Mordecai Talks Esther Into Helping the Jews

4 Mordecai found out about everything that had been done. So he tore his clothes. He put on the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad. He sat down in ashes. Then he went out into the city. He wept out loud. He cried bitter tears. ² But he only went as far as the palace gate. That’s because no one dressed in that rough clothing was allowed to go through it. ³ All the Jews were very sad. They didn’t eat anything. They wept and cried. Many of them put on the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad. They were lying down in ashes. They did all these things in every territory where the king’s order and law had been sent.

⁴ Esther’s male and female attendants came to her. They told her about Mordecai. So she became very troubled. She wanted him to take off his rough clothing. So she sent him other clothes to wear. But he wouldn’t accept them. ⁵ Then Esther sent for Hathak. He was one of the king’s officials. He had been appointed to take care of her. She ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai. She wanted to know why he was so upset.

⁶ So Hathak went out to see Mordecai. He was in the open area in front of the palace gate. ⁷ Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him. He told him about the exact amount of money Haman had promised to add to the royal treasures. He said Haman wanted it to be used to pay some men to destroy the Jews. ⁸ Mordecai also gave Hathak a copy of the order. It commanded people to wipe out the Jews. The order had been sent from Susa. Mordecai told Hathak to show the order to Esther. He wanted Hathak to explain it to her. Mordecai told him to tell her to go and beg the king for mercy. Mordecai wanted her to make an appeal to the king for her people.

⁹ Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. ¹⁰ Then Esther directed him to give an answer to Mordecai. She told him to say, ¹¹ “There is a certain law that everyone knows about. All the king’s officials know about it. The people in the royal territories know about it. It applies to any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner courtyard without being sent for. It says they must be put to death. But there is a way out. Suppose the king reaches out his gold scepter toward them. Then their lives will be spared. But 30 days have gone by since the king sent for me.”

¹² Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai. ¹³ Then he sent back an answer. He said, “You live in the king’s palace. But don’t think that just because you are there you will be the only Jew who will escape. ¹⁴ What if you don’t say anything at this time? Then help for the Jews will come from another place. But you and your family will die. Who knows? It’s possible that you became queen for a time just like this.”

¹⁵ Then Esther sent a reply to Mordecai. She said, ¹⁶ “Go. Gather together all the Jews who are in Susa. And fast for my benefit. Don’t eat or drink anything for three days. Don’t do it night or day. I and my attendants will fast just as you do. Then I’ll go to the king. I’ll do it even though it’s against the law. And if I have to die, I’ll die.”

¹⁷ So Mordecai went away. He carried out all Esther’s directions.

Esther Asks the King for a Favor

5 On the third day Esther put on her royal robes. She stood in the inner courtyard of the palace. It was in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall. He was facing the entrance. ² He saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard. He was pleased with her. So he reached out toward her the gold scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached him. She touched the tip of the scepter.

³ The king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What do you want? I’ll give it to you. I’ll even give you up to half of my kingdom.”

⁴ Esther replied, “King Xerxes, if it pleases you, come to a feast today. I’ve prepared it for you. Please have Haman come with you.”

⁵ “Bring Haman at once,” the king said to his servants. “Then we’ll do what Esther asks.”

So the king and Haman went to the feast Esther had prepared. ⁶ As they were drinking wine, the king asked Esther the same question again. He said, “What do you want? I’ll give it to you. What do you want me to do for you? I’ll even give you up to half of my kingdom.”

⁷ Esther replied, “Here is what I want. Here is my appeal to you. ⁸ I hope you will be pleased to give me what I want. And I hope you will be pleased to listen to my appeal. If you are, I’d like you and Haman to come tomorrow to the feast I’ll prepare for you. Then I’ll answer your question.”

Haman Is Very Angry With Mordecai

⁹ That day Haman was happy. So he left the palace in a good mood. But then he saw Mordecai at the palace gate. He noticed that Mordecai didn’t stand up when he walked by. In fact, Mordecai didn’t have any respect for him at all. So he was very angry with him. ¹⁰ But Haman was able to control himself. He went on home.

