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Esther 9-10
Christian Standard Bible
Esther 9-10
Christian Standard Bible
Victories of the Jews
9 The king’s command and law(A) went into effect on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month,(B) the month Adar. On the day when the Jews’ enemies(C) had hoped to overpower them, just the opposite happened. The Jews overpowered those who hated them.(D) 2 In each of King Ahasuerus’s provinces(E) the Jews assembled in their cities to attack those who intended to harm them.[a] Not a single person could withstand them; fear of them(F) fell on every nationality.(G)
3 All the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and the royal civil administrators[b](H) aided the Jews because they feared Mordecai.(I) 4 For Mordecai exercised great power in the palace,(J) and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful.(K)
5 The Jews put all their enemies to the sword, killing and destroying them.(L) They did what they pleased to those who hated them. 6 In the fortress of Susa(M) the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men, 7 including Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha. 10 They killed these ten sons(N) of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews.(O) However, they did not seize[c] any plunder.(P)
11 On that day the number of people killed in the fortress of Susa was reported to the king. 12 The king said to Queen Esther, “In the fortress of Susa the Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men, including Haman’s ten sons. What have they done in the rest of the royal provinces? Whatever you ask will be given to you. Whatever you seek will also be done.”(Q)
13 Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, may the Jews who are in Susa also have tomorrow(R) to carry out today’s law,(S) and may the bodies of Haman’s ten sons(T) be hung on the gallows.”(U) 14 The king gave the orders for this to be done, so a law was announced in Susa, and they hung the bodies of Haman’s ten sons. 15 The Jews in Susa assembled again on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar(V) and killed three hundred men in Susa, but they did not seize any plunder.(W)
16 The rest of the Jews in the royal provinces assembled, defended themselves, and gained relief from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand[d] of those who hated them,(X) but they did not seize any plunder. 17 They fought on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar and rested on the fourteenth, and it became a day of feasting and rejoicing.
18 But the Jews in Susa had assembled on the thirteenth and the fourteenth days of the month. They rested on the fifteenth day of the month, and it became a day of feasting and rejoicing.(Y) 19 This explains why the rural Jews who live in villages observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a time of rejoicing and feasting. It is a holiday when they send gifts to one another.(Z)
20 Mordecai(AA) recorded these events and sent letters to all the Jews in all of King Ahasuerus’s provinces, both near and far. 21 He ordered(AB) them to celebrate the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar every year 22 because during those days the Jews gained relief from(AC) their enemies. That was the month when their sorrow was turned into rejoicing and their mourning into a holiday.(AD) They were to be days of feasting,(AE) rejoicing, and of sending gifts to one another and to the poor.
23 So the Jews agreed to continue the practice they had begun, as Mordecai had written them to do. 24 For Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews,(AF) had plotted against the Jews to destroy them. He cast the pur—that is, the lot—to crush and destroy them.(AG) 25 But when the matter was brought before the king,(AH) he commanded by letter that the evil plan Haman had devised against the Jews return on his own head(AI) and that he should be hanged with his sons on the gallows.(AJ) 26 For this reason these days are called Purim, from the word pur.(AK) Because of all the instructions in this letter as well as what they had witnessed and what had happened to them, 27 the Jews bound themselves, their descendants, and all who joined(AL) with them to a commitment that they would not fail to celebrate these two days each and every year according to the written instructions and according to the time appointed. 28 These days are remembered and celebrated by every generation, family, province, and city, so that these days of Purim will not lose their significance in Jewish life[e] and their memory will not fade from their descendants.(AM)
29 Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail,(AN) along with Mordecai the Jew,(AO) wrote this second letter with full authority(AP) to confirm the letter about Purim. 30 He sent letters with assurances of peace and security[f] to all the Jews who were in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, 31 in order to confirm these days of Purim at their proper time just as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had established them and just as they had committed themselves and their descendants to the practices of fasting(AQ) and lamentation.(AR) 32 So Esther’s command confirmed these customs of Purim, which were then written into the record.
