Mordecai Honored

That night the king could not sleep;(A) so he ordered the book of the chronicles,(B) the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him. It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, who had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.(C)

“What honor and recognition has Mordecai received for this?” the king asked.

“Nothing has been done for him,”(D) his attendants answered.

The king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to speak to the king about impaling Mordecai on the pole he had set up for him.

His attendants answered, “Haman is standing in the court.”

“Bring him in,” the king ordered.

When Haman entered, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?”

Now Haman thought to himself, “Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?” So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor, have them bring a royal robe(E) the king has worn and a horse(F) the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!(G)’”

10 “Go at once,” the king commanded Haman. “Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended.”

11 So Haman got(H) the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!”

12 Afterward Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman rushed home, with his head covered(I) in grief, 13 and told Zeresh(J) his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him.

His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall(K) has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him—you will surely come to ruin!”(L) 14 While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman away to the banquet(M) Esther had prepared.

Haman Impaled

So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet,(N) and as they were drinking wine(O) on the second day, the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom,(P) it will be granted.(Q)

Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor(R) with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated.(S) If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.[a]

King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?”

Esther said, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!”

Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. The king got up in a rage,(T) left his wine and went out into the palace garden.(U) But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate,(V) stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life.

Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch(W) where Esther was reclining.(X)

The king exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?”(Y)

As soon as the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.(Z) Then Harbona,(AA) one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “A pole reaching to a height of fifty cubits[b](AB) stands by Haman’s house. He had it set up for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.”

The king said, “Impale him on it!”(AC) 10 So they impaled(AD) Haman(AE) on the pole(AF) he had set up for Mordecai.(AG) Then the king’s fury subsided.(AH)

The King’s Edict in Behalf of the Jews

That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman,(AI) the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. The king took off his signet ring,(AJ) which he had reclaimed from Haman, and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed him over Haman’s estate.(AK)

Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite,(AL) which he had devised against the Jews. Then the king extended the gold scepter(AM) to Esther and she arose and stood before him.

“If it pleases the king,” she said, “and if he regards me with favor(AN) and thinks it the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces. For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?”(AO)

King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to Esther, and they have impaled(AP) him on the pole he set up. Now write another decree(AQ) in the king’s name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal(AR) it with the king’s signet ring(AS)—for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.”(AT)

At once the royal secretaries were summoned—on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan. They wrote out all Mordecai’s orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush.[c](AU) These orders were written in the script of each province and the language of each people and also to the Jews in their own script and language.(AV) 10 Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes, sealed the dispatches with the king’s signet ring, and sent them by mounted couriers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king.

11 The king’s edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate the armed men of any nationality or province who might attack them and their women and children,[d] and to plunder(AW) the property of their enemies. 12 The day appointed for the Jews to do this in all the provinces of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar.(AX) 13 A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so that the Jews would be ready on that day(AY) to avenge themselves on their enemies.

14 The couriers, riding the royal horses, went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa.(AZ)

The Triumph of the Jews

15 When Mordecai(BA) left the king’s presence, he was wearing royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold(BB) and a purple robe of fine linen.(BC) And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration.(BD) 16 For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy,(BE) gladness and honor.(BF) 17 In every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came, there was joy(BG) and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear(BH) of the Jews had seized them.(BI)

On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar,(BJ) the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand(BK) over those who hated them.(BL) The Jews assembled in their cities(BM) in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those determined to destroy them. No one could stand against them,(BN) because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them. And all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king’s administrators helped the Jews,(BO) because fear of Mordecai had seized them.(BP) Mordecai(BQ) was prominent(BR) in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful.(BS)

The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them,(BT) and they did what they pleased to those who hated them. In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha, 10 the ten sons(BU) of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews.(BV) But they did not lay their hands on the plunder.(BW)

11 The number of those killed in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king that same day. 12 The king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in the citadel of Susa. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? It will also be granted.”(BX)

13 “If it pleases the king,” Esther answered, “give the Jews in Susa permission to carry out this day’s edict tomorrow also, and let Haman’s ten sons(BY) be impaled(BZ) on poles.”