Haman called together his friends and his wife Zeresh. ¹¹ He bragged to them about how rich he was. He talked about how many sons he had. He spoke about all the ways the king had honored him. He bragged about how the king had given him a high position. It was higher than the position of any of the other nobles and officials. ¹² “And that’s not all,” Haman added. “I’m the only person Queen Esther invited to come with the king to the feast she gave. Now she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. ¹³ But even all of that doesn’t satisfy me. I won’t be satisfied as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the palace gate.”

¹⁴ Haman’s wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Get a pole. In the morning, ask the king to have Mordecai put to death. Have the pole stuck through his body. Set it up at a place where it will be 75 feet above the ground. Everyone will be able to see it there. Then go to the feast with the king. Have a good time.” Haman was delighted with that suggestion. So he got the pole ready.

The King Honors Mordecai

6 That night the king couldn’t sleep. So he ordered the official records of his rule to be brought in. He ordered someone to read them to him. ² What Mordecai had done was written there. He had uncovered the plans of Bigthana and Teresh. They were two of the king’s officers who guarded the door of the royal palace. They had decided to kill King Xerxes.

³ “What great honor has Mordecai received for doing that?” the king asked.

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

⁴ The king asked, “Who is in the courtyard?” Haman had just entered the outer courtyard of the palace. He had come to speak to the king about putting Mordecai to death. He wanted to talk about putting Mordecai’s body on the pole he had prepared for him.

⁵ The king’s attendants said to him, “Haman is standing in the courtyard.”

“Bring him in,” the king ordered.

⁶ Haman entered. Then the king asked him, “What should be done for the man I want to honor?”

Haman said to himself, “Is there anyone the king would rather honor than me?” ⁷ So he answered the king. He said, “Here is what you should do for the man you want to honor. ⁸ Have your servants get a royal robe you have worn. Have them bring a horse you have ridden on. Have a royal mark placed on its head. ⁹ Then give the robe and horse to one of your most noble princes. Let the robe be put on the man you want to honor. Let him be led on the horse through the city streets. Let people announce in front of him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king wants to honor!’ ”

¹⁰ “Go right away,” the king commanded Haman. “Get the robe. Bring the horse. Do exactly what you have suggested. Do it for Mordecai the Jew. He’s sitting out there at the palace gate. Make sure you do everything you have suggested.”

¹¹ So Haman got the robe and the horse. He put the robe on Mordecai. And he led him on horseback through the city streets. He walked along in front of him and announced, “This is what is done for the man the king wants to honor!”

¹² After that, Mordecai returned to the palace gate. But Haman rushed home. He covered his head because he was very sad. ¹³ He told his wife Zeresh everything that had happened to him. He also told all his friends.

His advisers and his wife Zeresh spoke to him. They said, “Your fall from power started with Mordecai. He’s a Jew. So now you can’t stand up against him. You are going to be destroyed!” ¹⁴ They were still talking with him when the king’s officials arrived. They hurried Haman away to the feast Esther had prepared.

Haman Is Put to Death

7 So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s feast. ² They were drinking wine on the second day. The king again asked, “What do you want, Queen Esther? I’ll give it to you. What do you want me to do for you? I’ll even give you up to half of my kingdom.”

³ Then Queen Esther answered, “Your Majesty, I hope you will be pleased to let me live. That’s what I want. Please spare my people. That’s my appeal to you. ⁴ My people and I have been sold to be destroyed. We’ve been sold to be killed and wiped out. Suppose we had only been sold as male and female slaves. Then I wouldn’t have said anything. That kind of suffering wouldn’t be a good enough reason to bother you.”

⁵ King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is the man who has dared to do such a thing? And where is he?”

⁶ Esther said, “The man hates us! He’s our enemy! He’s this evil Haman!”

Then Haman was terrified in front of the king and queen. ⁷ The king got up. He was very angry. He left his wine and went out into the palace garden. But Haman realized that the king had already decided what he was going to do to him. So he stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life.

⁸ The king returned from the palace garden to the dinner hall. Just then he saw Haman falling on the couch where Esther was lying.

The king shouted, “Will he even treat the queen like this? Will he harm her while she’s right here with me in the palace?”

As soon as the king finished speaking, his men covered Haman’s face. ⁹ Then Harbona said, “There’s a pole standing near Haman’s house. He has prepared it for Mordecai. Mordecai is the one who spoke up to help you. Haman had planned to have him put to death. He was going to have the pole stuck through his body. Then he was going to set it up at a place where it would be 75 feet above the ground.” Harbona was one of the officials who attended the king.

