Greek Esther 1-10

Common English Bible

Addition A

Mordecai’s dream

A In the second year of the rule of Artaxerxes the Great, on the first day of Nisan,^[a] Mordecai had a dream. He was Jair’s son, Shimei’s grandson, and Kish’s great-grandson, from the tribe of Benjamin. ² He was a Jew living in the city of Susa, an important man serving in the royal court. ³ He was one of the prisoners of war whom King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had brought from Jerusalem along with Judea’s King Jeconiah.

⁴ This was his dream:

Look! Noise and confusion, thunder and earthquake, and chaos on the earth.

⁵ Look! Two mighty dragons came forward, both ready to fight, and they roared loudly. ⁶ At their roar every nation got ready for battle, to make war on the righteous nation.

⁷ Look! A day of darkness and gloom, misery and suffering, distress and chaos on the earth. ⁸ The entire righteous nation was thrown into a state of panic, dreading the evil that was coming against them.^[b] They expected to die. ⁹ So they cried out to God. Their cry was small at first, like a little spring, but soon it became loud as a mighty river, an abundance of water. ¹⁰ Then the sun with its light shone, the lowly were raised up high, and it devoured those who were held in honor. ¹¹ Then Mordecai, who had this dream and saw what God had planned to do, woke up and kept it secret. He wished to examine it in every detail before nightfall.

¹² Mordecai was relaxing in the courtyard with Gabatha and Tharra, two castrated men,^[c] attendants of King Artaxerxes who were guarding the courtyard. ¹³ He overheard their plans and investigated their intentions. He learned that they were preparing to attack King Artaxerxes, so he informed the king about them. ¹⁴ The king questioned the two eunuchs. Once they had confessed, they were taken away^[d] to be executed. ¹⁵ The king wrote these matters down so they would be remembered, and Mordecai also wrote about them. ¹⁶ The king appointed Mordecai to serve in the court and gave him gifts for his service. ¹⁷ But Haman, Hammedatha’s son, a Bougaean who was greatly respected by the king, sought to injure Mordecai and his people for the sake of the king’s two eunuchs.

Queen Vashti

1 After these events, this is what happened back during the rule of Artaxerxes, the very one who ruled as far as India, one hundred twenty-seven provinces in all. ² At that time, Artaxerxes ruled the kingdom from his royal throne in the city of Susa. ³ In the third year of his rule he hosted a feast for all his officials and those from other nations. The leaders of Persia and Media attended, along with his provincial dignitaries and officials. ⁴ He showed off the awesome riches and beautiful treasures of his kingdom as a reflection of how great he was. The event lasted a long time—six whole months, to be exact! ⁵ When the days of the wedding feast were over, the king held a six-day wine festival for everyone who remained in the city. They all met in the walled garden of the royal palace. ⁶ White linen and cotton curtains hung from shining white and red-purple ropes tied to gold and silver rings and marble posts. Gold and silver couches sat on a mosaic floor made of emerald, marble, and mother-of-pearl. ⁷ The cups were made of gold and silver. There was a miniature cup made of ruby, worth 1,710,000 pounds of silver.^[e] The king made sure there was plenty of the best wine, which he himself also drank. ⁸ The wine festival had no established rules, so the king ordered everyone serving wine in the palace to offer as much as each guest wanted. ⁹ At the same time, Queen Vashti also held a wine festival of her own for women in King Artaxerxes’ palace.

¹⁰ On the seventh day, when wine had put the king in high spirits, the king gave an order to Mehuman, Biztha, Harbonah, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkass,^[f] the seven eunuchs who served King Artaxerxes personally. ¹¹ They were to bring Queen Vashti before him so that he could introduce her as queen and place the royal crown upon her head. She was gorgeous, and he wanted to show off her beauty to his important guests and to the general public. ¹² But Queen Vashti refused to come with the eunuchs. The king was furious, boiling with anger. ¹³ So he said to his political advisors, “This is what Vashti has said, so give your ruling and make a decision on this situation.” ¹⁴ So Arkesaeus, Sarsathaeus, and Malesear, the rulers of the Persians and Medes who were closest to the king and his chief advisors, came to him. ¹⁵ They told him what was appropriate, according to the law, since the queen had disobeyed the king’s order.