14 So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they impaled(CA) the ten sons of Haman. 15 The Jews in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they put to death in Susa three hundred men, but they did not lay their hands on the plunder.(CB)

16 Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get relief(CC) from their enemies.(CD) They killed seventy-five thousand of them(CE) but did not lay their hands on the plunder.(CF) 17 This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting(CG) and joy.

18 The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.

19 That is why rural Jews—those living in villages—observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar(CH) as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other.(CI)

Purim Established

20 Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, 21 to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar 22 as the time when the Jews got relief(CJ) from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration.(CK) He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food(CL) to one another and gifts to the poor.(CM)

23 So the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite,(CN) the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur(CO) (that is, the lot(CP)) for their ruin and destruction.(CQ) 25 But when the plot came to the king’s attention,[e] he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back onto his own head,(CR) and that he and his sons should be impaled(CS) on poles.(CT) 26 (Therefore these days were called Purim, from the word pur.(CU)) Because of everything written in this letter and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them, 27 the Jews took it on themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed. 28 These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never fail to be celebrated by the Jews—nor should the memory of these days die out among their descendants.

29 So Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail,(CV) along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim. 30 And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces(CW) of Xerxes’ kingdom—words of goodwill and assurance— 31 to establish these days of Purim at their designated times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed for them, and as they had established for themselves and their descendants in regard to their times of fasting(CX) and lamentation.(CY) 32 Esther’s decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, and it was written down in the records.

The Greatness of Mordecai

10 King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to its distant shores.(CZ) And all his acts of power and might, together with a full account of the greatness of Mordecai,(DA) whom the king had promoted,(DB) are they not written in the book of the annals(DC) of the kings of Media and Persia? Mordecai the Jew was second(DD) in rank(DE) to King Xerxes,(DF) preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.(DG)

Footnotes

  1. Esther 7:4 Or quiet, but the compensation our adversary offers cannot be compared with the loss the king would suffer
  2. Esther 7:9 That is, about 75 feet or about 23 meters
  3. Esther 8:9 That is, the upper Nile region
  4. Esther 8:11 Or province, together with their women and children, who might attack them;
  5. Esther 9:25 Or when Esther came before the king

On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.

And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.

And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.

And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king's house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.

And the king's servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.

So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?

And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour,

Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head:

And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.

10 Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.

11 Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour.

12 And Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.

13 And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.

14 And while they were yet talking with him, came the king's chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.

So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen.

And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom.

Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request:

For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.

Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so?

And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.

And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.

Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of king's mouth, they covered Haman's face.

And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon.

10 So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king's wrath pacified.

On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews' enemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told what he was unto her.

And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews.

Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king,

And said, If it please the king, and if I have favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king's provinces:

For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people? or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?

Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.

Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse.

Then were the king's scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.

10 And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus' name, and sealed it with the king's ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and young dromedaries:

11 Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,

12 Upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.

13 The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.

14 So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king's commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.

15 And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.

16 The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour.

17 And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.

Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)

The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them fell upon all people.

And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the deputies, and officers of the king, helped the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them.

For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces: for this man Mordecai waxed greater and greater.

Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto those that hated them.

And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men.

And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha,

And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,

And Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vajezatha,

10 The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, slew they; but on the spoil laid they not their hand.

11 On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the palace was brought before the king.

12 And the king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: or what is thy request further? and it shall be done.

13 Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the Jews which are in Shushan to do to morrow also according unto this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows.

14 And the king commanded it so to be done: and the decree was given at Shushan; and they hanged Haman's ten sons.

15 For the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men at Shushan; but on the prey they laid not their hand.

16 But the other Jews that were in the king's provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey,

17 On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.

18 But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.

19 Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another.

20 And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far,

21 To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly,

22 As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.

23 And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written unto them;

24 Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them;

25 But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

26 Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them,

27 The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year;

28 And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish from their seed.

29 Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim.

30 And he sent the letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth,

31 To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry.

32 And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book.

10 And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the isles of the sea.

And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the declaration of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia?

For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.

