11 That very day the number of those killed in Susa the citadel was reported to the king. 12 And the king said to Queen Esther, “In Susa the citadel the Jews have killed and destroyed 500 men and also the ten sons of Haman. What then have they done in the rest of the king's provinces! Now what is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what further is your request? It shall be fulfilled.” 13 And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the Jews who are in Susa be allowed tomorrow also to do according to this day's edict. And let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows.” 14 So the king commanded this to be done. A decree was issued in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged. 15 The Jews who were in Susa gathered also on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and they killed 300 men in Susa, but they laid no hands on the plunder.<br><br>16 Now the rest of the Jews who were in the king's provinces also gathered to defend their lives, and got relief from their enemies and killed 75,000 of those who hated them, but they laid no hands on the plunder. 17 This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested and made that a day of feasting and gladness. 18 But the Jews who were in Susa gathered on the thirteenth day and on the fourteenth, and rested on the fifteenth day, making that a day of feasting and gladness. 19 Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in the rural towns, hold the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day for gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and as a day on which they send gifts of food to one another.<br><br>The Feast of Purim Inaugurated<br>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 a 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.<br><br>23 So the Jews accepted what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur (that is, cast lots), to crush and to destroy them. 25 But when it came before the king, he gave orders in writing that his evil plan that he had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. 26 Therefore they called these days Purim, after the term Pur. Therefore, because of all that was written in this letter, and of what they had faced in this matter, and of what had happened to them, 27 the Jews firmly obligated themselves and their offspring and all who joined them, that without fail they would keep these two days according to what was written and at the time appointed every year, 28 that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, in every clan, province, and city, and that these days of Purim should never fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should the commemoration of these days cease among their descendants.<br><br>29 Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew gave full written authority, confirming this second letter about Purim. 30 Letters were sent to all the Jews, to the 127 provinces of the kingd

<p>Esther Saves the Jews<br>On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her. 2 And the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.<br><br>3 Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him to avert the evil plan of Haman the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews. 4 When the king held out the golden scepter to Esther, Esther rose and stood before the king. 5 And she said, “If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. 6 For how can I bear to see the calamity that is coming to my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?” 7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows, because he intended to lay hands on the Jews. 8 But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, and seal it with the king's ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's ring cannot be revoked.”<br><br>9 The king's scribes were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day. And an edict was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded concerning the Jews, to the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, 127 provinces, to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, and also to the Jews in their script and their language. 10 And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king's signet ring. Then he sent the letters by mounted couriers riding on swift horses that were used in the king's service, bred from the royal stud, 11 saying that the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to gather and defend their lives, to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, and to plunder their goods, 12 on one day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. 13 A copy of what was written was to be issued as a decree in every province, being publicly displayed to all peoples, and the Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies. 14 So the couriers, mounted on their swift horses that were used in the king's service, rode out hurriedly, urged by the king's command. And the decree was issued in Susa the citadel.<br><br>15 Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown and a robe of fine linen and purple, and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. 16 The Jews had light and gladness and joy and honor. 17 And in every province and in every city, wherever the king's command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, for fear of the Jews had fallen on them.</p>

<p>So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. 2 And on the second day, as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king again said to Esther, “What is your wish, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” 3 Then Queen Esther answered, “If 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. 4 For we have been sold, I and my people, to 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.” 5 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared to do this?” 6 And Esther said, “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.<br><br>Haman Is Hanged<br><br>7 And the king arose in his wrath from the wine-drinking and went into the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm was determined against him by the king. 8 And the king returned from the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was. And the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the word left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman's face. 9 Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Moreover, the gallow that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman's house, fifty cubits high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” 10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the wrath of the king abated.</p>

<p>The King Honors Mordecai<br><br>On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. 2 And it was found written how Mordecai had told about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, and who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 3 And the king said, “What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” The king's young men who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” 4 And the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the king's palace to speak to the king about having Mordecai hanged on the gallows that he had prepared for him. 5 And the king's young men told him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” 6 So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What should be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” 7 And Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, 8 let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown is set. 9 And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king's most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor, and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, proclaiming before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.’” 10 Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king's gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.” 11 So Haman took the robes and the horse, and he dressed Mordecai and led him through the square of the city, proclaiming before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”<br><br>12 Then Mordecai returned to the king's gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning and with his head covered. 13 And Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him.”<br><br>Esther Reveals Haman's Plot<br><br>14 While they were yet talking with him, the king's eunuchs arrived and hurried to bring Haman to the feast that Esther had prepared.</p>

