Three-year Bible reading plan for 7 March 2012

La Bibbia (it)

La Bibbia (it)

Ester, Capitolo 2, versi 1-11

¹Dopo queste cose, quando la collera del re si fu calmata, egli si ricordò di Vasti, di ciò che essa aveva fatto e di quanto era stato deciso a suo riguardo.

²Allora quelli che stavano al servizio del re dissero: «Si cerchino per il re fanciulle vergini e d'aspetto avvenente;

³stabilisca il re in tutte le province del suo regno commissari, i quali radunino tutte le fanciulle vergini e belle nella reggia di Susa, nella casa delle donne, sotto la sorveglianza di Egà i, eunuco del re e guardiano delle donne, che darà loro quanto è necessario per abbigliarsi;

⁴la fanciulla che piacerà al re diventerà regina al posto di Vasti». La cosa piacque al re e così si fece.

⁵Ora nella cittadella di Susa c'era un Giudeo chiamato Mardocheo, figlio di Iair, figlio di Simei, figlio di un Beniaminita,

⁶che era stato deportato da Gerusalemme fra quelli condotti in esilio con Ieconì a re di Giuda da Nabucodò nosor re di Babilonia.

⁷Egli aveva allevato Hadà ssa, cioè Ester, figlia di un suo zio, perché essa era orfana di padre e di madre. La fanciulla era di bella presenza e di aspetto avvenente; alla morte del padre e della madre, Mardocheo l'aveva presa come propria figlia.

⁸Quando l'ordine del re e il suo editto furono divulgati e un gran numero di fanciulle venivano radunate nella cittadella di Susa sotto la sorveglianza di Egà i, anche Ester fu presa e condotta nella reggia, sotto la sorveglianza di Egà i, guardiano delle donne.

⁹La fanciulla piacque a Egà i ed entrò nelle buone grazie di lui; egli si preoccupò di darle il necessario per l'abbigliamento e il vitto; le diede sette ancelle scelte nella reggia e assegnò a lei e alle sue ancelle l'appartamento migliore nella casa delle donne.

¹⁰Ester non aveva detto nulla né del suo popolo né della sua famiglia, perché Mardocheo le aveva proibito di parlarne.

¹¹Mardocheo tutti i giorni passeggiava davanti al cortile della casa delle donne per sapere se Ester stava bene e che cosa succedeva di lei.

Read more:Ester, Capitolo 2

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2 The virgins of the kingdom are gathered together, Ester 2:1-4.
And Esther with the rest, Ester 2:5-8.
She finds favour with the king's chamberlain, Ester 2:9-11.
The manner of preparing the virgins, and bringing them to the king, Ester 2:12-14.
Esther pleases him, who makes her queen, Ester 2:15-20.
Mordecai discovers a conspiracy against the king, Ester 2:21-23.

2:3 Keeper - Of all the women, both virgins and concubines: only the virgins he himself took care of, as requiring more care and caution, and the concubines be committed to Shaashgaz, ver. Ester 2:14, his deputy.Purification - That is, to cleanse them from all impurities, to perfume, and adorn, and every way prepare them for the king: for the legal purification of the Jews he never regarded.

2:7 Esther - Hadassah was her Hebrew name before her marriage; and she was called Esther by the king after it.

2:9 Pleased - Because she was very beautiful, therefore he supposed she would be acceptable to the king; and by the Divine power, which moveth the hearts of men which way he pleaseth.

2:10 Shew it - Lest the knowledge hereof should either make her contemptible, or bring some inconvenience to the whole nation; but there was also an hand of God in causing this to be concealed, for the better accomplishment of that which he designed, though Mordecai was ignorant of it.

NOTES

A key moment in the narrative at the beginning of the second chapter of Esther is Mordecai’s statement that Esther should not...

FAQ

I have a question: if it is written, "do not lie," yet in other places in the Bible there was lying (for example, the Jewish queen did not say that she was a Jew, Jonathan lied to his father to cover for David....), then what does this mean? Is this wisdom, or a lie for a good cause? Even if it is, is a lie for a good cause permitted? And if parents (or a spouse) are unbelievers and forbid going to church, is it permissible to lie and say that you are going to a friend's house... And since we must honor our parents (as it is written in the Bible), does that mean we can no longer lie to them?

By no means can all the actions of people described in the Bible serve as a model for us to imitate. The Bible is a profoundly realistic book; it tells the truth not only about God, but also about us and our history...

By no means can all the actions of people described in the Bible serve as a model for us to imitate. The Bible is a profoundly realistic book; it tells the truth not only about God, but also about us and our history. Alas, people often behave in the most inappropriate ways, even the best among us. This is precisely what explains some of the unseemly actions of biblical characters. Because the authors of the Bible did not set out to embellish reality and paint everything in a rosy light, they tell us the truth about their heroes. Yes, some of them lie. But there is nothing good in this. At the same time, we must remember that they were people of their time, and the understanding of what is permissible and impermissible in the Old Testament differs significantly from that of the New Testament. Humanity was by no means immediately ready to accept the fullness of moral requirements, and even now we cannot say that we are completely ready for it.

As for a "lie for a good cause," one can say that it is not permitted, but nevertheless it occurs. God is able to turn the results of our bad actions toward good—however, one must not presume upon this. There are situations when a person is unable or lacks the opportunity to act as they ought. It is precisely regarding such situations that Christians pray, saying, "lead us not into temptation."

Finally, it is impossible to give a general answer to the question "is it permissible to lie if..." without delving into the specific situation. Generally speaking, it is not. But the Apostle Paul has a remarkable expression: "Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves." In each specific case, a Christian can bring their problem of moral choice to God and receive help.

And lastly: to "honor" someone by no means implies giving them the right to dictate one's spiritual life. Unbelieving parents cannot permit or forbid their children who are of a conscious age, much less adults, to attend Church. However, in such situations one must always pray and seek ways to avoid conflict and to not give people, including parents, a cause for stumbling. With spouses it is not as simple, but one can also say that the primary spiritual weapons here are love and prayer.

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