The Angels with the Last Plagues

Revelation 15 Then I saw in the sky another mysterious sight, great and amazing. There were seven angels with seven plagues, which are the last ones, because they are the final expression of God's anger.
²Then I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire. I also saw those who had won the victory over the beast and its image and over the one whose name is represented by a number. They were standing by the sea of glass, holding harps that God had given them ³and singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb:
"Lord God Almighty,
how great and wonderful are your deeds!
King of the nations,
how right and true are your ways!
⁴Who will not stand in awe of you, Lord?
Who will refuse to declare your greatness?
You alone are holy.
All the nations will come
and worship you,
because your just actions are seen by all."
⁵After this I saw the temple in heaven open, with the Sacred Tent in it. ⁶The seven angels who had the seven plagues came out of the temple, dressed in clean shining linen and with gold bands tied around their chests. ⁷Then one of the four living creatures gave the seven angels seven gold bowls full of the anger of God, who lives forever and ever. ⁸The temple was filled with smoke from the glory and power of God, and no one could go into the temple until the seven plagues brought by the seven angels had come to an end.

Haman Is Put to Death

Esther 6 ¹⁴While they were still talking, the palace eunuchs arrived in a hurry to take Haman to Esther's banquet.
Esther 7 ¹And so the king and Haman went to eat with Esther ²for a second time. Over the wine the king asked her again, "Now, Queen Esther, what do you want? Tell me and you shall have it. I'll even give you half the empire."
³Queen Esther answered, "If it please Your Majesty to grant my humble request, my wish is that I may live and that my people may live. ⁴My people and I have been sold for slaughter. If it were nothing more serious than being sold into slavery, I would have kept quiet and not bothered you about it; but we are about to be destroyed--exterminated!"
⁵Then King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, "Who dares to do such a thing? Where is this man?"
⁶Esther answered, "Our enemy, our persecutor, is this evil man Haman!"
Haman faced the king and queen with terror. ⁷The king got up in a fury, left the room, and went outside to the palace gardens. Haman could see that the king was determined to punish him for this, so he stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life. ⁸He had just thrown himself down on Esther's couch to beg for mercy, when the king came back into the room from the gardens. Seeing this, the king cried out, "Is this man going to rape the queen right here in front of me, in my own palace?"
The king had no sooner said this than the eunuchs covered Haman's head. ⁹Then one of them, who was named Harbonah, said, "Haman even went so far as to build a gallows at his house so that he could hang Mordecai, who saved Your Majesty's life. And it's seventy-five feet tall!"
"Hang Haman on it!" the king commanded.
¹⁰So Haman was hanged on the gallows that he had built for Mordecai. Then the king's anger cooled down.

The Jews Are Told to Fight Back

Esther 8 That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther all the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. Esther told the king that Mordecai was related to her, and from then on Mordecai was allowed to enter the king's presence. ²The king took off his ring with his seal on it (which he had taken back from Haman) and gave it to Mordecai. Esther put Mordecai in charge of Haman's property.
³Then Esther spoke to the king again, throwing herself at his feet and crying. She begged him to do something to stop the evil plot that Haman, the descendant of Agag, had made against the Jews. ⁴The king held out the gold scepter to her, so she stood up and said, ⁵"If it please Your Majesty, and if you care about me and if it seems right to you, please issue a proclamation to keep Haman's orders from being carried out--those orders that the son of Hammedatha the descendant of Agag gave for the destruction of all the Jews in the empire. ⁶How can I endure it if this disaster comes on my people, and my own relatives are killed?"
⁷King Xerxes then said to Queen Esther and Mordecai, the Jew, "Look, I have hanged Haman for his plot against the Jews, and I have given Esther his property. ⁸But a proclamation issued in the king's name and stamped with the royal seal cannot be revoked. You may, however, write to the Jews whatever you like; and you may write it in my name and stamp it with the royal seal."
⁹This happened on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan. Mordecai called the king's secretaries and dictated letters to the Jews and to the governors, administrators, and officials of all the 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia. The letters were written to each province in its own language and system of writing and to the Jews in their language and system of writing. ¹⁰Mordecai had the letters written in the name of King Xerxes, and he stamped them with the royal seal. They were delivered by riders mounted on fast horses from the royal stables.
¹¹These letters explained that the king would allow the Jews in every city to organize for self-defense. If armed men of any nationality in any province attacked the Jewish men, their children, or their women, the Jews could fight back and destroy the attackers; they could slaughter them to the last man and take their possessions. ¹²This decree was to take effect throughout the Persian Empire on the day set for the slaughter of the Jews, the thirteenth of Adar, the twelfth month. ¹³It was to be proclaimed as law and made known to everyone in every province, so that the Jews would be ready to take revenge on their enemies when that day came. ¹⁴At the king's command the riders mounted royal horses and rode off at top speed. The decree was also made public in Susa, the capital city.
¹⁵Mordecai left the palace, wearing royal robes of blue and white, a cloak of fine purple linen, and a magnificent gold crown. Then the streets of Susa rang with cheers and joyful shouts. ¹⁶For the Jews there was joy and relief, happiness and a sense of victory. ¹⁷In every city and province, wherever the king's proclamation was read, the Jews held a joyful holiday with feasting and happiness. In fact, many other people became Jews, because they were afraid of them now.

BOOK FIVE
(Psalms 107--150)

In Praise of God's Goodness

Psalm 107 "Give thanks to the LORD, because he is good;
his love is eternal!"
²Repeat these words in praise to the LORD,
all you whom he has saved.
He has rescued you from your enemies
³and has brought you back from foreign countries,
from east and west, from north and south.

⁴Some wandered in the trackless desert
and could not find their way to a city to live in.
⁵They were hungry and thirsty
and had given up all hope.
⁶Then in their trouble they called to the LORD,
and he saved them from their distress.
⁷He led them by a straight road
to a city where they could live.
⁸They must thank the LORD for his constant love,
for the wonderful things he did for them.
⁹He satisfies those who are thirsty
and fills the hungry with good things.

¹⁰Some were living in gloom and darkness,
prisoners suffering in chains,
¹¹because they had rebelled against the commands of Almighty God
and had rejected his instructions.
¹²They were worn out from hard work;
they would fall down, and no one would help.
¹³Then in their trouble they called to the LORD,
and he saved them from their distress.
¹⁴He brought them out of their gloom and darkness
and broke their chains in pieces.
¹⁵They must thank the LORD for his constant love,
for the wonderful things he did for them.
¹⁶He breaks down doors of bronze
and smashes iron bars.

¹⁷Some were fools, suffering because of their sins
and because of their evil;
¹⁸they couldn't stand the sight of food
and were close to death.
¹⁹Then in their trouble they called to the LORD,
and he saved them from their distress.
²⁰He healed them with his command
and saved them from the grave.
²¹They must thank the LORD for his constant love,
for the wonderful things he did for them.
²²They must thank him with sacrifices,
and with songs of joy must tell all that he has done.