Esther 1-10

Legacy Standard Bible

The Feasts of the King and Queen

1 Now it happened in the days of ^(A)Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned ^(B)from India to ^[a]Ethiopia over ^(C)127 provinces, ² in those days as King Ahasuerus ^(D)sat on his royal throne which was at the citadel in ^(E)Susa, ³ in the third year of his reign, ^(F)he held a feast for all his princes and servants, the military officers of Persia and Media, the nobles and the princes of his provinces being in his presence, ^4 [b]while he displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his great majesty for many days, 180 days.

⁵ And when these days were fulfilled, the king held a feast lasting seven days for all the people who were present at the citadel in Susa, from the greatest to the least, in the court of ^(G)the garden of the king’s palace. ⁶ There were hangings of fine white and ^[c]blue linen held by cords of fine purple linen on silver rings and marble pillars, and ^(H)couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones. ⁷ And drinks were served in golden vessels of various kinds, and the royal wine was plentiful ^(I)according to the king’s hand. ⁸ And the drinking was done according to the law; there was no compulsion, for so the king had established it for each official of his household—that he should do according to what pleased each person. ⁹ Queen Vashti also held a feast for the women in the royal house which belonged to King Ahasuerus.

Queen Vashti’s Refusal

¹⁰ On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was ^(J)merry with wine, he said for Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who attended to the presence of King Ahasuerus, ¹¹ to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal ^(K)crown in order to display her beauty to the people and the princes, for she was ^[d]beautiful in appearance. ¹² But Queen Vashti refused to come at the word of the king which was delivered by the hand of the eunuchs. Then the king became exceedingly furious, and his wrath burned within him.

¹³ Then the king said to ^(L)the wise men ^(M)who knew the times—for it was the custom of the king thus to speak before all who knew law and justice ¹⁴ and were close to him: Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media ^(N)who ^[e]had access to the king’s presence and sat in the first place in the kingdom— ¹⁵ “According to law, what is to be done with Queen Vashti, because she did not do the declaration of King Ahasuerus delivered by the hand of the eunuchs?” ¹⁶ Then in the presence of the king and the princes, Memucan said, “Queen Vashti has committed iniquity against not only the king but also against all the princes and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. ¹⁷ For the word about the queen will get out to all the women causing them to despise their husbands in their eyes by saying, ‘King Ahasuerus said for Queen Vashti to be brought in to his presence, but she did not come.’ ¹⁸ This day the ladies of Persia and Media who have heard of the word about the queen will speak in the same way to all the king’s princes, and there will be plenty of spite and indignation. ¹⁹ If it seems good to the king, let a royal word go forth from him, and let it be written in the laws of Persia and Media so ^(O)that it cannot ^[f]be repealed, that Vashti may no longer come into the presence of King Ahasuerus, and let the king give her royal position to ^[g]another who is better than she. ²⁰ And the king’s sentence, which he will make, will be heard throughout all his kingdom, for it is ^[h]vast, and ^(P)all women will give respect to their husbands, great and small.”

²¹ And this word was good in the eyes of the king and the princes, and the king did according to the word of Memucan. ²² So he sent letters to all the king’s provinces, ^(Q)to each province according to its script and to every people according to their tongue, that every man should ^(R)be the ruler in his own house and the one who speaks in the tongue of his own people.

A Queen in Place of Vashti

2 After these things ^(S)when the wrath of King Ahasuerus had subsided, he remembered Vashti and what she had done and ^(T)what had been decided against her. ² Then the young men of the king, who attended to him, said, “^(U)Let young virgins, beautiful in appearance, be sought for the king. ³ And let the king appoint overseers in ^(V)all the provinces of his kingdom that they may gather every young virgin, beautiful in appearance, to the citadel of Susa, to the harem, into the hand of ^(W)Hegai, the king’s eunuch, who keeps charge of the women; and ^(X)let their cosmetics be given to them. ⁴ Then let the young lady who is good in the eyes of the king be queen in place of Vashti.” And the word was good in the eyes of the king, and he did so.