<p>Haman Plans to Hang Mordecai<br><br>9 And Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai. 10 Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and brought his friends and his wife Zeresh. 11 And Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king. 12 Then Haman said, “Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king. 13 Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate.” 14 Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows fifty cubits high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast.” This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.</p>

<p>Esther Prepares a Banquet<br><br>On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace, in front of the king's quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. 2 And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won favor in his sight, and he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. 3 And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to the half of my kingdom.” 4 And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.” 5 Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther has asked.” So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared. 6 And as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, “What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” 7 Then Esther answered, “My wish and my request is: 8 If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.”</p>

<p>Esther Agrees to Help the Jews<br><br>When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry. 2 He went up to the entrance of the king's gate, for no one was allowed to enter the king's gate clothed in sackcloth. 3 And in every province, wherever the king's command and his decree reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting and weeping and lamenting, and many of them lay in sackcloth and ashes.<br><br>4 When Esther's young women and her eunuchs came and told her, the queen was deeply distressed. She sent garments to clothe Mordecai, so that he might take off his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther called for Hathach, one of the king's eunuchs, who had been appointed to attend her, and ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn what this was and why it was. 6 Hathach went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king's gate, 7 and Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and the exact sum of money that Haman had promised to pay into the king's treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. 8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for their destruction,[a] that he might show it to Esther and explain it to her and command her to go to the king to beg his favor and plead with him on behalf of her people. 9 And Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to go to Mordecai and say, 11 “All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside the inner court without being called, there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”<br><br>12 And they told Mordecai what Esther had said. 13 Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. 14 For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” 15 Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, and if I perish, I perish.” 17 Mordecai then went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.</p>

<p>12 Then the king's scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and an edict, according to all that Haman commanded, was written to the king's satraps and to the governors over all the provinces and to the officials of all the peoples, to every province in its own script and every people in its own language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king's signet ring. 13 Letters were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. 14 A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province by proclamation to all the peoples to be ready for that day. 15 The couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.</p>

<p>Haman Plots Against the Jews<br><br>After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him. 2 And all the king's servants who were at the king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage. 3 Then the king's servants who were at the king's gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king's command?” 4 And when they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai's words would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew. 5 And when Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was filled with fury. 6 But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.<br><br>7 In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, they cast lots) before Haman day after day; and they cast it month after month till the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. 8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king's laws, so that it is not to the king's profit to tolerate them. 9 If it please the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who have charge of the king's business, that they may put it into the king's treasuries.” 10 So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. 11 And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.”</p>

<p>Mordecai Discovers a Plot<br><br>19 Now when the virgins were gathered together the second time, Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate. 20 Esther had not made known her kindred or her people, as Mordecai had commanded her, for Esther obeyed Mordecai just as when she was brought up by him. 21 In those days, as Mordecai was sitting at the king's gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, became angry and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. 22 And this came to the knowledge of Mordecai, and he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther told the king in the name of Mordecai. 23 When the affair was investigated and found to be so, the men were both hanged on the gallows. And it was recorded in the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.</p>