¹⁶ Then Memucan^[g] spoke up in front of the king and the officials. “Queen Vashti,” he said, “has done something wrong not merely to the king himself. She has also done wrong to all the officials and the governors of the king.” ¹⁷ (The king had reported to them the queen’s words and how she defied the king.) “Just as she defied King Artaxerxes, ¹⁸ after today the important women of Persia and Media who hear about the queen’s actions will dare to dishonor their own husbands. ¹⁹ Now, if the king likes this suggestion, he might send out a royal order and have it written into the laws of Persia and Media. It shouldn’t be applied differently for anyone. It should say that the queen should never again be allowed to come before the king. It should also say that King Artaxerxes will give Vashti’s royal place to someone better than she. ²⁰ When the king’s order becomes public through the whole empire, however he decides to put it, all women will treat their husbands properly, whether from an important family or not.”

²¹ The king liked the plan, as did the governors, and he did just what Memucan^[h] said. ²² He sent written orders throughout the kingdom. Each country received the orders written in its own language. Fear and respect were established in every home.

Finding a new queen

2 Sometime later when King Artaxerxes was less angry, he no longer remembered Vashti, what she had done, or what he had decided about her. ² His servants said, “Perhaps the king could have a search made for beautiful young women who haven’t yet had sex with a man. ³ Perhaps the king could choose certain people in all the royal provinces to lead the search. They could bring all the beautiful young women together to the city of Susa, to the women’s house, under the care of the king’s eunuch in charge of the women, and supply them with bath oils and anything else they might need. ⁴ Perhaps the young woman who pleases you the most could take Vashti’s place as queen.” The king liked the plan and put it in place.

⁵ Now there was a Jew in Susa whose name was Mordecai, Jair’s son. He came from the family line of Shimei and Kish; he was a Benjaminite. ⁶ He had been taken into exile away from Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. ⁷ Mordecai had a foster child named Esther, a daughter of his uncle Aminadab. When her parents died, Mordecai had taken her and raised her to become his wife. The girl was lovely to look at. ⁸ When the king’s order and his new law became public, many young women were gathered into the city of Susa under the care of Hegai.^[i] Esther was also taken to Hegai, the one in charge of the women. ⁹ The young woman pleased him and won his kindness. He eagerly began her beauty treatments and gave her carefully chosen foods. He also gave her seven female servants selected from among the palace servants and provided well for her and her female servants in the women’s house. ¹⁰ Esther hadn’t told anyone her race or family background because Mordecai had ordered her not to. ¹¹ Each day Mordecai walked back and forth along the wall in front of the women’s house to learn how Esther was doing.

¹² According to the rules for women, there were twelve months of preparation before the time arrived for each young woman to see the king. She had six months of rubbing treatment with oil from myrrh and six months with fragrant oils and cosmetics. ¹³ So this is how the young woman would go to the king: They gave her anything that she asked to take with her from the women’s house to the palace. ¹⁴ In the evening she would go in, and the next morning she would return to the second women’s house under the care of Shaashgaz.^[j] He was the king’s eunuch in charge of the secondary wives. She would never go to the king again unless she was called by name. ¹⁵ The time came for Esther daughter of Aminadab, Mordecai’s uncle, to go to the king. She didn’t refuse anything that Hegai, the king’s eunuch in charge of the women, told her to take along. Esther kept winning the favor of everyone who saw her.

¹⁶ Esther went in to see King Artaxerxes in the twelfth month, the month of Adar,^[k] in the seventh year of his rule. ¹⁷ The king fell in love with Esther, and she gained more favor than all the other young women. He placed the royal crown on her head. ¹⁸ The king sponsored a wine festival for all his political advisors and important officials for seven days. He celebrated Esther’s wedding ceremony and canceled debts for many under his rule.

Mordecai saves the king

¹⁹ Meanwhile, Mordecai was working for the king in the court. ²⁰ Esther still wasn’t telling anyone her family background and race. As Mordecai had ordered her, she continued to worship God and obey God’s commands just as when she was in his care. Esther didn’t change the way she lived. ²¹ But two eunuchs, the king’s two main bodyguards, became very upset because Mordecai was promoted. They secretly planned to kill King Artaxerxes. ²² When Mordecai got wind of it, he reported it to Esther, who spoke to the king about the plan. ²³ The king questioned the two men and hanged them. Then the king ordered a record of the event to be placed in the royal archive to remember Mordecai’s loyalty.