⁵ Now there was at the citadel in Susa a Jew. And his name was ^(Y)Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite, ^6 (Z)who had been taken away into exile from Jerusalem with the exiles who had been taken away into exile with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had taken away into exile. ⁷ And he was bringing up Hadassah, that is ^(AA)Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had no father or mother. Now the young lady was beautiful in form and beautiful in appearance, and when her father and her mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.

Esther Advances in Favor

⁸ Now it happened that when the word and law of the king were heard and ^(AB)many young ladies were gathered to the citadel of Susa into the hand of ^(AC)Hegai, that Esther was taken to the king’s ^[i]house into the hand of Hegai, who kept charge of the women. ⁹ And the young lady was good in his eyes, and she advanced in lovingkindness before him. So he hurried to give her ^(AD)cosmetics and portions of food to her, and to give to her seven choice young women from the king’s ^[j]house. And he transferred her and her young women to the best place in the harem. ^10 (AE)Esther did not tell anyone about her people or her kinsmen, for Mordecai had commanded her that she should not tell anyone about them. ¹¹ And every day Mordecai walked back and forth in front of the court of the harem to know the well-being of Esther and ^[k]how she fared.

¹² Now when it reached the turn of each young lady to go in to King Ahasuerus, after the end of her twelve months under the regulations for the women—for the days of their cosmetic treatment were fulfilled as follows: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with spices and the cosmetics for women— ¹³ then the young lady would go in to the king in this way: anything that she said she desired was given to her to come with her from the harem to the king’s house. ¹⁴ In the evening she would go in, and in the morning she would return to the second harem, to the hand of Shaashgaz, the king’s eunuch who kept charge of the concubines. She would not again go in to the king unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name.

¹⁵ Now when it reached the turn of Esther, ^(AF)the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai who had taken her as his daughter, to go in to the king, she did not seek anything except what ^(AG)Hegai, the king’s eunuch who kept charge of the women, said. And Esther advanced in favor in the eyes of all who saw her. ¹⁶ So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus to his royal house in the tenth month which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

Esther Is Made Queen

¹⁷ And the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she advanced in favor and lovingkindness before him more than all the virgins, so that ^(AH)he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti. ¹⁸ Then ^(AI)the king held a great feast, Esther’s feast, for all his princes and his servants; he also held a remission of taxes for the provinces and gave gifts ^(AJ)according to the king’s hand.

^19 (AK)And when the virgins were gathered together the second time, then Mordecai ^(AL)was sitting at the king’s gate. ^20 (AM)Esther had not yet told anyone about her kinsmen or her people, just as Mordecai had commanded her; indeed Esther was doing ^[l]what Mordecai declared that she do, just as she had done ^(AN)when she was being brought up by him.

Two of the King’s Eunuchs Are Hanged

²¹ In those days, while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, ^(AO)Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs from those who were doorkeepers, became furious and sought to send forth their hand against King Ahasuerus. ²² But the matter became known to Mordecai, and ^(AP)he told it to Queen Esther, and Esther said it to the king in Mordecai’s name. ²³ Then the matter was sought out and found to be true, so they were both hanged on a ^[m]gallows; and it was written in ^(AQ)the book of the chronicles in the king’s presence.

Haman Seeks to Destroy the Jews

3 After these things, King Ahasuerus ^(AR)magnified Haman, the son of Hammedatha ^(AS)the Agagite, and ^(AT)advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him. ² And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate were bowing down and prostrating themselves before Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But ^(AU)Mordecai would not bow down or prostrate himself. ³ So the king’s servants who were at ^(AV)the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “^(AW)Why do you trespass against the king’s command?” ⁴ Now it happened when they had spoken daily to him and he would not listen to them, that they told Haman to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew. ⁵ Then Haman saw that ^(AX)Mordecai was not bowing down or prostrating himself before him. So Haman was filled with wrath. ⁶ But he despised in his eyes to send forth his hand against Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore Haman ^(AY)sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.

⁷ In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, ^[n]Pur, that is the lot, was ^(AZ)cast before Haman from day to day and from month to month, ^[o]until the twelfth month, that is ^(BA)the month Adar. ⁸ Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and separated among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; ^(BB)their laws are different from those of all other people, and they do not do the king’s laws, so it is not worth it for the king to let them remain. ⁹ If it seems good to the king, let it be written down that they should perish, and I will pay ^[p]10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who do this work, to bring into the king’s treasuries.” ¹⁰ Then ^(BC)the king removed his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha ^(BD)the Agagite, ^(BE)the adversary of the Jews. ¹¹ And the king said to Haman, “The silver is ^[q]yours, and the people also, to do with them according to what is good in your eyes.”