<p>Esther Chosen Queen<br><br>After these things, when the anger of King Ahasuerus had abated, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and what had been decreed against her. 2 Then the king's young men who attended him said, “Let beautiful young virgins be sought out for the king. 3 And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom to gather all the beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa the citadel, under custody of Hegai, the king's eunuch, who is in charge of the women. Let their cosmetics be given them. 4 And let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.” This pleased the king, and he did so.<br><br>5 Now there was a Jew in Susa the citadel whose name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite, 6 who had been carried away from Jerusalem among the captives carried away with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away. 7 He was bringing up Hadassah, that is Esther, the daughter of his uncle, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman had a beautiful figure and was lovely to look at, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter. 8 So when the king's order and his edict were proclaimed, and when many young women were gathered in Susa the citadel in custody of Hegai, Esther also was taken into the king's palace and put in custody of Hegai, who had charge of the women. 9 And the young woman pleased him and won his favor. And he quickly provided her with her cosmetics and her portion of food, and with seven chosen young women from the king's palace, and advanced her and her young women to the best place in the harem. 10 Esther had not made known her people or kindred, for Mordecai had commanded her not to make it known. 11 And every day Mordecai walked in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and what was happening to her.<br><br>12 Now when the turn came for each young woman to go in to King Ahasuerus, after being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their beautifying, six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and ointments for women— 13 when the young woman went in to the king in this way, she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the harem to the king's palace. 14 In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second harem in 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.<br><br>15 When the turn came for Esther the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his own daughter, to go in to the king, she asked for nothing except what Hegai the king's eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was winning favor in the eyes of all who saw her. 16 And when Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus, into his royal palace, in the tenth month, which is the month of Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign, 17 the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she won grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. 18 Then the king gave a great feast for all his officials and servants; it was Esther's feast. He also granted a remission of taxes to the provinces and gave gifts with royal generosity.</p>

<p>Queen Vashti's Refusal<br><br>10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, 11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown, in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at. 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king's command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him.<br><br>13 Then the king said to the wise men who knew the times (for this was the king's procedure toward all who were versed in law and judgment, 14 the men next to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king's face, and sat first in the kingdom): 15 “According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti, because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?” 16 Then Memucan said in the presence of the king and the officials, “Not only against the king has Queen Vashti done wrong, but also against all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17 For the queen's behavior will be made known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt, since they will say, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.’ 18 This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen's behavior will say the same to all the king's officials, and there will be contempt and wrath in plenty. 19 If it please the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes so that it may not be repealed, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus. And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. 20 So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, for it is vast, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike.” 21 This advice pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Memucan proposed. 22 He sent letters to all the royal provinces, to every province in its own script and to every people in its own language, that every man be master in his own household and speak according to the language of his people.</p>

<p>This is an exposition of 1 John 5, continuing the ongoing series in 1 John. <br>. <br>This sermon was preached by Pst. Jeremy Dawson at Covenant Life's Online Service at 10 :30 am over Zoom on Sundays. This is a Zoom Recording. Visit <a href="http://www.onlinewithcovenant.life" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">www.onlinewithcovenant.life</a> to know more. <br>. <br>If you would like to put in your offering online, kindly visit <a href="https://www.jeremydawson.org/donate_" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.jeremydawson.org/donate_</a><br>PayTM : 8447615553<br>GooglePay : dawsonmail@okhdfcbank<br>.<br>.<br>CONNECT WITH Pastor Jeremy Dawson <br>YouTube: <a href="http://bit.ly/YouTube-JeremyDawsonOff.." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/YouTube-JeremyDawsonOff..</a>.<br>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jeremyadawson/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/jeremyadawson/</a><br>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jeremydawso.." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/jeremydawso..</a>.<br>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/JeremyADawson" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/JeremyADawson</a></p>

<p>The King's Banquets<br><br>1 Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over 127 provinces, 2 in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in Susa, the citadel, 3 in the third year of his reign he gave a feast for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him, 4 while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days. 5 And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the garden of the king's palace. 6 There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones. 7 Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king. 8 And drinking was according to this edict: “There is no compulsion.” For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired. 9 Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus.</p>

<p>The Wall Is Finished<br><br>15 So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. 16 And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem, for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God. 17 Moreover, in those days the nobles of Judah sent many letters to Tobiah, and Tobiah's letters came to them. 18 For many in Judah were bound by oath to him, because he was the son-in-law of Shecaniah the son of Arah: and his son Jehohanan had taken the daughter of Meshullam the son of Berechiah as his wife. 19 Also they spoke of his good deeds in my presence and reported my words to him. And Tobiah sent letters to make me afraid.</p>