Haman plans to destroy Mordecai

3 Sometime later, King Artaxerxes honored Haman, Hammedatha’s son, a Bougaean, by promoting him above all other political advisors. ² Everyone at the court would kneel and bow down to Haman because the king had so ordered. But Mordecai didn’t kneel or bow down. ³ So the people at the king’s court said to him, “Mordecai, why don’t you obey the king’s command?” ⁴ Day after day they tried to speak to him, but he didn’t listen to them. So they let Haman know that Mordecai was disregarding the king’s order. Earlier Mordecai had explained to them that he was a Jew. ⁵ When Haman himself became aware that Mordecai didn’t kneel or bow down to him, he became very angry. ⁶ So he planned to wipe out all the Jews throughout the whole kingdom of Artaxerxes. ⁷ He made a decision in the twelfth year of Artaxerxes’ rule, and he threw lots to determine the day and month on which Mordecai’s people would be destroyed in a single day. The lot fell on the fourteenth^[l] day of the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar.^[m]

⁸ Then Haman said to King Artaxerxes, “A certain group of people exist in pockets among the other peoples throughout your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of everyone else, and they refuse to obey the king’s laws. It is against the king’s interests to put up with them any longer. ⁹ If the king wishes, perhaps a written order could be sent out that they should be destroyed, and I will contribute ten thousand big sacks^[n] of silver to the king’s treasury.”

¹⁰ The king removed his royal ring from his finger and handed it to Haman to put a seal on the orders he would write against the Jews. ¹¹ The king said to Haman, “Keep the silver. Do as you wish to the people.”

¹² So in the first month, on the thirteenth day, royal scribes were summoned to write down everything that Haman ordered in the name of King Artaxerxes. The orders were sent out to the governors and rulers in charge of each province, from India to Ethiopia, to one hundred twenty-seven regions in their own language. ¹³ Fast runners carried the order throughout Artaxerxes’ kingdom. The order commanded people to wipe out all the Jews on a single day of the twelfth month, the month called Adar, and to seize their property.

Addition B

Artaxerxes’ decree

B The following is a copy of the letter:

The Great King Artaxerxes writes as follows to the governors of the one hundred twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia, and to the district governors subject to them:

² I rule over many nations and have conquered the whole world. Nevertheless, I am not carelessly driven by power; rather, I have always conducted my affairs with moderation and gentleness. I am committed to providing a calm and stable environment for my subjects, and to restore the peace that all people desire. In this way, the kingdom will be at peace and safe for travel throughout its borders.

³ I have, therefore, asked my advisors how this might be accomplished. Haman stands out among us for his moderation. He has demonstrated goodwill and firm loyalty in equal measure, and has attained the second-highest honor in the kingdom. ⁴ He pointed out to us that there is a certain hostile group scattered among all the peoples of the world. These people are at odds with every nation because of their peculiar laws. They constantly ignore the king’s decrees, so that the government, although well managed by us, is never secure. ⁵ We see that this nation stands alone in its constant hostility toward everyone. They follow a strange manner of life because of their law code, and they don’t think well of our actions. They carry out the worst evils so that the kingdom is not at peace.

⁶ We have therefore commanded that this people—pointed out to you in the letters written by Haman, who has been appointed over the government and is like a second father to us—should be destroyed one and all by the swords of their enemies, without pity or restraint. Their wives and children should also be destroyed, all on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar,^[o] in the current year. ⁷ In this way, these people who have always been hostile to us, and remain so, will all go straight to the grave in a single day. Then our affairs will be stable and peaceful.

¹⁴ Copies of the order were posted in each region, and the people were to be ready for this day. ¹⁵ The matter proceeded quickly and became public in the city of Susa almost immediately. While the king and Haman got drunk together, the city of Susa was full of unrest.

A crisis for the Jews

4 When Mordecai learned what was going on, he tore his clothes, dressed in mourning clothes, and put ashes on his head. Then he went out into the heart of the city and cried out loudly, “An innocent nation is being destroyed.” ² He went only as far as the king’s gate and stood there because it was against the law for anyone to pass through it wearing mourning clothes and ashes. ³ In every region wherever the orders were posted, the Jews gave themselves over to crying and wailing out loud. They clothed themselves in mourning clothes and ashes. ⁴ When Esther’s female servants and eunuchs came and told her, the queen was noticeably shaken after hearing the news. She sent someone to clothe Mordecai in regular clothes instead of mourning clothes, but he couldn’t be persuaded.