^12 (BF)Then the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and it was written just as Haman commanded to ^(BG)the king’s satraps, to the governors who were over each province, and to the princes of each people, each province according to its script, each people according to its tongue, being written ^(BH)in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s signet ring. ¹³ And letters were sent by the hand of ^(BI)couriers to all the king’s provinces ^(BJ)to destroy, to kill, and to cause all the Jews to perish, both young and old, little ones and women, ^(BK)in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to ^(BL)plunder their spoil. ^14 (BM)A copy of that which was written down to be given as law in every province was revealed to all the peoples so that they should be ready for this day. ¹⁵ The couriers went out, hastened by the word of the king. And the law was given at the citadel in Susa. Now the king and Haman sat down to drink, but ^(BN)the city of Susa was in confusion.

Esther Writhes in Anguish

4 Now Mordecai came to know of ^(BO)all that had been done. And ^[r]he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city and cried out loudly and bitterly. ² And he went as far as the king’s gate, for no one was to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth. ³ Now in each and every province where the word and law of the king reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with ^(BP)fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many made their bed in sackcloth and ashes.

⁴ Then Esther’s young women and her eunuchs came and told her, and the queen writhed in great anguish. And she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and to remove his sackcloth from upon him, but he did not accept them. ⁵ Then Esther summoned Hathach from the king’s eunuchs, whom ^[s]the king had appointed to attend her, and commanded him to go to Mordecai to know what this was and why it was. ⁶ So Hathach went out to Mordecai to the city square in front of the king’s gate. ⁷ And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and ^(BQ)the exact amount of silver that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries to cause the Jews to perish. ⁸ He also gave him ^(BR)a copy of the written law which had been given in Susa for their destruction, in order to show Esther and to tell her and to command her to go in to the king to implore his favor and to seek him out for her people.

⁹ Then Hathach came back and told Mordecai’s words to Esther. ¹⁰ Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to reply to Mordecai: ¹¹ “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that for any man or woman who ^(BS)comes to the king to the inner court who is not summoned, ^(BT)he has but one law, that he be put to death, unless the king holds out ^(BU)to him the golden scepter so that he may live. And I have not been summoned to come to the king for these thirty days.” ¹² So they told Esther’s words to Mordecai.

¹³ Then Mordecai said for them to respond to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s ^[t]house can escape any more than all the Jews. ¹⁴ For if you remain silent at this time, relief and ^(BV)deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not reached royalty for such a time as this?”

Esther and the Jews Fast

¹⁵ Then Esther said for them to respond to Mordecai, ¹⁶ “Go, gather all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; ^(BW)do not eat or drink for ^(BX)three days, night or day. I and my young women also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.” ¹⁷ So Mordecai went away and did just as Esther had commanded him.

Esther Prepares a Feast

5 Now it happened ^(BY)on the third day, that Esther put on her royal robes and stood ^(BZ)in the inner court of the king’s house in front of the king’s ^[u]rooms, and the king was sitting on his royal throne in the ^[v]throne room, opposite the entrance to his house. ² Now it happened that when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, ^(CA)she advanced in favor in his eyes; and ^(CB)the king extended to Esther the golden scepter which was in his hand. So Esther came near and ^[w]reached out and touched the top of the scepter. ³ Then the king said to her, “What is troubling you, Queen Esther? And what is ^[x]your request? ^(CC)Even to half of the kingdom it shall be given to you.” ⁴ And Esther said, “If it seems good to the king, may the king and Haman come this day to the feast that I have prepared for him.”

⁵ Then the king said, “^(CD)Bring Haman quickly that we may do the word of Esther.” So the king and Haman came to the feast which Esther had prepared. ⁶ Then, ^[y]as they drank their wine at the feast, ^(CE)the king said to Esther, “^(CF)What is ^[z]your petition? For it shall be given to you. And what is ^[aa]your request? Even to half of the kingdom it shall be done.” ⁷ So Esther answered and said, “^[ab]My petition and ^[ac]my request is: ^8 (CG)if I have found favor in the eyes of the king, and if it seems good to the king to give heed to ^[ad]my petition and to do ^[ae]my request, may the king and Haman come to ^(CH)the feast which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do according to the word of the king.”

