15 Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai who had adopted her as his own daughter. When her turn came to go to the king, she did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the king’s trusted official in charge of the harem, suggested. Esther won approval in the sight of everyone who saw her.
Esther 2:15
1 Sing a new song to the Lord; sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 Sing to Yahweh, praise His name; proclaim His salvation from day to day.
3 Declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful works among all peoples.
4 For the Lord is great and is highly praised; He is feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.
6 Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the Lord, you families of the peoples, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
8 Ascribe to Yahweh the glory of His name; bring an offering and enter His courts.
9 Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth.
10 Say among the nations: “The Lord reigns. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken. He judges the peoples fairly.”
11 Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice; let the sea and all that fills it resound.
12 Let the fields and everything in them exult. Then all the trees of the forest will shout for joy
13 before the Lord, for He is coming — for He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with His faithfulness.
Psalm 96:1-13
1 Doesn’t Wisdom call out? Doesn’t Understanding make her voice heard?
2 At the heights overlooking the road, at the crossroads, she takes her stand.
3 Beside the gates at the entry to the city, at the main entrance, she cries out:
4 “People, I call out to you; my cry is to mankind.
5 Learn to be shrewd, you who are inexperienced; develop common sense, you who are foolish.
6 Listen, for I speak of noble things, and what my lips say is right.
7 For my mouth tells the truth, and wickedness is detestable to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are righteous; none of them are deceptive or perverse.
9 All of them are clear to the perceptive, and right to those who discover knowledge.
10 Accept my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold.
11 For wisdom is better than jewels, and nothing desirable can compare with it.
12 I, Wisdom, share a home with shrewdness and have knowledge and discretion.
13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil. I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.
14 I possess good advice and competence; I have understanding and strength.
15 It is by me that kings reign and rulers enact just law;
16 by me, princes lead, as do nobles and all righteous judges.
17 I love those who love me, and those who search for me find me.
18 With me are riches and honor, lasting wealth and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than solid gold, and my harvest than pure silver.
20 I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice,
21 giving wealth as an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries.
22 The Lord made me at the beginning of His creation, before His works of long ago.
23 I was formed before ancient times, from the beginning, before the earth began.
24 I was born when there were no watery depths and no springs filled with water.
25 I was delivered before the mountains and hills were established,
26 before He made the land, the fields, or the first soil on earth.
27 I was there when He established the heavens, when He laid out the horizon on the surface of the ocean,
28 when He placed the skies above, when the fountains of the ocean gushed out,
29 when He set a limit for the sea so that the waters would not violate His command, when He laid out the foundations of the earth.
30 I was a skilled craftsman beside Him. I was His delight every day, always rejoicing before Him.
31 I was rejoicing in His inhabited world, delighting in the human race.
32 And now, my sons, listen to me; those who keep my ways are happy.
33 Listen to instruction and be wise; don’t ignore it.
34 Anyone who listens to me is happy, watching at my doors every day, waiting by the posts of my doorway.
35 For the one who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord,
36 but the one who misses me harms himself; all who hate me love death.”
Proverbs 8:1-36
16 I have put My words in your mouth, and covered you in the shadow of My hand, in order to plant the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, “You are My people.”
Isaiah 51:16
19 Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and when they had won over the crowds and stoned Paul, they dragged him out of the city, thinking he was dead.
20 After the disciples surrounded him, he got up and went into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
21 After they had evangelized that town and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, to Iconium, and to Antioch,
22 strengthening the disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith and by telling them, “It is necessary to pass through many troubles on our way into the kingdom of God.”
23 When they had appointed elders in every church and prayed with fasting, they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Acts 14:19-23
12 So then, brothers, we are not obligated to the flesh to live according to the flesh,
13 for if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
14 All those led by God’s Spirit are God’s sons.
Romans 8:12-14