favor

¹⁷And may the splendor of the Lord our God be upon us. And so, direct the works of our hands over us; direct even the work of our hands.

¹³For you will bless the just. You have crowned us, O Lord, as if with a shield of your good will.

¹²For God loves mercy and truth. The Lord will give grace and glory.

⁶For wrath is in his indignation, and life is in his will. Toward evening, weeping will linger, and toward morning, gladness.

⁸Yet truly, Noah found grace before the Lord.

¹¹In him, we too are called to our portion, having been predestined in accord with the plan of the One who accomplishes all things by the counsel of his will.

⁵²And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and in age, and in grace, with God and men.

¹My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart guard my precepts. ²For they shall set before you length of days, and years of life, and peace. ³Let not mercy and truth abandon you: encircle them around your throat, and inscribe them on the tablets of your heart. ⁴And so shall you discover grace and good discipline, in the sight of God and men.

¹¹And the Lord will give you rest continually, and he will fill your soul with splendor, and he will free your bones, and you will be like a watered garden and like a fountain of water whose waters will not fail.

²²He who has found a good wife has found goodness, and he shall draw contentment from the Lord. He who expels a good wife expels goodness. But he who holds on to an adulteress is foolish and impious.

¹⁴You will rise up and take pity on Zion, for it is time for its mercy, for the time has come.

³And he said: “If I, O lord, have found grace in your eyes, do not pass by your servant.

⁴And Joseph found favor in the sight of his lord, and he ministered to him. And, having been placed in charge of everything by him, he governed the house that was entrusted to him and all the things that had been delivered to him.

¹⁵But, as the order continued to progress, the day arrived when Esther, the daughter of Abihail the brother of Mordecai, whom he had adopted as his daughter, was required to go in to the king. She did not seek feminine ornaments, except that whatever Hegai the eunuch and keeper of the virgins chose, he gave her to adorn her. For she was very attractive, and her incredible beauty made her appear gracious and amiable in the eyes of all. ¹⁶And so she was led to the chamber of king Artaxerxes, in the tenth month, which is called Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. ¹⁷And the king loved her more than all the women, and she had favor and mercy in his eyes above all the women, and he set the royal crown on her head, and he made her queen instead of Vashti. ¹⁸And he ordered a magnificent feast to be prepared for all the rulers, and for his servants, because of the union and wedding of Esther. And he gave a holiday to all the provinces, and he bestowed gifts befitting of princely generosity.

⁸For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not of yourselves, for it is a gift of God. ⁹And this is not of works, so that no one may glory.

³Let not mercy and truth abandon you: encircle them around your throat, and inscribe them on the tablets of your heart. ⁴And so shall you discover grace and good discipline, in the sight of God and men.

³¹Therefore, do not choose to be anxious, saying: ‘What shall we eat, and what shall we drink, and with what shall we be clothed?’ ³²For the Gentiles seek all these things. Yet your Father knows that you need all these things. ³³Therefore, seek first the kingdom of God and his justice, and all these things shall be added to you as well.