Mordecai’s Fame
10 King Ahasuerus imposed a tax throughout the land(AS) even to the farthest shores.[g](AT) 2 All of his powerful and magnificent accomplishments(AU) and the detailed account of Mordecai’s great rank with which the king had honored him,(AV) have they not been written in the Book of the Historical Events of the Kings of Media and Persia?(AW) 3 Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus.(AX) He was famous among the Jews and highly esteemed by many of his relatives.(AY) He continued to pursue prosperity for his people and to speak for the well-being of all his descendants.(AZ)
Footnotes
- 9:2 Lit cities to send out a hand against the seekers of their evil
- 9:3 Lit and those who do the king’s work; Est 3:9
- 9:10 Lit not put their hands on, also in vv. 15,16
- 9:16 Some LXX mss read 10,107; other LXX mss read 15,000
- 9:28 LXX reads will be celebrated into all times
- 9:30 Or of peace and faithfulness
- 10:1 Or imposed forced labor on the land and the coasts of the sea
Esther 9-10
New International Version
Esther 9-10
New International Version
9 On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar,(A) the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand(B) over those who hated them.(C) 2 The Jews assembled in their cities(D) in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those determined to destroy them. No one could stand against them,(E) because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them. 3 And all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king’s administrators helped the Jews,(F) because fear of Mordecai had seized them.(G) 4 Mordecai(H) was prominent(I) in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful.(J)
5 The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them,(K) and they did what they pleased to those who hated them. 6 In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. 7 They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha, 10 the ten sons(L) of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews.(M) But they did not lay their hands on the plunder.(N)
11 The number of those killed in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king that same day. 12 The king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in the citadel of Susa. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? It will also be granted.”(O)
13 “If it pleases the king,” Esther answered, “give the Jews in Susa permission to carry out this day’s edict tomorrow also, and let Haman’s ten sons(P) be impaled(Q) on poles.”
14 So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they impaled(R) the ten sons of Haman. 15 The Jews in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they put to death in Susa three hundred men, but they did not lay their hands on the plunder.(S)
16 Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get relief(T) from their enemies.(U) They killed seventy-five thousand of them(V) but did not lay their hands on the plunder.(W) 17 This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting(X) and joy.
18 The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.
19 That is why rural Jews—those living in villages—observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar(Y) as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other.(Z)
Purim Established
20 Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, 21 to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar 22 as the time when the Jews got relief(AA) from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration.(AB) He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food(AC) to one another and gifts to the poor.(AD)
23 So the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite,(AE) the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur(AF) (that is, the lot(AG)) for their ruin and destruction.(AH) 25 But when the plot came to the king’s attention,[a] he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back onto his own head,(AI) and that he and his sons should be impaled(AJ) on poles.(AK) 26 (Therefore these days were called Purim, from the word pur.(AL)) Because of everything written in this letter and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them, 27 the Jews took it on themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed. 28 These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never fail to be celebrated by the Jews—nor should the memory of these days die out among their descendants.
29 So Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail,(AM) along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim. 30 And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces(AN) of Xerxes’ kingdom—words of goodwill and assurance— 31 to establish these days of Purim at their designated times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed for them, and as they had established for themselves and their descendants in regard to their times of fasting(AO) and lamentation.(AP) 32 Esther’s decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, and it was written down in the records.
The Greatness of Mordecai
10 King Xerxes imposed tribute throughout the empire, to its distant shores.(AQ) 2 And all his acts of power and might, together with a full account of the greatness of Mordecai,(AR) whom the king had promoted,(AS) are they not written in the book of the annals(AT) of the kings of Media and Persia? 3 Mordecai the Jew was second(AU) in rank(AV) to King Xerxes,(AW) preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his many fellow Jews, because he worked for the good of his people and spoke up for the welfare of all the Jews.(AX)
Footnotes
- Esther 9:25 Or when Esther came before the king
Acts 19:21-41
Christian Standard Bible
Acts 19:21-41
Christian Standard Bible
The Riot in Ephesus
21 After these events, Paul resolved by the Spirit[a] to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem. “After I’ve been there,” he said, “It is necessary for me to see Rome as well.”(A) 22 After sending to Macedonia two of those who assisted him, Timothy and Erastus,(B) he himself stayed in Asia for a while.(C)
23 About that time there was a major disturbance about the Way.(D) 24 For a person named Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, provided a great deal of business for the craftsmen. 25 When he had assembled them, as well as the workers engaged in this type of business, he said, “Men, you know that our prosperity is derived from this business. 26 You see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this man Paul has persuaded and misled a considerable number of people by saying that gods made by hand are not gods.(E) 27 Not only do we run a risk that our business may be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be despised and her magnificence come to the verge of ruin—the very one all of Asia and the world worship.”
