Esther 8:8-13

Contemporary English Version

^8 (A) I now give you permission to make a law that will save the lives of your people. You may use my ring to seal the law, so that it can never be changed.”

⁹ On the twenty-third day of Sivan,^[a] the third month, the king's secretaries wrote the law. They obeyed Mordecai and wrote to the Jews, the rulers, the governors, and the officials of all 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia.^[b] The letters were written in every language used in the kingdom, including the Jewish language. ¹⁰ They were written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with his ring. Then they were taken by messengers who rode the king's finest and fastest horses.

^11-13 In these letters the king said:

On the thirteenth day of Adar,^[c] the twelfth month, the Jews in every city and province will be allowed to get together and defend themselves. They may destroy any army that attacks them, and they may kill all of their enemies, including women and children. They may also take everything that belongs to their enemies.

A copy of this law is to be posted in every province and read by everyone.