Esther 9
New American Standard Bible
The Jews Destroy Their Enemies
9 Now (A)in the twelfth month (that is, the month Adar), on (B)the thirteenth [a]day, (C)when the king’s command and edict were to be put into effect, on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, it turned out to the contrary so that the Jews themselves gained mastery over those who hated them. 2 (D)The Jews assembled in their cities throughout the provinces of King Ahasuerus to [b]attack those who sought [c]to harm them; and no one could stand against them, (E)because the dread of them had fallen on all the peoples. 3 Even all the officials of the provinces, (F)the satraps, the governors, and those who were doing the king’s business were supporting the Jews, because the dread of Mordecai had fallen on them. 4 For Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and the news about him spread throughout the provinces; for the man Mordecai (G)became greater and greater. 5 So (H)the Jews struck all their enemies with [d]the sword, killing and destroying; and they did as they pleased to those who hated them. 6 At the citadel in Susa the Jews killed and eliminated five hundred men, 7 and they killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha, 10 (I)the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Jews’ enemy; but (J)they did not lay their hands on the plunder.
11 On that day the number of those who were killed at the citadel in Susa [e]was reported to the king. 12 And the king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and eliminated five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman at the citadel in Susa. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces! (K)Now what is your request? It shall also be granted you. And what is your further wish? It shall also be done.” 13 Then Esther said, “If it pleases the king, (L)let tomorrow also be granted to the Jews who are in Susa to do according to the edict of today; and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the wooden gallows.” 14 So the king commanded that it was to be done so; and an edict was issued in Susa, and Haman’s ten sons were hanged. 15 The Jews who were in Susa assembled also on the fourteenth day of the month Adar and killed (M)three hundred men in Susa, but (N)they did not lay their hands on the plunder.
16 Now (O)the rest of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces (P)assembled, to defend their lives and [f]rid themselves of their enemies, and to kill seventy-five thousand of those who hated them; but they did not lay their hands on the plunder. 17 This was done on (Q)the thirteenth day of the month Adar, and (R)on the fourteenth [g]day they rested and made it a day of feasting and rejoicing.
18 But the Jews who were in Susa (S)assembled on the thirteenth and (T)the fourteenth [h]of the same month, and they rested on the fifteenth [i]day and made it a day of feasting and rejoicing. 19 Therefore the Jews of the rural areas, who live in (U)the rural towns, make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a [j](V)holiday for rejoicing and feasting and (W)sending portions of food to one another.
The Feast of Purim Instituted
20 Then Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 obliging them to celebrate the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day [k]of the same month, annually, 22 because on those days the Jews [l]rid themselves of their enemies, and it was a month which was (X)turned for them from grief into joy, and from mourning into a [m]holiday; that they were to make them days of feasting and rejoicing, and (Y)sending portions of food to one another, and gifts to the poor.
23 So the Jews undertook what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the adversary of all the Jews, had schemed against the Jews to eliminate them, and (Z)had cast Pur, that is the lot, to disturb them and eliminate them. 25 But (AA)when it came [n]to the king’s attention, he commanded by letter (AB)that his wicked scheme which he had devised against the Jews (AC)was to return on his own head, and that he and his sons were to be hanged on the wooden gallows. 26 Therefore they called these days Purim after the name of [o]Pur. [p]And (AD)because of the instructions in this letter, both what they had seen in this regard and what had happened to them, 27 the Jews established and [q]made a custom for themselves, their [r]descendants, and for (AE)all those who allied themselves with them, so that [s]they would not fail (AF)to celebrate these two days according to their [t]regulation and according to their appointed time annually. 28 So these days were to be remembered and celebrated throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and these days of Purim were not to [u]be neglected by the Jews, or their memory [v]fade from their [w]descendants.
29 Then Queen Esther, (AG)daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm (AH)this second letter about Purim. 30 He sent letters to all the Jews, (AI)to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, namely, words of peace and truth, 31 to establish these days of Purim at their appointed times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established for them, and just as they had established for themselves and for their [x]descendants, with [y]instructions (AJ)for their times of fasting and their mourning. 32 The command of Esther established these [z]customs for (AK)Purim, and it was written in the book.