28 When they had heard this, they were filled with rage and began to cry out, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 So the city was filled with confusion, and they rushed all together into the amphitheater, dragging along Gaius(F) and Aristarchus,(G) Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. 30 Although Paul wanted to go in before the people, the disciples did not let him. 31 Even some of the provincial officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent word to him, pleading with him not to venture[b] into the amphitheater. 32 Some were shouting one thing and some another,(H) because the assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they had come together. 33 Some Jews in the crowd gave instructions to Alexander[c] after they pushed him to the front. Motioning with his hand, Alexander wanted to make his defense to the people.(I) 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
35 When the city clerk had calmed the crowd down, he said, “People of Ephesus! What person is there who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple guardian of the great[d] Artemis, and of the image that fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these things are undeniable, you must keep calm and not do anything rash. 37 For you have brought these men here who are not temple robbers or blasphemers of our[e] goddess. 38 So if Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a case against anyone, the courts are in session, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another.(J) 39 But if you seek anything further, it must be decided in a legal assembly. 40 In fact, we run a risk of being charged with rioting(K) for what happened today, since there is no justification that we can give as a reason for this disturbance.” 41 After saying this, he dismissed the assembly.
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Acts 19:21-41
New International Version
Acts 19:21-41
New International Version
21 After all this had happened, Paul decided[a] to go to Jerusalem,(A) passing through Macedonia(B) and Achaia.(C) “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.”(D) 22 He sent two of his helpers,(E) Timothy(F) and Erastus,(G) to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia(H) a little longer.
The Riot in Ephesus
23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way.(I) 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. 25 He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business.(J) 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus(K) and in practically the whole province of Asia.(L) He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.(M) 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.”
28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”(N) 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius(O) and Aristarchus,(P) Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia,(Q) and all of them rushed into the theater together. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples(R) would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.
32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another.(S) Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned(T) for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”(U)
35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians,(V) doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples(W) nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen(X) have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls.(Y) They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.
Footnotes
- Acts 19:21 Or decided in the Spirit
Psalm 88:1-3
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 88:1-3
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 88
A Cry of Desperation
A song. A psalm of the sons of Korah. For the choir director: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.(A)
1 Lord, God of my salvation,
I cry out before you day and night.(B)
2 May my prayer reach your presence;
listen to my cry.(C)
3 For I have had enough troubles,
and my life is near Sheol.(D)
Psalm 88:1-3
New International Version
Psalm 88:1-3
New International Version
Psalm 88[a]
A song. A psalm of the Sons of Korah. For the director of music. According to mahalath leannoth.[b] A maskil[c] of Heman the Ezrahite.
Footnotes
- Psalm 88:1 In Hebrew texts 88:1-18 is numbered 88:2-19.
- Psalm 88:1 Title: Possibly a tune, “The Suffering of Affliction”
- Psalm 88:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term
Proverbs 18:14-15
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 18:14-15
Christian Standard Bible
14 A person’s spirit can endure sickness,
but who can survive a broken spirit?(A)
15 The mind of the discerning acquires knowledge,
and the ear of the wise seeks it.(B)
Proverbs 18:14-15
New International Version
Proverbs 18:14-15
New International Version
14 The human spirit can endure in sickness,
but a crushed spirit who can bear?(A)
15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,(B)
for the ears of the wise seek it out.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
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New International Version (NIV) 
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