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18 But the Jews who were in Susa (A)assembled on the thirteenth and (B)the fourteenth [a]of the same month, and they rested on the fifteenth [b]day and made it a day of feasting and gladness. 19 Therefore the Jews of the rural areas, who live in (C)the rural towns, make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a [c](D)holiday for gladness and feasting and (E)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 [d]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 (F)turned around for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a [e]holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness and (G)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 (H)had cast Pur, that is the lot, to throw them into confusion and cause them to perish. 25 But (I)when it came before the king, he said by letter (J)that his evil scheme, which he had [f]devised against the Jews, (K)should return on his own head and that he and his sons should be hanged on the [g]gallows. 26 Therefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore, (L)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 (M)all those who joined themselves to them, so that [h](N)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, (O)daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to establish (P)this second letter about Purim. 30 And he sent letters to all the Jews, (Q)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 (R)their times of fasting and their crying out. 32 And the declaration of Esther established these words concerning (S)Purim, and it was written in the book.

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Footnotes

  1. Esther 9:18 Lit in it
  2. Esther 9:18 Lit in it
  3. Esther 9:19 Lit rejoicing and feasting and a good day and sending
  4. Esther 9:21 Lit in it
  5. Esther 9:22 Lit good day
  6. Esther 9:25 Lit schemed
  7. Esther 9:25 Lit tree, cf. Deut 21:22-23
  8. Esther 9:27 Lit to be celebrators

The Origins of the Feast of Purim

18 But the Jews who were in Susa assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth days, and rested on the fifteenth, making it a day for banqueting and happiness. 19 This is why the Jews who are in the rural country—those who live in rural villages—set aside the fourteenth day of the month of Adar for happiness, banqueting, a holiday, and sending gifts to one another.

20 Mordecai wrote these matters down and sent letters to all the Jews who were throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 to have them observe the fourteenth and the fifteenth days of the month of Adar each year 22 as the time when the Jews gave themselves rest from their enemies—the month when their trouble was turned to happiness and their mourning to a holiday. These were to be days of banqueting, happiness, sending gifts to one another, and providing for the poor.

23 So the Jews committed themselves to continuing what they had begun to do and to what Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised plans against the Jews to destroy them. He had cast pur (that is, the lot) in order to afflict and destroy them. 25 But when the matter came to the king’s attention, the king[a] gave written orders that Haman’s[b] evil intentions that he had devised against the Jews should fall on his own head. He and his sons were hanged on the gallows. 26 For this reason these days are known as Purim, after the name of pur. Therefore, because of the account found in this letter and what they had faced in this regard and what had happened to them, 27 the Jews established as binding on themselves, their descendants, and all who joined their company that they should observe these two days without fail, just as written and at the appropriate time on an annual basis. 28 These days were to be remembered and to be celebrated in every generation and in every family, every province, and every city. The Jews were not to fail to observe these days of Purim; the remembrance of them was not to cease among their descendants.

29 So Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew wrote with full authority to confirm this second[c] letter about Purim. 30 Letters were sent[d] to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the empire of Ahasuerus—words of true peace[e] 31 to establish these days of Purim in their proper times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established, and just as they had established both for themselves and their descendants, matters pertaining to fasting and lamentation. 32 Esther’s command established these matters of Purim, and the matter was officially recorded.[f]

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Footnotes

  1. Esther 9:25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  2. Esther 9:25 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Haman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  3. Esther 9:29 tc The LXX and the Syriac Peshitta omit the word “second.”
  4. Esther 9:30 tc The present translation is based on the Niphal form וַיִּשָׁלַח (vayyishalakh, “were sent”; so also NRSV, TEV, CEV, NLT) rather than the reading of the MT וַיִּשְׁלַח (vayyishlakh, Qal, “and he sent”). The subject of the MT verb would have to be Mordecai (cf. NAB, NIV, NCV), but this is problematic in light of v. 29, where both Esther and Mordecai are responsible for the letters.
  5. Esther 9:30 tn Heb “peace and truth.” The expression is probably a hendiadys (see the note on 5:10 for an explanation of this figure).
  6. Esther 9:32 tn Heb “written in the book” (so NASB); NIV, NLT “written down in the records”; NRSV “recorded in writing.”