The King Honors Mordecai

That night [a]the king could not sleep. So one was commanded to bring (A)the book of the records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king. And it was found written that Mordecai had told of [b]Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, the doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. Then the king said, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?”

And the king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.”

So the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered (B)the outer court of the king’s palace (C)to suggest that the king hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.

The king’s servants said to him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.”

And the king said, “Let him come in.”

So Haman came in, and the king asked him, “What shall be done for the man whom the king delights to honor?”

Now Haman thought in his heart, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than (D)me?” And Haman answered the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, let a royal robe be brought which the king has worn, and (E)a horse on which the king has ridden, which has a royal [c]crest placed on its head. Then let this robe and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, that he may array the man whom the king delights to honor. Then [d]parade him on horseback through the city square, (F)and proclaim before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!’ ”

10 Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry, take the robe and the horse, as you have suggested, and do so for Mordecai the Jew who sits within the king’s gate! Leave nothing undone of all that you have spoken.”

11 So Haman took the robe and the horse, arrayed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor!”

12 Afterward Mordecai went back to the king’s gate. But Haman (G)hurried to his house, mourning (H)and with his head covered. 13 When Haman told his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him, his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of Jewish descent, you will not prevail against (I)him but will surely fall before him.”

14 While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs came, and hastened to bring Haman to (J)the banquet which Esther had prepared.

Haman Hanged Instead of Mordecai

So the king and Haman went to dine with Queen Esther. And on the second day, (K)at the banquet of wine, the king again said to Esther, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!”

Then Queen Esther answered and said, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request. For we have been (L)sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. Had we been sold as (M)male and female slaves, I would have held my tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the king’s loss.”

So King Ahasuerus answered and said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing?”

And Esther said, “The adversary and (N)enemy is this wicked Haman!”

So Haman was terrified before the king and queen.

Then the king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into the palace garden; but Haman stood before Queen Esther, pleading for his life, for he saw that evil was determined against him by the king. When the king returned from the palace garden to the place of the banquet of wine, Haman had fallen across (O)the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, “Will he also assault the queen while I am in the house?”

As the word left the king’s mouth, they (P)covered Haman’s face. Now (Q)Harbonah, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, “Look! (R)The [e]gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke (S)good on the king’s behalf, is standing at the house of Haman.”

Then the king said, “Hang him on it!”

10 So (T)they (U)hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath subsided.

Esther Saves the Jews

On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the (V)enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told (W)how he was related to her. So the king took off (X)his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman.

Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet, and implored him with tears to counteract the evil of Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had devised against the Jews. And (Y)the king held out the golden scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king, and said, “If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight and the thing seems right to the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to revoke the (Z)letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to annihilate the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces. For how can I endure to see (AA)the evil that will come to my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my countrymen?”

Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, “Indeed, (AB)I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows because he tried to lay his hand on the Jews. You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, [f]as you please, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s signet ring; for whatever is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring (AC)no one can revoke.”

(AD)So the king’s scribes were called at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day; and it was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews, the satraps, the governors, and the princes of the provinces (AE)from India to Ethiopia, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces in all, to every province (AF)in its own script, to every people in their own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language. 10 (AG)And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, sealed it with the king’s signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on horseback, riding on royal horses [g]bred from swift steeds.

11 By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to (AH)gather together and protect their lives—to (AI)destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions, 12 (AJ)on one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of [h]Adar. 13 (AK)A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province and published for all people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. 14 The couriers who rode on royal horses went out, hastened and pressed on by the king’s command. And the decree was issued in [i]Shushan the [j]citadel.

15 So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of [k]blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and (AL)the city of [l]Shushan rejoiced and was glad. 16 The Jews had (AM)light and gladness, joy and honor. 17 And in every province and city, wherever the king’s command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast (AN)and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land (AO)became Jews, because (AP)fear of the Jews fell upon them.

The Jews Destroy Their Tormentors

Now (AQ)in the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, (AR)the time came for the king’s command and his decree to be executed. On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves (AS)overpowered those who hated them. The Jews (AT)gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who (AU)sought their harm. And no one could withstand them, (AV)because fear of them fell upon all people. And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and all those doing the king’s work, helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai fell upon them. For Mordecai was great in the king’s palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces; for this man Mordecai (AW)became increasingly prominent. Thus the Jews defeated all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, with slaughter and destruction, and did what they pleased with those who hated them.