Haman Recounts His Glory

⁹ Then Haman went out that day glad and merry of heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai ^(CI)in the king’s gate and ^(CJ)that he did not stand up or ^[af]tremble before him, Haman was filled with wrath against Mordecai. ¹⁰ But Haman controlled himself, went to his house, and sent for and brought his friends and his wife ^(CK)Zeresh. ¹¹ Then Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches and the ^[ag](CL)number of his sons and every instance where the king had magnified him and how he had ^[ah](CM)advanced him above the princes and servants of the king. ¹² Haman also said, “Even Esther the queen let no one but me come with the king to the feast which she had prepared; and ^(CN)tomorrow also I am called to come to her with the king. ¹³ Yet all of this is worth nothing to me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at ^(CO)the king’s gate.” ¹⁴ Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “^(CP)Have a ^[ai]gallows ^[aj]fifty cubits high made and in the morning say to the king that Mordecai should be hanged on it; then go gladly with the king to the feast.” And the word was good to Haman, so he had the gallows made.

The Man Whom the King Honors

6 During that night, sleep had ^(CQ)fled from the king, so he said for them to bring ^(CR)the book of memoranda, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. ² And it was found written what ^(CS)Mordecai had told concerning Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs from those who were doorkeepers, that they had sought to send forth their hand against King Ahasuerus. ³ And the king said, “What honor or greatness has been done to Mordecai for this?” Then the king’s young men who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” ⁴ So the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had ^(CT)entered the outer court of the king’s house in order to speak to the king about ^(CU)hanging Mordecai on the gallows which he had set up for him. ⁵ And the king’s young men said to him, “Behold, Haman is standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” ⁶ So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man ^(CV)whom the king delights to honor?” And Haman said in his heart, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” ⁷ Then Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, ⁸ let them bring a royal robe which the king clothes himself in, and ^(CW)the horse on which the king has ridden, and on whose head ^(CX)a royal crown has been placed; ⁹ and let the robe and the horse be given over to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, and let them clothe the man whom the king delights to honor and lead him on horseback through the city square ^(CY)and call out before him, ‘Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.’”

Mordecai Is Honored

¹⁰ Then the king said to Haman, “Take quickly the robes and the horse as you have said, and do so for Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king’s gate; do not fall short in anything of all that you have spoken.” ¹¹ So Haman took the robe and the horse and clothed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square and called out before him, “Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”

¹² Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman hastened home, mourning, ^(CZ)with his head covered. ¹³ And Haman recounted ^(DA)to Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the seed of the Jews, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him.”

¹⁴ While they were still speaking with him, the king’s eunuchs reached Haman’s home and hastily ^(DB)brought Haman to the feast which Esther had prepared.

Esther’s Petition to the King

7 Then the king and Haman came to drink wine with Esther the queen. ² And the king said to Esther on the second day also ^[ak]as they drank their wine at the feast, “^(DC)What is ^[al]your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be given you. And what is ^[am]your request? ^(DD)Even to half of the kingdom it shall be done.” ³ Then Queen Esther answered and said, “^(DE)If I have found favor in your eyes, O king, and if it seems good to the king, let my life be given to me as ^[an]my petition, and my people as ^[ao]my request; ⁴ for ^(DF)we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, ^(DG)to be killed, and to be caused to perish. Now if we had only been sold as slaves, men and women, I would have remained silent, for the ^[ap]adversity would not be worth the ^[aq]annoyance to the king.” ⁵ Then King Ahasuerus said—he said to Esther the Queen, “Who is this one, and where is this one, who fills his heart to do thus?” ⁶ So Esther said, “^(DH)An adversary and an enemy is this evil Haman!” Then Haman became terrified before the king and queen.