<p>Conspiracy Against Nehemiah<br><br>Now when Sanballat and Tobiah and Geshem the Arab and the rest of our enemies heard that I had built the wall and that there was no breach left in it (although up to that time I had not set up the doors in the gates), 2 Sanballat and Geshem sent to me, saying, “Come and let us meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono.” But they intended to do me harm. 3 And I sent messengers to them, saying, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?” 4 And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner. 5 In the same way Sanballat for the fifth time sent his servant to me with an open letter in his hand. 6 In it was written, “It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the wall. And according to these reports you wish to become their king. 7 And you have also set up prophets to proclaim concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.’ And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come and let us take counsel together.” 8 Then I sent to him, saying, “No such things as you say have been done, for you are inventing them out of your own mind.” 9 For they all wanted to frighten us, thinking, “Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.” But now, O God, strengthen my hands.<br><br>10 Now when I went into the house of Shemaiah the son of Delaiah, son of Mehetabel, who was confined to his home, he said, “Let us meet together in the house of God, within the temple. Let us close the doors of the temple, for they are coming to kill you. They are coming to kill you by night.” 11 But I said, “Should such a man as I run away? And what man such as I could go into the temple and live? I will not go in.” 12 And I understood and saw that God had not sent him, but he had pronounced the prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. 13 For this purpose he was hired, that I should be afraid and act in this way and sin, and so they could give me a bad name in order to taunt me. 14 Remember Tobiah and Sanballat, O my God, according to these things that they did, and also the prophetess Noadiah and the rest of the prophets who wanted to make me afraid.</p>

<p>Nehemiah Stops Oppression of the Poor<br>5 Now there arose a great outcry of the people and of their wives against their Jewish brothers. 2 For there were those who said, “With our sons and our daughters, we are many. So let us get grain, that we may eat and keep alive.” 3 There were also those who said, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our houses to get grain because of the famine.” 4 And there were those who said, “We have borrowed money for the king's tax on our fields and our vineyards. 5 Now our flesh is as the flesh of our brothers, our children are as their children. Yet we are forcing our sons and our daughters to be slaves, and some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but it is not in our power to help it, for other men have our fields and our vineyards.”<br><br>6 I was very angry when I heard their outcry and these words. 7 I took counsel with myself, and I brought charges against the nobles and the officials. I said to them, “You are exacting interest, each from his brother.” And I held a great assembly against them 8 and said to them, “We, as far as we are able, have bought back our Jewish brothers who have been sold to the nations, but you even sell your brothers that they may be sold to us!” They were silent and could not find a word to say. 9 So I said, “The thing that you are doing is not good. Ought you not to walk in the fear of our God to prevent the taunts of the nations our enemies? 10 Moreover, I and my brothers and my servants are lending them money and grain. Let us abandon this exacting of interest. 11 Return to them this very day their fields, their vineyards, their olive orchards, and their houses, and the percentage of money, grain, wine, and oil that you have been exacting from them.” 12 Then they said, “We will restore these and require nothing from them. We will do as you say.” And I called the priests and made them swear to do as they had promised. 13 I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, “So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied.” And all the assembly said “Amen” and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.<br><br>Nehemiah's Generosity<br><br>14 Moreover, from the time that I was appointed to be their governor in the land of Judah, from the twentieth year to the thirty-second year of Artaxerxes the king, twelve years, neither I nor my brothers ate the food allowance of the governor. 15 The former governors who were before me laid heavy burdens on the people and took from them for their daily ration forty shekels of silver. Even their servants lorded it over the people. But I did not do so, because of the fear of God. 16 I also persevered in the work on this wall, and we acquired no land, and all my servants were gathered there for the work. 17 Moreover, there were at my table 150 men, Jews and officials, besides those who came to us from the nations that were around us. 18 Now what was prepared at my expense for each day was one ox and six choice sheep and birds, and every ten days all kinds of wine in abundance. Yet for all this I did not demand the food allowance of the governor, because the service was too heavy on this people. 19 Remember for my good, O my God, all that I have done for this people.</p>

