Esther 3
EasyEnglish Bible
Haman is angry with Mordecai
3 After some time, King Xerxes gave one of his officers greater authority. The officer's name was Haman. He was the son of Hammedatha, a descendant of Agag. Haman became the most important officer who served the king. 2 The king commanded that all the royal officers at the king's gate must bend down low down to Haman. So they all gave Haman honour when he passed them. Only Mordecai would not bend down and give honour to Haman.[a]
3 The officers at the king's gate asked Mordecai, ‘Why do you not obey the king's command?’ 4 They warned Mordecai every day. But he would not agree to bend down low to Haman. So the officers told Haman about this. Mordecai had told them that he was a Jew. So they wanted to know if Haman would let Mordecai do this.
5 When Haman realized that Mordecai would not give him honour, he became very angry. 6 But he did not want to destroy only Mordecai. Now he knew that Mordecai was a Jew, he decided to destroy all the Jews who lived in Xerxes' whole kingdom.
Haman decides to kill all the Jews
7 Haman asked his advisors when would be the right time to make this happen. He asked them in the first month of the year (Nisan), during Xerxes' 12th year as king. Haman's advisors threw dice to decide the right time to destroy the Jews. The dice chose the 12th month of the year (Adar). The dice were called ‘Purim’.
8 Then Haman said to King Xerxes, ‘There is a group of people who live in many regions of your kingdom. They have different customs to all the other people. They refuse to obey the laws of your kingdom. It is not good for you to let them live among all the other people in your kingdom. 9 If you agree, we should send out a command to destroy them. Then I will give 350 tons of silver to the king, so that your officers can do this work.’[b]
10 The king took his special ring from his finger and he gave it to Hammedatha's son, Haman, the Jews' great enemy.[c] 11 He said to Haman, ‘Keep your money. You should do anything that you want with these people.’
12 On the 13th day of the first month, Haman asked the king's secretaries to come to him. They wrote Haman's commands in letters to the king's rulers and officers in every region. They wrote the letters in the languages that people spoke in the different regions. Haman used the authority of King Xerxes and he marked the letters with the king's special ring.[d]
13 Men delivered the letters to all the regions of the kingdom. Haman's command said that on the 13th day of the 12th month (Adar) people should completely destroy and kill all the Jews. They should kill old people and young people, women and children. Then they should take all the Jews' valuable things for themselves. 14 Haman sent copies of his command to every region, so that it would be read aloud to the people. Everyone would know what the law said, and everyone would be ready on the right day.
15 King Xerxes told his men to take the letters quickly to all the people. They also read the law to the people in Susa city. Then Haman and the king sat down to drink wine together. But the people in the city were very upset.
Footnotes
- 3:2 We do not know why Mordecai refused to give honour to Haman. Perhaps it was because Haman's father was a descendant of Amalek, through Agag. The Israelites and the Amalekites had been enemies for a long time. See Exodus 17:16.
- 3:9 This was a very large amount of silver. Haman probably expected to take it from the Jews when he had killed them all.
- 3:10 Any law with the mark of the king's special ring on it had the king's authority. When the king gave his special ring to Haman, he was giving Haman his royal authority.
- 3:12 Haman used the king's authority to send the letters to destroy the Jews. But the king did not know that it was the Jews that Haman wanted to destroy. And he did not know that Queen Esther was a Jew.
Esther 3
Lexham English Bible
Haman is Promoted
3 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and he exalted him and set his position[a] above all the officials who were with him. 2 And all of the king’s servants who were at the gate of the king were kneeling and bowing down to Haman; for so the king had commanded concerning him, but Mordecai did not kneel and bow down. 3 And the king’s servants who were at the gate of the king said to Mordecai, “Why are you transgressing the command of the king?” 4 They spoke to him day after day, but he did not listen to them, and they informed Haman to see if Mordecai’s resolve would prevail;[b] for he had told them that he was a Jew. 5 And Haman saw that Mordecai was not kneeling and bowing down to him, and he was filled with anger. 6 But he considered it beneath him[c] to lay hands on Mordecai only, for they told him of Mordecai’s people, and Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were in the kingdom of Ahasuerus.
7 In the first month, that is, the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasurus, he cast pur—that is, the lot—before the presence of Haman for the day and for the month,[d] until[e] the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar. 8 And Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and separated among the peoples in all of the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from every other people, and they do not observe[f] the laws of the king; it is not appropriate for the king to tolerate them. 9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will pay[g] ten thousand talents[h] of silver to those who do the job, to bring to the treasury of the king.” 10 So the king removed his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you and to the people to do with it as you see fit.[i]
12 And the king’s secretaries were called in the first month on the thirteenth day, and a decree was issued, according to all that Haman commanded, to the satraps of the king and to the governors who were over all the provinces, and to the officials of all the people, to each province according to its own script and to all people according to their own language; it was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and was sealed with the king’s ring. 13 Letters were sent by couriers[j] to all the provinces of the king to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old,[k] women and children, on one day, the thirteenth day of the month, that is Adar, and to plunder their goods. 14 A copy of the edict was presented as law in every province making it known to all the people to be ready for that day. 15 The couriers went out quickly by order of the king, and the law was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink; and the city of Susa was bewildered.[l]
Footnotes
- Esther 3:1 Literally “his throne”
- Esther 3:4 Literally “the word’s of Mordecai would stand”
- Esther 3:6 Literally “he despised it in his eyes”
- Esther 3:7 Literally “from day to day and from month to month”
- Esther 3:7 The Septuagint adds, “and the lot fell on the thirteenth day of”
- Esther 3:8 Literally “do”
- Esther 3:9 Or “I will weigh”
- Esther 3:9 Hebrew “talent”
- Esther 3:11 Literally “as the good is in your eyes”
- Esther 3:13 Or “by runners”
- Esther 3:13 Literally “from young to old”
- Esther 3:15 Or “disturbed”
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