Esther 3
New American Standard Bible
Haman’s Plot against the Jews
3 After these events King Ahasuerus (A)honored Haman, the son of Hammedatha (B)the Agagite, and (C)promoted him and [a]established his authority over all the officials who were with him. 2 All the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and paid [b]homage to Haman; for so the king had commanded regarding him. But (D)Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid [c]homage. 3 Then the king’s servants who were at (E)the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “(F)Why are you violating the king’s command?” 4 Now it was when they had spoken daily to him and he would not listen to them, that they told Haman to see whether Mordecai’s reason would [d]stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew. 5 When Haman saw that (G)Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid [e]homage to him, Haman was filled with rage. 6 But he [f]considered it beneath his dignity to [g]kill Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; so Haman (H)sought to annihilate all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were found throughout the kingdom of Ahasuerus.
7 In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, [h]Pur, that is the lot, was (I)cast before Haman from day to day and from month to month, [i]until the twelfth month, that is (J)the month Adar. 8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; (K)their laws are different from those of all other people and they do not [j]comply with the king’s laws, so it is not in the king’s interest to let them remain. 9 If it is pleasing to the king, let it be [k]decreed that they be eliminated, and I will pay [l]ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who carry out the king’s business, to put into the king’s treasuries.” 10 Then (L)the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha (M)the Agagite, (N)the enemy of the Jews. 11 And the king said to Haman, “The silver is [m]yours, and the people also, to do with them as you please.”
12 (O)Then the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and it was written just as Haman commanded to (P)the king’s satraps, to the governors who were over each province and to the officials of each people, each province according to its script, each people according to its language, being written (Q)in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s signet ring. 13 Letters were sent by (R)couriers to all the king’s provinces (S)to annihilate, kill, and destroy all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, (T)in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to (U)seize their possessions as plunder. 14 (V)A copy of the edict to be [n]issued as law in every province was published to all the peoples so that they would be ready for this day. 15 The couriers went out, speeded by the king’s [o]order while the decree was [p]issued at the citadel in Susa; and while the king and Haman sat down to drink, (W)the city of Susa was agitated.
Footnotes
- Esther 3:1 Lit set his seat
- Esther 3:2 I.e., great respect and honor to a superior
- Esther 3:2 I.e., great respect and honor to a superior
- Esther 3:4 I.e., as valid
- Esther 3:5 I.e., great respect and honor to a superior
- Esther 3:6 Lit despised in his eyes
- Esther 3:6 Lit send a hand against
- Esther 3:7 Lit he cast Pur...before
- Esther 3:7 LXX and the lot fell on the thirteenth day of
- Esther 3:8 Lit do the
- Esther 3:9 Lit written
- Esther 3:9 About 375 tons or 340 metric tons
- Esther 3:11 Lit given to you
- Esther 3:14 Lit given
- Esther 3:15 Lit word
- Esther 3:15 Lit given
Esther 3
International Standard Version
Haman is Promoted by Ahasuerus
3 Sometime later King Ahasuerus promoted Hammedatha the Agagite’s son Haman, elevating him to a position above[a] all the other officials who were with him. 2 All the king’s ministers[b] who were in the king’s gate would kneel and bow down to Haman, because the king had commanded that Haman[c] be honored in this way. Mordecai, however, would not kneel and would not bow down.
3 The king’s ministers[d] who were in the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s command?” 4 They asked him this day after day, and he would not listen to them, so they told Haman to see whether or not Mordecai would get away with his disobedience,[e] since he also had told them that he was Jewish. 5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel and bow down to him, he[f] flew into a rage. 6 Because they had told him who the people of Mordecai were, Haman[g] found it unacceptable[h] to kill[i] only Mordecai. So Haman sought to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jewish people, who were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus.
Haman’s Plot against the Jewish People
7 In the twelfth year of the reign of[j] King Ahasuerus, in the first month (the month Nisan), the pur (that is, the lot) was cast in Haman’s presence to determine the best day and month to carry out his plot.[k] The lot indicated the twelfth month, the month Adar.[l] 8 Then Haman told King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and divided among the people throughout the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different than all the other people, they don’t obey the king’s laws, and it’s not in the king’s best interest[m] to leave them alone. 9 If the king approves, let it be decreed[n] that they’re to be destroyed, and I’ll measure out 10,000 silver talents[o] and bring it to the king’s treasury for those who will do the work.”
10 The king removed his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Hammedatha the Agagite’s son Haman, the enemy of the Jewish people. 11 The king told Haman, “The silver is given to you, along with the people, to do with them as you see fit.”
12 The king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and all that Haman commanded was written to the regional authorities[p] of the king, to the governors who were over each province, and to the officials of each people. This order[q] was translated in the name of King Ahasuerus into the language of each province[r] and bore the seal of the king’s signet ring. 13 Letters were sent by couriers to all of the king’s provinces to annihilate, to kill, and to destroy all the Jewish people, both young and old, women and children, and to confiscate their goods[s] on a single day—the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of Adar. 14 A copy of the letter was to be issued as an edict in every province and published to all the people, telling them[t] to be ready for that day. 15 The couriers went out, urged on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in Susa the capital. The king and Haman sat down to drink, while the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.
Footnotes
- Esther 3:1 Lit. setting his seat above
- Esther 3:2 Or servants
- Esther 3:2 Lit. commanded concerning him that he
- Esther 3:3 Or servants
- Esther 3:4 Lit. would stand
- Esther 3:5 Lit. Haman
- Esther 3:6 Lit. he
- Esther 3:6 Lit. contemptible
- Esther 3:6 Lit. sending a hand against
- Esther 3:7 The Heb. lacks the reign of
- Esther 3:7 Lit. before Haman from day to day and month to month
- Esther 3:7 Lit. day and month, the twelfth, the month Adar
- Esther 3:8 Lit. there is no advantage for the king
- Esther 3:9 Lit. written
- Esther 3:9 I.e. about 750,000 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
- Esther 3:12 Lit. satraps; Persian government officials similar in authority to a governor
- Esther 3:12 The Heb. lacks order
- Esther 3:12 Lit. Ahasuerus to the people, the script
- Esther 3:13 Lit. spoil
- Esther 3:14 The Heb. lacks telling them
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