The Triumphal Entry^(A)

²⁸ When He had said this, ^(B)He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. ^29 (C)And it came to pass, when He drew near to ^[a]Bethphage and ^(D)Bethany, at the mountain called ^(E)Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, ³⁰ saying, “Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. ³¹ And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing it?’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’ ”

³² So those who were sent went their way and found it just ^(F)as He had said to them. ³³ But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you loosing the colt?”

³⁴ And they said, “The Lord has need of him.” ³⁵ Then they brought him to Jesus. ^(G)And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him. ³⁶ And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.

³⁷ Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to ^(H)rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, ³⁸ saying:

Trained by Saving Grace

¹¹ For ^(A)the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, ¹² teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, ^13 (B)looking for the blessed ^(C)hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, ^14 (D)who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed ^(E)and purify for Himself ^(F)His own special people, zealous for good works.

¹⁵ Speak these things, ^(G)exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.

Esther Becomes Queen

2 After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus subsided, he remembered Vashti, ^(A)what she had done, and what had been decreed against her. ² Then the king’s servants who attended him said: “Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king; ³ and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather all the beautiful young virgins to ^[a]Shushan the ^[b]citadel, into the women’s quarters, under the custody of ^[c]Hegai the king’s eunuch, custodian of the women. And let beauty preparations be given them. ⁴ Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti.”

This thing pleased the king, and he did so.

⁵ In ^[d]Shushan the ^[e]citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of ^(B)Kish, a Benjamite. ^6 (C)Kish^[f] had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been captured with ^[g]Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away. ⁷ And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, ^(D)his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother. The young woman was lovely and beautiful. When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

⁸ So it was, when the king’s command and decree were heard, and when many young women were ^(E)gathered at ^[h]Shushan the ^[i]citadel, under the custody of Hegai, that Esther also was taken to the king’s palace, into the care of Hegai the custodian of the women. ⁹ Now the young woman pleased him, and she obtained his favor; so he readily gave ^(F)beauty preparations to her, besides ^[j]her allowance. Then seven choice maidservants were provided for her from the king’s palace, and he moved her and her maidservants to the best place in the house of the women.

^10 (G)Esther had not ^[k]revealed her people or family, for Mordecai had charged her not to reveal it. ¹¹ And every day Mordecai paced in front of the court of the women’s quarters, to learn of Esther’s welfare and what was happening to her.

¹² Each young woman’s turn came to go in to King Ahasuerus after she had completed twelve months’ preparation, according to the regulations for the women, for thus were the days of their preparation apportioned: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfumes and preparations for beautifying women. ¹³ Thus prepared, each young woman went to the king, and she was given whatever she desired to take with her from the women’s quarters to the king’s palace. ¹⁴ In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to the second house of the women, to the custody of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who kept the concubines. She would not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and called for her by name.

¹⁵ Now when the turn came for Esther ^(H)the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she requested nothing but what Hegai the king’s eunuch, the custodian of the women, advised. And Esther ^(I)obtained favor in the sight of all who saw her. ¹⁶ So 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 other women, and she obtained grace and favor in his sight more than all the virgins; so he set the royal ^(J)crown upon her head and made her queen instead of Vashti. ¹⁸ Then the king ^(K)made a great feast, the Feast of Esther, for all his officials and servants; and he proclaimed a holiday in the provinces and gave gifts according to the ^[l]generosity of a king.

Mordecai Discovers a Plot

¹⁹ When virgins were gathered together a second time, Mordecai sat within the king’s gate. ^20 (L)Now Esther had not revealed her family and her people, just as Mordecai had charged her, for Esther obeyed the command of Mordecai as when she was brought up by him.

²¹ In those days, while Mordecai sat within the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs, ^[m]Bigthan and Teresh, doorkeepers, became furious and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. ²² So the matter became known to Mordecai, ^(M)who told Queen Esther, and Esther informed the king in Mordecai’s name. ²³ And when an inquiry was made into the matter, it was confirmed, and both were hanged on a gallows; and it was written in ^(N)the book of the chronicles in the presence of the king.