And in (AX)Shushan[m] the [n]citadel the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. Also Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vajezatha— 10 (AY)the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews—they killed; (AZ)but they did not lay a hand on the [o]plunder.

11 On that day the number of those who were killed in [p]Shushan the [q]citadel [r]was brought to the king. 12 And the king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the citadel, and the ten sons of Haman. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? Now (BA)what is your petition? It shall be granted to you. Or what is your further request? It shall be done.”

13 Then Esther said, “If it pleases the king, let it be granted to the Jews who are in Shushan to do again tomorrow (BB)according to today’s decree, and let Haman’s ten sons (BC)be hanged on the gallows.”

14 So the king commanded this to be done; the decree was issued in Shushan, and they hanged Haman’s ten sons.

15 And the Jews who were in [s]Shushan (BD)gathered together again on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and killed three hundred men at Shushan; (BE)but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

16 The remainder of the Jews in the king’s provinces (BF)gathered together and protected their lives, had rest from their enemies, and killed seventy-five thousand of their enemies; (BG)but they did not lay a hand on the plunder. 17 This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. And on the fourteenth of [t]the month they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness.

The Feast of Purim

18 But the Jews who were at [u]Shushan assembled together (BH)on the thirteenth day, as well as on the fourteenth; and on the fifteenth of [v]the month they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. 19 Therefore the Jews of the villages who dwelt in the unwalled towns celebrated the fourteenth day of the month of Adar (BI)with gladness and feasting, (BJ)as a holiday, and for (BK)sending presents to one another.

20 And Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, 21 to establish among them that they should celebrate yearly the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, 22 as the days on which the Jews had rest from their enemies, as the month which was turned from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning to a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and joy, of (BL)sending presents to one another and gifts to the (BM)poor. 23 So the Jews accepted the custom which they had begun, as Mordecai had written to them, 24 because Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, (BN)had plotted against the Jews to annihilate them, and had cast Pur (that is, the lot), to consume them and destroy them; 25 but (BO)when [w]Esther came before the king, he commanded by letter that [x]this wicked plot which Haman had devised against the Jews should (BP)return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

26 So they called these days Purim, after the name [y]Pur. Therefore, because of all the words of (BQ)this letter, what they had seen concerning this matter, and what had happened to them, 27 the Jews established and imposed it upon themselves and their descendants and all who would (BR)join them, that without fail they should celebrate these two days every year, according to the written instructions and according to the prescribed time, 28 that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city, that these days of Purim should not fail to be observed among the Jews, and that the memory of them should not perish among their descendants.

29 Then Queen Esther, (BS)the daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this (BT)second letter about Purim. 30 And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews, to (BU)the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth, 31 to confirm these days of Purim at their appointed time, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had prescribed for them, and as they had decreed for themselves and their descendants concerning matters of their (BV)fasting and lamenting. 32 So the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim, and it was written in the book.

Mordecai’s Advancement

10 And King Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on (BW)the islands of the sea. Now all the acts of his power and his might, and the account of the greatness of Mordecai, (BX)to which the king [z]advanced him, are they not written in the book of the (BY)chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was (BZ)second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, (CA)seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his [aa]countrymen.

Footnotes

  1. Esther 6:1 Lit. the king’s sleep fled away
  2. Esther 6:2 Bigthan, Esth. 2:21
  3. Esther 6:8 crown
  4. Esther 6:9 Lit. cause him to ride
  5. Esther 7:9 Lit. tree or wood
  6. Esther 8:8 Lit. as is good in your eyes
  7. Esther 8:10 Lit. sons of the swift horses
  8. Esther 8:12 LXX adds the text of the letter here
  9. Esther 8:14 Or Susa
  10. Esther 8:14 palace
  11. Esther 8:15 violet
  12. Esther 8:15 Or Susa
  13. Esther 9:6 Or Susa
  14. Esther 9:6 palace
  15. Esther 9:10 spoil
  16. Esther 9:11 Or Susa
  17. Esther 9:11 palace
  18. Esther 9:11 Lit. came
  19. Esther 9:15 Or Susa
  20. Esther 9:17 Lit. it
  21. Esther 9:18 Or Susa
  22. Esther 9:18 Lit. it
  23. Esther 9:25 Lit. she or it
  24. Esther 9:25 Lit. his
  25. Esther 9:26 Lit. Lot
  26. Esther 10:2 Lit. made him great
  27. Esther 10:3 Lit. seed. LXX, Vg. add a dream of Mordecai here; Vg. adds six more chapters