Footnotes
- Esther 9:1 Lit day in it
- Esther 9:2 Lit put out a hand against
- Esther 9:2 Lit their harm
- Esther 9:5 Lit the stroke of the
- Esther 9:11 Lit came before
- Esther 9:16 Lit have rest from
- Esther 9:17 Lit in it
- Esther 9:18 Lit in it
- Esther 9:18 Lit in it
- Esther 9:19 Lit rejoicing and feasting and a good day and sending
- Esther 9:21 Lit in it
- Esther 9:22 Lit had rest from
- Esther 9:22 Lit good day
- Esther 9:25 Lit before the king, he
- Esther 9:26 Akkadian for lot
- Esther 9:26 Lit Therefore because of all the words
- Esther 9:27 Lit received
- Esther 9:27 Lit seed
- Esther 9:27 Lit it would not pass away
- Esther 9:27 Lit writing
- Esther 9:28 Lit pass from the midst of
- Esther 9:28 Lit end
- Esther 9:28 Lit seed
- Esther 9:31 Lit seed
- Esther 9:31 Lit words
- Esther 9:32 Lit words
以斯帖记 9
Revised Chinese Union Version (Simplified Script) Shen Edition
犹太人除灭仇敌
9 十二月，就是亚达月十三日，王的谕旨和敕令要执行的那一日，犹太人的仇敌盼望制伏他们，但犹太人反倒制伏了恨他们的人。 2 犹太人在亚哈随鲁王各省的城里聚集，下手击杀那些要害他们的人。没有人能在他们面前站立得住，因为各民族都惧怕他们。 3 各省的领袖、总督、省长，和办理王事务的人，因惧怕末底改，就都帮助犹太人。 4 末底改在朝中为大，名声传遍各省；末底改这人的权势日渐扩大。 5 犹太人用刀击杀所有的仇敌，杀灭他们，随意待那些恨他们的人。 6 在书珊城堡中，犹太人杀灭了五百人。 7 他们杀了巴珊大他、达分、亚斯帕他、 8 破拉他、亚大利雅、亚利大他、 9 帕玛斯他、亚利赛、亚利代、瓦耶撒他； 10 这十人都是哈米大他的孙子，犹太人的仇敌哈曼的儿子。犹太人却没有下手夺取财物。
11 那日，书珊城堡中被杀的人数呈报到王面前。 12 王对以斯帖王后说：“犹太人在书珊城堡中杀灭了五百人，又杀了哈曼的十个儿子，在王其余的各省不知如何。你要什么，必赐给你；你还求什么，也必为你成就。” 13 以斯帖说：“王若以为好，求你允准书珊的犹太人，明日也照今日的谕旨去做，并把哈曼十个儿子的尸体挂在木架上。” 14 王允准这么做。敕令传遍书珊，哈曼十个儿子的尸体被挂了起来。 15 亚达月十四日，在书珊的犹太人又聚集，在书珊杀了三百人，却没有下手夺取财物。
16-17 亚达月十三日，在王各省其余的犹太人也都聚集，保护自己的性命，摆脱仇敌得享平安。他们杀了七万五千个恨他们的人，却没有下手夺取财物；十四日他们休息，以这日为设宴欢乐的日子。 18 但书珊的犹太人却在十三日、十四日聚集；十五日休息，以这日为设宴欢乐的日子。 19 所以住在无城墙的乡村的犹太人，都以亚达月十四日为设宴欢乐的吉日，彼此馈送礼物。
普珥日
20 末底改记录这些事，写信给亚哈随鲁王各省远近所有的犹太人， 21 吩咐他们每年守亚达月十四、十五两日， 22 以这两日为犹太人摆脱仇敌得享平安、转忧为喜、转悲为乐的吉日，并在这两日设宴欢乐，彼此馈送礼物，周济穷人。
23 于是，犹太人照末底改所写给他们的，把开始所做的作为遵守的定例。 24 因为犹太人的仇敌亚甲人哈米大他的儿子哈曼设谋要杀害犹太人，抽普珥，普珥即签，为要杀尽灭绝他们； 25 但这阴谋[a]到了王面前，王却降旨使哈曼谋害犹太人的恶事归到他自己的头上，他和他的众子都被挂在木架上。 26 所以犹太人照着普珥这名字称这两日为普珥日。他们因这信上一切的话，又因所看见所遇见的事， 27 就规定自己与后裔，以及归化他们的人，每年按所写的、按时守这两日，永久不废。 28 各省各城、世世代代、家家户户都记念并守这两日，使这普珥日在犹太人中不可废掉，在他们后裔中也永不遗忘。
29 亚比孩的女儿以斯帖王后和犹太人末底改以全权写第二封信，坚立这普珥日， 30 送信给亚哈随鲁王国中一百二十七省所有的犹太人，祝他们平安和安稳， 31 劝他们遵照犹太人末底改和以斯帖王后所规定的，按时守这普珥日，并照着犹太人为自己与后裔所规定的，禁食与哀求。 32 以斯帖规定了守普珥日的条例，这事也记录在书上。
Footnotes
- 9．25 “这阴谋”或译“以斯帖”。
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和合本修訂版經文 © 2006, 2010, 2017 香港聖經公會。蒙允許使用。 Scripture Text of Revised Chinese Union Version © 2006, 2010, 2017 Hong Kong Bible Society. www.hkbs.org.hk/en/ Used by permission.