⁵ Esther then sent for Hathach^[p] the royal eunuch who served her. She sent him to discover from Mordecai what was going on.^{[q] 7} Mordecai told him everything that had happened, how Haman had promised to contribute ten thousand sacks^[r] of silver to the royal treasury in exchange for the destruction of the Jews. ⁸ He also gave Hathach a copy of the king’s order made public in Susa concerning the Jews’ destruction so that Hathach could show it to Esther. Through him, Mordecai ordered her to go to the king to beg his help for her people: “Remember your more humble days when I raised you. Haman, a leader second to the king, has spoken against us to put us to death. Call on the Lord now and speak to the king about us. Deliver us from death!”

⁹ Hathach came back and told Esther what Mordecai had said. ¹⁰ In reply Esther ordered Hathach to tell Mordecai: ¹¹ “All the nations of the empire know that there is no deliverance for the man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without an invitation. Only the person to whom the king holds out the gold scepter will be safe. In my case, I haven’t been called to come to the king for the past thirty days.”

¹² When Hathach told Esther’s words to Mordecai, ¹³ he responded, “Go and tell Esther, ‘Don’t think for one minute that, unlike all the other Jews, you alone will be safe. ¹⁴ If you don’t speak up at this very important time, relief and protection will appear for the Jews from another place, but you and your family will die. Who knows? Maybe it was for a moment like this that you were made queen.’”

¹⁵ Esther sent back word to Mordecai: ¹⁶ “Go, gather all the Jews who are in Susa and tell them to fast from eating for my sake. They aren’t to eat or drink anything for three whole days, and I myself will do the same, along with my female servants. Then, even though it’s against the law, I will go to the king, even if it means my death.” ¹⁷ So Mordecai left and did exactly what Esther had ordered him.

Addition C

Mordecai and Esther pray for deliverance

C Then, calling to mind all the works of the Lord, Mordecai pleaded with the Lord, ² saying, “Lord, Lord, you are the king who rules over all things. The universe is in your power, and there is no one to stop you when you have resolved to save Israel. ³ You made the heavens and the earth, and everything that is wonderful under heaven. ⁴ You are Lord of all, and there is no one who will oppose you, Lord.

⁵ “You know all things. You know, Lord, that it wasn’t out of disrespect, pride, or self-importance that I didn’t bow down before proud Haman. ⁶ To save Israel, I would have been glad to kiss the soles of his feet. ⁷ Rather, I did this to avoid setting the honor of any human being above God’s honor. I won’t bow down before anyone except you, my Lord. Nor will I do these things out of pride.

⁸ “Now, Lord God, King, God of Abraham, spare your people, because the enemy seeks our ruin. They desire to destroy what has been your possession from the beginning. ⁹ Don’t neglect your people, whom you delivered out of Egypt. ¹⁰ Listen to my appeal, and have mercy on the people who are your lot. Turn our mourning into feasting, that we might live and sing praises to your name, Lord. Don’t silence the voice of those who praise you.”

¹¹ And all Israel cried out with all their might, for death was staring right at them.

¹² Queen Esther, overcome by this contest with death, turned to the Lord for protection. ¹³ She took off her royal garments and put on mourning clothes. Instead of the finest spices, she smeared her head and body with ashes and dung, and humbled herself. Each place she had once joyfully beautified, she now covered with her tangled hair.

¹⁴ Then she begged the Lord God of Israel: “My Lord, you alone are our king. Help me! I have no one to help me but you, ¹⁵ and I am in great danger now. ¹⁶ From my birth, Lord, I have heard how you chose Israel from among the rest of the nations, and our fathers from their ancestors, to be an everlasting inheritance. I have heard how you did for them all that you had promised. ¹⁷ But now we have sinned before you, and you have delivered us into the power of our enemies ¹⁸ because we worshipped their gods. You are just, Lord. ¹⁹ Yet the enemies weren’t satisfied with our bitter slavery, so they shook hands with their idols in partnership. ²⁰ They plan to set aside the promises you made, to rob you of your inheritance, to silence those who praise you, and to stamp out the honor of your temple and your altar. ²¹ They want to open the mouths of the nations to praise the wonderful deeds of useless idols^[s] so that a human king might be honored forever.