<p>The Work Resumes<br><br>15 When our enemies heard that it was known to us and that God had frustrated their plan, we all returned to the wall, each to his work. 16 From that day on, half of my servants worked on construction, and half held the spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. And the leaders stood behind the whole house of Judah, 17 who were building on the wall. Those who carried burdens were loaded in such a way that each labored on the work with one hand and held his weapon with the other. 18 And each of the builders had his sword strapped at his side while he built. The man who sounded the trumpet was beside me. 19 And I said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “The work is great and widely spread, and we are separated on the wall, far from one another. 20 In the place where you hear the sound of the trumpet, rally to us there. Our God will fight for us.”<br><br>21 So we labored at the work, and half of them held the spears from the break of dawn until the stars came out. 22 I also said to the people at that time, “Let every man and his servant pass the night within Jerusalem, that they may be a guard for us by night and may labor by day.” 23 So neither I nor my brothers nor my servants nor the men of the guard who followed me, none of us took off our clothes; each kept his weapon at his right hand.</p>

<p>Opposition to the Work<br><br>Now when Sanballat heard that we were building the wall, he was angry and greatly enraged, and he jeered at the Jews. 2 And he said in the presence of his brothers and of the army of Samaria, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Will they restore it for themselves? Will they sacrifice? Will they finish up in a day? Will they revive the stones out of the heaps of rubbish, and burned ones at that?” 3 Tobiah the Ammonite was beside him, and he said, “Yes, what they are building—if a fox goes up on it he will break down their stone wall!” 4 Hear, O our God, for we are despised. Turn back their taunt on their own heads and give them up to be plundered in a land where they are captives. 5 Do not cover their guilt, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight, for they have provoked you to anger in the presence of the builders.<br><br>6 So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.<br><br>7 But when Sanballat and Tobiah and the Arabs and the Ammonites and the Ashdodites heard that the repairing of the walls of Jerusalem was going forward and that the breaches were beginning to be closed, they were very angry. 8 And they all plotted together to come and fight against Jerusalem and to cause confusion in it. 9 And we prayed to our God and set a guard as a protection against them day and night.<br><br>10 In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.” 11 And our enemies said, “They will not know or see till we come among them and kill them and stop the work.” 12 At that time the Jews who lived near them came from all directions and said to us ten times, “You must return to us.” 13 So in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in open places, I stationed the people by their clans, with their swords, their spears, and their bows. 14 And I looked and arose and said to the nobles and to the officials and to the rest of the people, “Do not be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes.”</p>

<p>Pst. Jeremy Dawson takes a look at the 6 proofs of the undeniable evidence of being right with God.<br><br>This sermon was preached by Pst. Jeremy Dawson at Covenant Life's Online Service at 10 :30 am over Zoom on Sundays. This is a Zoom Recording. Visit <a href="http://www.onlinewithcovenant.life" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">www.onlinewithcovenant.life</a> to know more. <br>. <br>.<br>.<br>CONNECT WITH Pastor Jeremy Dawson <br>YouTube: <a href="http://bit.ly/YouTube-JeremyDawsonOff.." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/YouTube-JeremyDawsonOff..</a>.<br>Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/jeremyadawson/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/jeremyadawson/</a><br>Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jeremydawso.." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/jeremydawso..</a>.<br>Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/JeremyADawson" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/JeremyADawson</a></p>

