Greek Esther 9:1-17

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

Victory of the Jews

9 Now on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is Adar, the letter written by the king arrived.^{(A) 2} On that same day the enemies of the Jews perished; no one resisted, because they feared them.^{(B) 3} The governors of the satrapies, the princes, and the royal secretaries were paying honor to the Jews, because fear of Mordecai weighed upon them.^{(C) 4} The king’s decree required that Mordecai’s name be held in honor throughout the kingdom.^{[a] 6} Now in the city of Susa the Jews killed five hundred men, ⁷ including Pharsannestain, Delphon, Phasga, ⁸ Pharadatha, Barea, Sarbacha, ⁹ Marmasima, Aruphaeus, Arsaeus, Zabutheus, ¹⁰ the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the Bougean, the enemy of the Jews—and they indulged themselves in plunder.^(D)

¹¹ That same day, the number of those killed in Susa was reported to the king. ¹² The king said to Esther, “In the city of Susa, the Jews have destroyed five hundred people. What do you suppose they have done in the surrounding countryside? Whatever more you ask will be done for you.”^{(E) 13} And Esther said to the king, “Let the Jews be allowed to do the same tomorrow. Also, hang up the bodies of Haman’s ten sons.”^{(F) 14} So he permitted this to be done and handed over to the Jews of the city the bodies of Haman’s sons to hang up.^{(G) 15} The Jews who were in Susa gathered on the fourteenth and killed three hundred men but took no plunder.^(H)

¹⁶ Now the other Jews in the kingdom gathered to defend themselves and got relief from their enemies. They destroyed fifteen thousand of them on the thirteenth of Adar but did not engage in plunder.^{(I) 17} On the fourteenth day of the same month they rested and kept it as a day of rest with joy and gladness.^(J)