以斯帖记 9
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
犹大人杀戮仇敌
9 十二月，就是亚达月，十三日，王的命令和谕旨快要执行的时候，就是犹大人的仇敌盼望辖制犹大人的日子，反成了犹大人辖制恨他们的人的日子。 2 犹大人在亚哈随鲁王各省的城里聚集起来，要下手攻击那些想谋害他们的人；没有人能抵挡他们，因为各族的人都惧怕他们。 3 各省的官长、总督、省长和办理王事务的人，因为惧怕末底改，就都支持犹大人。 4 末底改在朝中的确非常尊大，他的声誉传遍各省；末底改这人的权力越来越大。 5 这样，犹大人击杀他们所有的仇敌，他们用刀尽量击杀，随意对待他们的仇人。 6 在书珊城里，犹大人就杀灭了五百人。 7 他们又杀了巴珊大他、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、亚利代和瓦耶撒他， 10 这十个人就是哈米大他的孙子、哈曼的儿子，犹大人的敌人；至于财物，犹大人却没有下手掠夺。
11 当日在书珊城被杀的人的数目，呈到王面前。 12 王问王后以斯帖：“犹大人在书珊城杀灭了五百人，又杀了哈曼的十个儿子；在王其他省内，他们怎样行呢！现在你要甚么，我必赐给你，你还求甚么，也必给你成全。” 13 以斯帖回答：“王若是同意，求你恩准书珊的犹大人，明日也照着今日的谕旨行事，把哈曼的十个儿子挂在木架上。” 14 王就下令这样行；谕旨传遍书珊，人就把哈曼的十个儿子挂在木架上。 15 亚达月十四日，在书珊的犹大人又聚集起来，在书珊杀了三百人，却没有下手掠夺他们的财物。
16 在王各省其余的犹大人，也都聚集起来，保护自己的性命，向他们的仇敌报复，杀了恨他们的人共七万五千；至于财物，他们却没有下手掠夺。 17 这是在亚达月十三日的事，十四日他们得享安宁，以这日为设宴欢乐的日子。 18 但在书珊的犹大人在十三、十四日聚集起来杀敌，他们就在十五日休息，以这日为设宴欢乐的日子。 19 因此乡村的犹大人，就是住在没有城墙的村镇的，都以亚达月十四日为欢乐饮宴的吉日，互送礼物。
20 末底改把这些事记录下来，并且送文书给亚哈随鲁各省远近所有的犹大人， 21 嘱咐他们每年都要守亚达月十四、十五两日。 22 以这月的两日，为犹大人脱离仇敌，得享安宁的日子，是转忧为喜，转哀为乐的吉日，叫他们在这两日饮宴欢乐，大家互赠礼物，也赒济穷人。 23 于是，犹大人承诺要守他们起初所守的，也承诺要遵守末底改写给他们的。 24 原本犹大人的敌人，亚甲族哈米大他的儿子哈曼曾经设谋陷害犹大人，要消灭他们；他弄卜“普珥”，就是抽签，为要打击和消灭犹大人。 25 但这事呈到王面前以后，王使用文书降旨吩咐，使哈曼计谋的恶事，就是他设谋陷害犹大人的事归到他自己的头上，又使人把他和他的众子挂在木架上。
普珥节的来历
26 因此，犹大人照着“普珥”的名字，称这两日为普珥节；所以他们因这信上的话，又因他们所看见和所遭遇的事， 27 犹大人就立了定例，承诺他们自己和他们的后裔，以及所有与他们联合的人，每年都要按着所写的和指定的两日守这节日，永不可废止。 28 使人在各省各城，家家户户，世世代代，都记念、遵守这两日，使这普珥节的日子在犹大人中，永不废止，在他们的后裔中也不断被记念。
29 亚比孩的女儿王后以斯帖和犹大人末底改以全权写了这第二封信，嘱咐犹大人守这普珥节。 30 他用和平和诚实的话，把文书送给亚哈随鲁国中一百二十七省所有的犹大人， 31 劝他们按着规定的时期，照着犹大人末底改和王后以斯帖所嘱咐的，也照着他们在禁食和哀求的时候为自己与后裔所承诺的，守这普珥节。 32 以斯帖的命令确定了普珥节；这命令也记录在史记上。
Esther 9
King James Version
9 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;)
2 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.
3 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.
4 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.
5 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.
6 And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men.
7 And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha,
8 And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,
9 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.
Esther 9
Contemporary English Version
The Jews Destroy Their Enemies
9 The first law that the king had made was to be followed on the thirteenth day of Adar,[a] the twelfth month. This was the very day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to do away with them. But the Jews turned things around, 2 and in the cities of every province they came together to attack their enemies. Everyone was afraid of the Jews, and no one could do anything to oppose them.
3 The leaders of the provinces, the rulers, the governors, and the court officials were afraid of Mordecai and took sides with the Jews. 4 Everyone in the provinces knew that the king had promoted him and had given him a lot of power.
5 The Jews took their swords and did away with their enemies, without showing any mercy. 6-10 They killed 500 people in Susa,[b] but they did not take anything that belonged to the ones they killed. Haman had been one of the worst enemies of the Jews, and ten of his sons were among those who were killed. Their names were Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha.
11 Later that day, someone told the king how many people had been killed in Susa.[c] 12 Then he told Esther, “Five hundred people, including Haman's ten sons, have been killed in Susa alone. If that many were killed here, what must have happened in the provinces? Is there anything else you want done? Just tell me, and it will be done.”
13 Esther answered, “Your Majesty, please let the Jews in Susa fight to defend themselves tomorrow, just as they did today. And order the bodies of Haman's ten sons to be hanged in public.”
