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22 the days when we Jews defeated our enemies. Remember this month as a time when our sorrow was turned to joy, and celebration took the place of crying. Celebrate by having parties and by giving to the poor and by sharing gifts of food with each other.

23 They followed Mordecai's instructions and set aside these two days every year as a time of celebration.

The Reason for the Festival of Purim

24 (A) Haman was the son of Hammedatha and a descendant of Agag. He hated the Jews so much that he planned to destroy them, but he wanted to find out the best time to do it. So he cast lots.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. 9.24 cast lots: See the note at 3.7.

22 as the time when the Jews got relief(A) from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration.(B) He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food(C) to one another and gifts to the poor.(D)

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,(E) the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur(F) (that is, the lot(G)) for their ruin and destruction.(H)

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