<p>Rebuilding the Wall<br><br>Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built the Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and set its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the Tower of Hananel. 2 And next to him the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built.<br><br>3 The sons of Hassenaah built the Fish Gate. They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 4 And next to them Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired. And next to them Meshullam the son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel repaired. And next to them Zadok the son of Baana repaired. 5 And next to them the Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord.<br><br>6 Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah repaired the Gate of Yeshanah. They laid its beams and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 7 And next to them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, the seat of the governor of the province Beyond the River. 8 Next to them Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths, repaired. Next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, repaired, and they restored Jerusalem as far as the Broad Wall. 9 Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired. 10 Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph repaired opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah repaired. 11 Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and the Tower of the Ovens. 12 Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, ruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired, he and his daughters.<br><br>13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired the Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and repaired a thousand cubits of the wall, as far as the Dung Gate.<br><br>14 Malchijah the son of Rechab, ruler of the district of Beth-haccherem, repaired the Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars.<br><br>15 And Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and covered it and set its doors, its bolts, and its bars. And he built the wall of the Pool of Shelah of the king's garden, as far as the stairs that go down from the city of David. 16 After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, repaired to a point opposite the tombs of David, as far as the artificial pool, and as far as the house of the mighty men. 17 After him the Levites repaired: Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, repaired for his district. 18 After him their brothers repaired: Bavvai the son of Henadad, ruler of half the district of Keilah. 19 Next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section opposite the ascent to the armory at the buttress. 20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai repaired another section from the buttress to the door of the house of Eliashib the high priest. 21 After him Meremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired another section from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib. 22 After him the priests, the men of the surrounding area, repaired. 23 After them Benjamin and Hasshub repaired opposite their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah repaired beside his own house. 24 After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the buttress and to the corner. 25 Palal the son of Uzai repaired opposite the buttress and the tower projecting from the upper house of the king at the court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh 26 and the temple servants living on Ophel repaired to a point opposite the Water Gate on the east and the projecting tower. 27 After him the Tekoites repaired another section opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel.<br><br>28 Above the Horse Gate the priests repaired, each one opposite his own house. 29 After them Zadok the son of Immer repaired opposite his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, repaired. 30 After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph repaired another section. After him Meshullam the son of Berechiah repaired opposite his chamber. 31 After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, opposite the Muster Gate,[h] and to the upper chamber of the corner. 32 And between the upper chamber of the corner and the Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants repaired.</p>

<p>Nehemiah Inspects Jerusalem's Walls<br><br>9 Then I came to the governors of the province Beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. 10 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant heard this, it displeased them greatly that someone had come to seek the welfare of the people of Israel.<br><br>11 So I went to Jerusalem and was there three days. 12 Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me. And I told no one what my God had put into my heart to do for Jerusalem. There was no animal with me but the one on which I rode. 13 I went out by night by the Valley Gate to the Dragon Spring and to the Dung Gate, and I inspected the walls of Jerusalem that were broken down and its gates that had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I went on to the Fountain Gate and to the King's Pool, but there was no room for the animal that was under me to pass. 15 Then I went up in the night by the valley and inspected the wall, and I turned back and entered by the Valley Gate, and so returned. 16 And the officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, and I had not yet told the Jews, the priests, the nobles, the officials, and the rest who were to do the work.<br><br>17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer suffer derision.” 18 And I told them of the hand of my God that had been upon me for good, and also of the words that the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work. 19 But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite servant and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they jeered at us and despised us and said, “What is this thing that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” 20 Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven will make us prosper, and we his servants will arise and build, but you have no portion or right or claim[a] in Jerusalem.”</p>

<p>Nehemiah Sent to Judah<br><br>In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. 2 And the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. 3 I said to the king, “Let the king live forever! Why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' graves, lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” 4 Then the king said to me, “What are you requesting?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' graves, that I may rebuild it.” 6 And the king said to me (the queen sitting beside him), “How long will you be gone, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me when I had given him a time. 7 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, let letters be given me to the governors of the province Beyond the River, that they may let me pass through until I come to Judah, 8 and a letter to Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress of the temple, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall occupy.” And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.</p>

<p>​Good evening dear ones. It's a lovely Thursday evening again and it's time to stop and refuel. I hope you will join me for this short devotional study in Philippians 2.<br>.<br>A midweek bible exposition to encourage the faith of believers in Jesus Christ.<br>Good evening and welcome to Thursday Mid Week Refuel with Pst. Jeremy.</p>

<p>Report from Jerusalem<br><br>1 The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah.<br><br>Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel, 2 that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. 3 And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.”<br><br>Nehemiah's Prayer<br><br>4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. 5 And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 6 let your ear be attentive and your eyes open, to hear the prayer of your servant that I now pray before you day and night for the people of Israel your servants, confessing the sins of the people of Israel, which we have sinned against you. Even I and my father's house have sinned. 7 We have acted very corruptly against you and have not kept the commandments, the statutes, and the rules that you commanded your servant Moses. 8 Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, 9 but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’ 10 They are your servants and your people, whom you have redeemed by your great power and by your strong hand. 11 O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight to fear your name, and give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.”<br><br>Now I was cupbearer to the king.</p>

<p>6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.<br><br>Final Greetings<br><br>12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. 13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with the kiss of love.<br><br>Peace to all of you who are in Christ.</p>