14 King Xerxes did what Esther had requested, and the bodies of Haman's sons were hung in Susa. 15 Then on the fourteenth day of Adar the Jews of the city got together and killed 300 more people. But they still did not take anything that belonged to their enemies.
16-17 On the thirteenth day of Adar, the Jews in the provinces had come together to defend themselves. They killed 75,000 of their enemies, but the Jews did not take anything that belonged to the ones they killed. Then on the fourteenth day of the month the Jews celebrated with a feast.
18 (A) On the fifteenth day of the month the Jews in Susa held a holiday and celebrated, after killing their enemies on the thirteenth and the fourteenth. 19 This is why the Jews in the villages now celebrate on the fourteenth day of the month. It is a joyful holiday that they celebrate by feasting and sending gifts of food to each other.
The Festival of Purim
20 Mordecai wrote down everything that had happened. Then he sent letters to the Jews everywhere in the provinces 21 and told them:
Each year you must celebrate on both the fourteenth and the fifteenth of Adar, 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 (B) 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.[d]
25 Esther went to King Xerxes and asked him to save her people. Then the king gave written orders for Haman and his sons to be punished in the same terrible way that Haman had in mind for the Jews. So they were hanged. 26 Mordecai's letter had said that the Jews must celebrate for two days because of what had happened to them. This time of celebration is called Purim,[e] which is the Hebrew word for the lots that were cast. 27 Now every year the Jews set aside these two days for having parties and celebrating, just as they were told to do. 28 From now on, all Jewish families must remember to celebrate Purim on these two days each year.
29 Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, wanted to give full authority to Mordecai's letter about the Festival of Purim, and with his help she wrote a letter about the feast. 30 Copies of this letter were sent to Jews in the 127 provinces of King Xerxes. In the letter they said:
We pray that all of you will live in peace and safety.
31 You and your descendants must always remember to celebrate Purim at the time and in the way that we have said. You must also follow the instructions that we have given you about mourning and going without eating.[f]
32 These laws about Purim are written by the authority of Queen Esther.
Footnotes
- 9.1 Adar: See the note at 3.7.
- 9.6-10 in Susa: Or “in the royal fortress in Susa.”
- 9.11 in Susa: See the note at 9.6-10.
- 9.24 cast lots: See the note at 3.7.
- 9.26 Purim: The Jewish festival of Purim got its name from “purim,” which is the Babylonian name for the lots that Haman used. Purim is celebrated each year on the fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar, which is about the first of March.
- 9.31 going without eating: See the note at 4.3.
Esther 9
Tree of Life Version
Jews Defend Themselves
9 Consequently, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (that is the month Adar), the king’s edict and his law drew near to be carried out. On that day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but contrary to expectations the Jews gained the upper hand over those that hated them. 2 Jews assembled in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus in order to lay hands on those seeking their harm. No one was able to stand against them, for fear of them had fallen on all the peoples. 3 Even all the administrators of the provinces, the officers and governors, and those doing business for the king, helped the Jews, for the dread of Mordecai had fallen on them. 4 Mordecai was prominent at the palace, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces. The man Mordecai was growing ever more powerful.
5 The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying, and they did whatever they wished to those who hated them. 6 In the citadel at Shushan the Jews killed and destroyed 500 people, 7 including Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha, 10 the 10 sons of Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. They slew them but did not lay their hands on the plunder.
11 On that day the number of those that were killed in the citadel at Shushan was brought to the king’s attention. 12 Then the king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed 500 men in the citadel of Shushan, including Haman’s ten sons. What have they done, in the rest of the king’s provinces? Now what is your request? It shall be granted to you. What other petition do you have? It shall be done.”
13 “If it please the king,” Esther said, “let the Jews in Shushan be allowed to carry out today’s edict tomorrow also, and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows.”
14 The king commanded that this be done. A decree was issued in Shushan and they hanged Haman’s 10 sons. 15 The Jews in Shushan gathered together on the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and they killed 300 men in Shushan, but they did not put their hands on the plunder.
16 Meanwhile the rest of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces gathered together to protect themselves and to get relief from their enemies. They killed 75,000 of their enemies, but they did not lay their hands on the plunder. 17 This happened on the thirteenth day of Adar and on the fourteenth day they rested, making it a day of feasting and gladness.
18 But the Jews that were in Shushan had assembled on the thirteenth and on the fourteenth and on the fifteenth they rested, making it a day of feasting and gladness. 19 That is why the rural Jews—those living in unwalled villages—make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and feasting, a day of sending presents of food to one another.
Purim Festival
20 Mordecai recorded these events and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 urging them to celebrate the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar every year 22 as the days when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into celebration. These were to be days of feasting, celebration and sending presents of food to one another and giving gifts to the poor.
23 So the Jews agreed to continue the commemoration they had begun, and do what Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had schemed against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur—that is, the lot—to ruin and destroy them. 25 But when it came to the king’s attention, he issued a written edict that the wicked scheme Haman[a] had devised against the Jews should come back on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows. (26 For this reason, these days were called Purim, from the word pur.) Therefore because of everything in this letter and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them, 27 the Jews established and took upon themselves, upon their descendants, and upon all who joined with them, that they would commemorate these two days in the way prescribed and at the appointed time every year. 28 These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family and in every province and every city. These days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor their remembrance perish from their descendants.
29 Then Queen Esther the daughter of Abihail, and also Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter of Purim. 30 He sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of shalom and truth, 31 to establish these days of Purim at their designated times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed for them and just as they had established for themselves and their descendants, matters regarding their times of fasting and lamentations. 32 Esther’s command confirmed these regulations about Purim and it was written into the records.
Footnotes
- Esther 9:25 The text has a pronoun; Haman is added for clarity.
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.