The king said to his men, “Put Haman to death! Stick the pole through his body! Set it up where everyone can see it!” ¹⁰ So they did. And they used the pole Haman had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s anger calmed down.

The King Allows the Jews to Fight for Their Lives

8 That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther everything Haman had owned. Haman had been the enemy of the Jews. Esther had told the king that Mordecai was her cousin. So Mordecai came to see the king. ² The king took his ring off. It had his royal mark on it. He had taken it back from Haman. Now he gave it to Mordecai. And Esther put Mordecai in charge of everything Haman had owned.

³ Esther made another appeal to the king. She fell at his feet and wept. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman, the Agagite. He had decided to kill the Jews. ⁴ The king reached out his gold scepter toward Esther. She got up and stood in front of him.

⁵ She said, “King Xerxes, I hope you will think what I’m asking is the right thing to do. I hope you are pleased with me. If you are, and if it pleases you, let an order be written. Let it take the place of the messages Haman wrote. Haman was the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite. He planned to kill the Jews. He wrote orders to destroy us in all your territories. ⁶ I couldn’t stand by and see the horrible trouble that would fall on my people! I couldn’t stand to see my family destroyed!”

⁷ King Xerxes gave a reply to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew. He said, “Haman attacked the Jews. So I’ve given Esther everything he owned. My men have stuck a pole through his dead body. And they’ve set it up where everyone can see it. ⁸ Now write another order in my name. Do it for the benefit of the Jews. Do what seems best to you. Stamp the order with my royal mark. Nothing that is written in my name and stamped with my mark can ever be changed.”

⁹ Right away the king sent for the royal secretaries. It was the 23rd day of the third month. That was the month of Sivan. They wrote down all Mordecai’s orders to the Jews. They also wrote them to the royal officials, the governors and the nobles of the 127 territories in his kingdom. The territories reached from India all the way to Cush. The orders were written down in the writing of each territory. They were written in the language of each nation. They were also written to the Jews in their own writing and language. ¹⁰ Mordecai wrote the orders in the name of King Xerxes. He stamped them with the king’s royal mark. He sent them by messengers on horseback. They rode fast horses that were raised just for the king.

¹¹ The Jews in every city could now gather together and fight for their lives. The king’s order gave them that right. But suppose soldiers from any nation or territory attacked them, their women or children. Then the Jews could destroy, kill and wipe out those soldiers. They could also take the goods that belonged to their enemies. ¹² A day was appointed for the Jews to do that in all the king’s territories. It was the 13th day of the 12th month. That was the month of Adar. ¹³ A copy of the order was sent out as law in every territory. It was announced to the people of every nation. So the Jews would be ready on that day. They could pay back their enemies.

¹⁴ The messengers rode on the royal horses. They raced along. That’s what the king commanded them to do. The order was also sent out in the fort of Susa.

The Jews Win the Battle Over Their Enemies

¹⁵ Mordecai left the king and went on his way. Mordecai was wearing royal clothes when he went. They were blue and white. He was also wearing a large gold crown. And he was wearing a purple coat. It was made out of fine linen. The city of Susa celebrated with great joy. ¹⁶ The Jews were filled with joy and happiness. They were very glad because now they were being honored. ¹⁷ They celebrated and enjoyed good food. They were glad and full of joy. That was true everywhere the king’s order came. It was true in every territory and every city. Many people from other nations announced that they had become Jews. That’s because they were so afraid of the Jews.

9 The king’s order had to be carried out on the 13th day of the 12th month. That was the month of Adar. On that day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to win the battle over them. But now everything had changed. The Jews had gained the advantage over those who hated them. ² The Jews gathered together in their cities. They gathered in all the territories King Xerxes ruled over. They came together to attack those who were trying to destroy them. No one could stand up against them. The people from all the other nations were afraid of them. ³ All the nobles in the territories helped the Jews. So did the royal officials, the governors and the king’s officers. That’s because they were so afraid of Mordecai. ⁴ He was well known in the palace. His fame spread all through the territories. So he became more and more important.