Haman Is Hanged

⁷ And the king arose ^(DI)in his wrath from ^[ar]drinking wine and went into ^(DJ)the garden of his palace; but Haman stayed to seek for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that calamity had been determined against him by the king. ⁸ Now the king returned from the garden of his palace into the ^[as]place where they were drinking wine. And Haman was falling on ^(DK)the couch where Esther was. So the king said, “Will he even assault the queen with me in the house?” As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. ⁹ Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs who were before the king, said, “Behold indeed, ^(DL)the gallows—which Haman made for Mordecai ^(DM)who spoke good on behalf of the king—are standing at Haman’s house fifty cubits high!” And the king said, “Hang him on it.” ^10 (DN)So they hanged Haman on the ^[at]gallows which he had set up for Mordecai, ^(DO)and the king’s wrath subsided.

Esther Saves the Jews

8 On that day King Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman, ^(DP)the adversary of the Jews, to Queen Esther; and Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told ^(DQ)what he was to her. ^2 (DR)And the king removed his signet ring, which he had taken away from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

³ Then Esther spoke again to the king, fell at his feet, wept, and implored him to ^[au]repeal the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite and his scheme which he had devised against the Jews. ^4 (DS)And the king extended the golden scepter to Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king. ⁵ Then she said, “^(DT)If it seems good to the king, and if I have found favor before him and the matter seems proper to the king and I am good in his eyes, let it be written to turn back the ^(DU)letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to cause the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces to perish. ⁶ For ^(DV)how can I endure to see the calamity which will befall my people, and how can I endure to see the perishing of my kinsmen?”

The King’s Decree Avenges the Jews

⁷ So King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, ^(DW)I have given the house of Haman to Esther, and him they have hanged on the ^[av]gallows because he had sent forth his hand against the Jews. ⁸ Now you write to the Jews, according to what is good in your eyes, in the king’s name, and ^(DX)seal it with the king’s signet ring; for a written decree which is written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s signet ring ^(DY)may not be turned back.”

^9 (DZ)So the king’s scribes were called at that time in the third month (that is, the month Sivan), on the twenty-third ^[aw]day; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded to the Jews, the satraps, the governors, and the princes of the provinces which extended ^(EA)from India to ^[ax]Ethiopia, 127 provinces, to ^(EB)every province according to its script, and to every people according to their tongue as well as to the Jews according to their script and their tongue. ¹⁰ And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king’s signet ring and sent letters by the hand of couriers on ^(EC)horses, riding on steeds sired by the ^[ay]royal stud. ^11 [az]In them the king gave the Jews who were in each and every city the right ^(ED)to assemble and to make a stand for their lives, ^(EE)to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish the entire military force of any people or province which would act as their adversaries, including little ones and women, and ^(EF)to plunder their spoil, ¹² on ^(EG)one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (that is, the month Adar). ^13 (EH)A copy of that which was written down to be given as law in each and every province was revealed to all the peoples, so that the Jews would be ready for this day to avenge themselves on their enemies. ¹⁴ The couriers, hurried and hastened by the king’s word, went out, riding on the royal steeds; and the law was given out at the citadel in Susa.

¹⁵ Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king ^(EI)in royal robes of ^[ba]blue and fine white, with a large crown of gold and ^(EJ)a garment of fine linen and purple; and ^(EK)the city of Susa cried aloud and was glad. ¹⁶ For the Jews there was ^(EL)light and gladness and joy and honor. ¹⁷ And in each and every province and in each and every city, wherever the king’s word and his law reached, there was gladness and joy for the Jews, a feast and a ^[bb](EM)holiday. And ^(EN)many among the peoples of the land became Jews, for the dread of the Jews had fallen on them.

The Jews Strike Down Their Enemies

9 Now ^(EO)in the twelfth month (that is, the month Adar), on ^(EP)the thirteenth ^[bc]day ^(EQ)when the king’s word and law had reached the point for them to be done, on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain power over them, it was turned around so that the Jews themselves gained power over those who hated them. ^2 (ER)The Jews assembled in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to send forth their hand against those who sought their calamity; and no one could stand before them, ^(ES)for the dread of them had fallen on all the peoples. ³ Even all the princes of the provinces, ^(ET)the satraps, the governors, and those who were doing the king’s work ^[bd]advanced the Jews, because the dread of Mordecai had fallen on them. ⁴ Indeed, Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and the report about him went throughout all the provinces; for the man Mordecai ^(EU)became greater and greater. ⁵ Thus ^(EV)the Jews struck all their enemies with ^[be]the sword, killing and causing them to perish; and they did what they pleased to those who hated them. ⁶ And at the citadel in Susa the Jews killed and caused to perish 500 men, ⁷ and Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, ⁸ Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, ⁹ Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha, ^10 (EW)the 10 sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Jews’ adversary; but ^(EX)they did not send forth their hand for the plunder.