The King Honors Mordecai

On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring (A)the book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. And it was found written how (B)Mordecai had told about (C)Bigthana[a] and (D)Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, and who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. And the king said, “What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” The king's young men who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” And the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered (E)the outer court of the king's palace to speak to the king about having Mordecai hanged on (F)the gallows[b] that he had prepared for him. And the king's young men told him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What should be done to the man (G)whom the king delights to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” And Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, (H)and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head (I)a royal crown[c] is set. And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king's most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor, and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, (J)proclaiming before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.’” 10 Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits (K)at the king's gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.” 11 So Haman took the robes and the horse, and he dressed Mordecai and led him through the square of the city, proclaiming before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”

12 Then Mordecai returned to the king's gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning (L)and with his head covered. 13 And Haman told (M)his wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him.”

Esther Reveals Haman's Plot

14 While they were yet talking with him, the king's eunuchs arrived and hurried to bring Haman (N)to the feast that Esther had prepared.

So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. And on the second day, as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king again said to Esther, (O)“What is your wish, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? (P)Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” Then Queen Esther answered, (Q)“If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. (R)For we have been sold, I and my people, (S)to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.” Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared[d] to do this?” And Esther said, (T)“A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.

Haman Is Hanged

And the king arose in his wrath from the wine-drinking and went into (U)the palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm was determined against him by the king. And the king returned from (V)the palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on (W)the couch where Esther was. And the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the word left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman's face. Then (X)Harbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Moreover, (Y)the gallows[e] that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, (Z)whose word saved the king, is standing at Haman's house, fifty cubits[f] high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” 10 (AA)So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. (AB)Then the wrath of the king abated.

Esther Saves the Jews

On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, (AC)the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told (AD)what he was to her. (AE)And the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him to avert the evil plan of Haman (AF)the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews. (AG)When the king held out the golden scepter to Esther, Esther rose and stood before the king. And she said, “If it please the king, (AH)and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke (AI)the letters devised by Haman (AJ)the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. For how can I bear (AK)to see the calamity that is coming to my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?” Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, (AL)I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows,[g] because he intended to lay hands on the Jews. But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, (AM)and seal it with the king's ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's ring (AN)cannot be revoked.”

(AO)The king's scribes were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day. And an edict was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded concerning the Jews, to (AP)the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces (AQ)from India to Ethiopia, (AR)127 provinces, (AS)to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, and also to the Jews in their script and their language. 10 (AT)And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus (AU)and sealed it with the king's signet ring. Then he sent the letters by mounted couriers riding on (AV)swift horses that were used in the king's service, bred from the royal stud, 11 saying that the king allowed the Jews who were in every city (AW)to gather and defend their lives, (AX)to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, (AY)and to plunder their goods, 12 (AZ)on one day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. 13 (BA)A copy of what was written was to be issued as a decree in every province, being publicly displayed to all peoples, and the Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies. 14 So the couriers, mounted on their (BB)swift horses that were used in the king's service, rode out hurriedly, urged by the king's command. And the decree was issued in Susa the citadel.

15 Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king (BC)in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown[h] and (BD)a robe of fine linen and purple, (BE)and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. 16 The Jews had (BF)light and gladness and joy and honor. 17 And in every province and in every city, wherever the king's command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and (BG)a holiday. (BH)And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, (BI)for fear of the Jews had fallen on them.