⁵ The Jews struck down with swords all their enemies. They killed them and destroyed them. They did what they pleased to those who hated them. ⁶ The Jews killed 500 men. They destroyed them in the fort of Susa. ⁷ They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, ⁸ Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, ⁹ Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha. ¹⁰ They were the ten sons of Haman. He was the son of Hammedatha. Haman had been the enemy of the Jews. They didn’t take anything that belonged to their enemies.

¹¹ A report was brought to the king that same day. He was told how many men had been killed in the fort of Susa. ¹² He said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed 500 men. They destroyed them in the fort of Susa. They also killed the ten sons of Haman there. What have they done in the rest of my territories? Now what do you want? I’ll give it to you. What do you want me to do for you? I’ll do that too.”

¹³ “If it pleases you,” Esther answered, “let the Jews in Susa carry out today’s order tomorrow also. Stick poles through the dead bodies of Haman’s ten sons. Set them up where everyone can see them.”

¹⁴ So the king commanded that it be done. An order was sent out in Susa. And the king’s men did to the bodies of Haman’s sons everything they were told to do. ¹⁵ The Jews in Susa came together on the 14th day of the month of Adar. They put 300 men to death in Susa. But they didn’t take anything that belonged to those men.

¹⁶ During that time, the rest of the Jews also gathered together. They lived in the king’s territories. They came together to fight for their lives. They didn’t want their enemies to bother them anymore. They wanted to get some peace and rest. So they killed 75,000 of their enemies. But they didn’t take anything that belonged to them. ¹⁷ It happened on the 13th of Adar. On the 14th day they rested. They made it a day to celebrate with great joy. And they enjoyed good food.

¹⁸ But the Jews in Susa had gathered together on the 13th and 14th. Then on the 15th they rested. They made it a day to celebrate with great joy. And they enjoyed good food.

¹⁹ That’s why Jews who live out in the villages celebrate on the 14th of Adar. They celebrate that day with great joy. And they enjoy good food. They also give presents to each other on that day.

Purim Is Celebrated

²⁰ Mordecai wrote down these events. He sent letters to all the Jews all through the territories of King Xerxes. It didn’t matter whether the Jews lived nearby or far away. ²¹ Mordecai told them to celebrate the 14th and 15th days of the month of Adar. He wanted them to do it every year. ²² Mordecai told the Jews to celebrate the time when they got rest from their enemies. That was the month when their sadness was turned into joy. It was when their weeping turned into a day for celebrating. He wrote the letters to celebrate those days as times of joy. He wanted the people to enjoy good food. He told them to give presents of food to one another. He also wanted them to give gifts to people who were poor.

²³ So the Jews agreed to continue the celebrating they had started. They kept doing what Mordecai had written to them. ²⁴ Haman was the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite. He had been the enemy of all the Jews. He had planned to destroy them. He had cast the lot to destroy them completely. The lot was called Pur. ²⁵ But the king had found out about Haman’s evil plan. So the king had sent out written orders. He had ordered that Haman’s evil plan against the Jews should happen to him instead. The king also commanded that poles be stuck through the dead bodies of Haman and his sons. Then they should be set up where everyone could see them. ²⁶ The days the Jews were celebrating were called Purim. Purim comes from the word Pur. Pur means Lot. Now the Jews celebrate these two days every year. They do it because of everything that was written in Mordecai’s letter. They also do it because of what they had seen and what had happened to them. ²⁷ So they established it as a regular practice. They decided they would always observe these two days of the year. They would celebrate in the required way. And they would celebrate at the appointed time. They and their children after them would always observe these days. And so would all who join them. ²⁸ The days should be remembered and celebrated. They should be remembered by every family for all time to come. They should be celebrated in every territory and in every city. The Jews should never stop celebrating the days of Purim. Their children after them should always remember these days.

²⁹ So Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, wrote a second letter. She wrote it together with Mordecai the Jew. They wanted to give their full authority to this second letter about Purim. ³⁰ Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 territories of the kingdom of Xerxes. The letters had messages of kindness and hope in them. ³¹ The letters established the days of Purim at their appointed times. They spoke about what Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had ordered the people to do. Everything should be done in keeping with the directions the Jews had set up for themselves and their children after them. The directions applied to their times of fasting and sadness. ³² Esther’s order established the rules about Purim. It was written down in the records.