¹¹ On that day the number of those who were killed at the citadel in Susa came to the king. ¹² So the king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and caused to perish 500 men and the 10 sons of Haman at the citadel in Susa. Now in the rest of the king’s provinces, what have they done? ^(EY)So what is ^[bf]your petition? It shall even be given to you. And what is ^[bg]your further request? It shall also be done.” ¹³ Then Esther said, “If it is good to the king, ^(EZ)let tomorrow also be given to the Jews who are in Susa to do according to the law for today; and let Haman’s 10 sons be hanged on the gallows.” ¹⁴ So the king said that it should be done so; and a law was given in Susa, and Haman’s 10 sons were hanged. ¹⁵ And the Jews who were in Susa assembled also on the fourteenth day of the month Adar and killed ^(FA)300 men in Susa, but ^(FB)they did not send forth their hand for the plunder.

¹⁶ Now ^(FC)the rest of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces ^(FD)assembled, to make a stand for their lives and obtain rest for themselves from their enemies, and to kill 75,000 of those who hated them; but they did not send forth their hand for the plunder. ¹⁷ This was done on ^(FE)the thirteenth day of the month Adar, and ^(FF)on the fourteenth ^[bh]day they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness.

¹⁸ But the Jews who were in Susa ^(FG)assembled on the thirteenth and ^(FH)the fourteenth ^[bi]of the same month, and they rested on the fifteenth ^[bj]day and made it a day of feasting and gladness. ¹⁹ Therefore the Jews of the rural areas, who live in ^(FI)the rural towns, make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a ^[bk](FJ)holiday for gladness and feasting and ^(FK)sending portions of food to one another.

The Feast of Purim Is Established

²⁰ Then Mordecai wrote down these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, ²¹ to establish among them to celebrate the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day ^[bl]of the same month, annually, ²² because on those days the Jews obtained rest for themselves from their enemies, and it was a month which was ^(FL)turned around for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a ^[bm]holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness and ^(FM)sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

²³ Thus the Jews fully accepted 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 devised against the Jews to cause them to perish and ^(FN)had cast Pur, that is the lot, to throw them into confusion and cause them to perish. ²⁵ But ^(FO)when it came before the king, he said by letter ^(FP)that his evil scheme, which he had ^[bn]devised against the Jews, ^(FQ)should return on his own head and that he and his sons should be hanged on the ^[bo]gallows. ²⁶ Therefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore, ^(FR)because of the words in this letter, both what they had seen in this regard and what had reached them, ²⁷ the Jews established and accepted a custom for themselves and for their seed and for ^(FS)all those who joined themselves to them, so that ^[bp](FT)celebrating these two days according to what was written down and according to their fixed time from year to year would not pass away. ²⁸ So these days were to be remembered and celebrated throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; thus these days of Purim were not to pass away from among the Jews, nor their memory come to an end from their seed.

²⁹ Then Queen Esther, ^(FU)daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to establish ^(FV)this second letter about Purim. ³⁰ And he sent letters to all the Jews, ^(FW)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 seed with words concerning ^(FX)their times of fasting and their crying out. ³² And the declaration of Esther established these words concerning ^(FY)Purim, and it was written in the book.

Mordecai’s Greatness

10 Then King Ahasuerus set forced labor upon the land and the ^(FZ)coastlands of the sea. ² And the entire work of his authority and his might, and the full account of the greatness of Mordecai, ^(GA)whom the king had made so great, are they not written in ^(GB)the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? ³ For Mordecai the Jew was ^(GC)second only to King Ahasuerus and was great among the Jews and pleasing to his many fellow brothers, ^(GD)one who sought the good of his people and one who spoke for the peace of all his seed.