The Jews Destroy Their Enemies

(BJ)Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, (BK)on the thirteenth day of the same, (BL)when the king's command and edict were about to be carried out, (BM)on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them. (BN)The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could stand against them, (BO)for the fear of them had fallen on all peoples. All the officials of the provinces and (BP)the satraps and the governors and the royal agents also helped the Jews, for the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them. For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for the man Mordecai grew (BQ)more and more powerful. The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them. In Susa the citadel itself the Jews killed and destroyed 500 men, and also killed Parshandatha and Dalphon and Aspatha and Poratha and Adalia and Aridatha and Parmashta and Arisai and Aridai and Vaizatha, 10 (BR)the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, (BS)the enemy of the Jews, (BT)but they laid no hand on the plunder.

11 That very day the number of those killed in Susa the citadel was reported to the king. 12 And the king said to Queen Esther, “In Susa the citadel the Jews have killed and destroyed 500 men and also the ten sons of Haman. What then have they done in the rest of the king's provinces! (BU)Now what is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what further is your request? It shall be fulfilled.” 13 And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the Jews who are in Susa be allowed (BV)tomorrow also to do according to this day's edict. And let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows.”[i] 14 So the king commanded this to be done. A decree was issued in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged. 15 The Jews who were in Susa gathered also on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and they killed 300 men in Susa, but they laid no hands on the plunder.

16 (BW)Now the rest of the Jews who were in the king's provinces also (BX)gathered to defend their lives, and got relief from their enemies and killed 75,000 of those who hated them, but they laid no hands on the plunder. 17 This was (BY)on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested and made that a day of feasting and gladness. 18 But the Jews who were in Susa gathered (BZ)on the thirteenth day and on the fourteenth, and rested (CA)on the fifteenth day, making that a day of feasting and gladness. 19 Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in (CB)the rural towns, hold the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day for gladness and feasting, as (CC)a holiday, and (CD)as a day on which they send gifts of food to one another.

The Feast of Purim Inaugurated

20 And Mordecai recorded these things and sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 obliging them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and also the fifteenth day of the same, year by year, 22 as the days on which the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month that had been turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into (CE)a holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, days for sending gifts of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

23 So the Jews accepted what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, (CF)the enemy of all the Jews, (CG)had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and (CH)had cast Pur (that is, cast lots), to crush and to destroy them. 25 But when it came before the king, he gave orders in writing (CI)that his evil plan that he had devised against the Jews (CJ)should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. 26 Therefore they called these days Purim, after the term (CK)Pur. Therefore, because of all that was written in (CL)this letter, and of what they had faced in this matter, and of what had happened to them, 27 the Jews firmly obligated themselves and their offspring and (CM)all who joined them, that without fail they would keep (CN)these two days according to what was written and at the time appointed every year, 28 that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, in every clan, province, and city, and that these days of Purim should never fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should the commemoration of these days cease among their descendants.

29 Then Queen Esther, (CO)the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew gave full written authority, confirming (CP)this second letter about Purim. 30 Letters were sent to all the Jews, (CQ)to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, in words of peace and truth, 31 that these days of Purim should be observed at their appointed seasons, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther obligated them, and as they had obligated themselves and their offspring, with regard to (CR)their fasts and their lamenting. 32 The command of Esther confirmed these practices of (CS)Purim, and it was recorded in writing.

The Greatness of Mordecai

10 King Ahasuerus imposed tax on the land and on (CT)the coastlands of the sea. And all the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honor of Mordecai, (CU)to which the king advanced him, are they not written in (CV)the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? For Mordecai the Jew was (CW)second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he (CX)sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.

Footnotes

  1. Esther 6:2 Bigthana is an alternate spelling of Bigthan (see 2:21)
  2. Esther 6:4 Or wooden beam (see note on 2:23)
  3. Esther 6:8 Or headdress
  4. Esther 7:5 Hebrew whose heart has filled him
  5. Esther 7:9 Or wooden beam; also verse 10 (see note on 2:23)
  6. Esther 7:9 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters
  7. Esther 8:7 Or wooden beam (see note on 2:23)
  8. Esther 8:15 Or headdress
  9. Esther 9:13 Or wooden beam; also verse 25 (see note on 2:23)