²² “Don’t surrender your scepter, Lord, to things that don’t exist. Don’t let them mock our downfall. Instead, turn their scheme against them and make an example of the one who started this against us. ²³ Remember us, Lord, and reveal yourself in the time of our distress. Give me courage, king of the gods and ruler of every authority. ²⁴ When I speak, let my words be persuasive before the lion, and turn the king’s heart to hatred toward the one who is fighting against us, to bring his life to an end along with those who agree with him. ²⁵ Deliver us by your actions, and help me, I who am alone and have no one except you, Lord.

“You know all things. ²⁶ You know that I hate the honor of those who don’t follow your Law. I detest sharing the bed of this uncircumcised king or indeed of any foreigner. ²⁷ You know my trouble: I hate the crown^[t] that is on my head when I appear in public. I despise it as I would a menstrual rag, and I don’t wear it when I am in private. ²⁸ I, your servant, didn’t dine at Haman’s table. Nor did I honor the king’s banquet or drink wine that had been offered to the gods. ²⁹ From the day of my crowning until now, your servant hasn’t had any joy except in you, Lord, God of Abraham. ³⁰ All-powerful God, listen to the voice of those who despair, and deliver us from the hands of those who do wrong, and deliver me from my fear!”

Addition D

Esther appears before the king

D On the third day, when she had finished praying, she removed her mourning clothes and put on her royal robes. ² Calling on the all-seeing God and savior, she appeared in full view of the court. She took along with her two female servants, ³ delicately leaning on the one, ⁴ while the other followed behind, carrying her train.

⁵ She was blushing in the full bloom of her beauty, and her face was delightfully cheerful, but her heart was tense with fear.

⁶ When she had passed through all the doors, she stood in the presence of the king. He was seated on his royal throne, clothed in all his majesty—all in gold and precious stones—and was terrifying. ⁷ He lifted his face, which blazed gloriously, about to explode in anger, and looked at her. The queen collapsed. Her color turned pale, and she fell face forward onto the female servant who was walking ahead of her.

⁸ Then God changed the king’s spirit to tenderness. He leaped anxiously from his throne, and took her up in his arms until she was calm. He tried to comfort her with reassuring words, ⁹ saying to her: “What is it, Esther? I’m your brother.^[u] Take heart! ¹⁰ You won’t die, for the order only holds for ordinary people. ¹¹ Come with me!” ¹² He then lifted his gold scepter and placed it on her neck. He embraced her and said: “Speak to me.”

¹³ She said to him, “I saw you, Master, as if you were one of God’s angels, and my heart was struck with terror at the sight of your glory. ¹⁴ You inspire awe, Master, and your face is full of divine grace.”^{[v] 15} But while she was speaking, she collapsed again. The king was distressed, and all his servants tried to comfort her.

Esther acts

^3 [w] Then the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What do you want? I’ll give you anything—even half the kingdom.”

⁴ Esther answered, “Today is a special day for me. If the king wishes, please come today with Haman for a special dinner that I will prepare.”

⁵ “Hurry, get Haman,” the king ordered, “so we can do what Esther says.” So the king and Haman came to the dinner that Esther spoke about. ⁶ As they sipped wine, the king asked, “Now, what is it you wish, Queen Esther? I’ll give it to you, if you just ask.”

⁷ Esther answered, “This is my wish and this is what I want: ⁸ If I have pleased the king, I’d like the king and Haman to come tomorrow to another special dinner that I will prepare for them. Tomorrow I will prepare the same things.”

Haman boasts, complains, and acts

⁹ That day Haman left the king’s court happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, Haman became very angry. ¹⁰ Haman went on home and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh. ¹¹ Haman told them about his wealth and the great honor the king had given him by promoting him to the highest office in the kingdom. ¹² Haman said, “Queen Esther has invited no one else but me to join the king for dinner, and I’m supposed to go tomorrow! ¹³ But none of this gives me any pleasure as long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

¹⁴ So his wife Zeresh and all his friends told him, “Order preparation of a pole that is seventy-five feet high. In the morning, speak with the king about having Mordecai impaled on it. Then you can go with the king to the feast in a happy mood.” Haman liked the idea and had the pole prepared.

Honor for Mordecai

6 That same night, the king simply couldn’t sleep. He told his secretary to bring the official records and to read them to him. ² He came across the report about Mordecai, how he had informed the king about the two royal eunuchs who were planning to assault the king while on guard duty. ³ “What did we do to honor or show favor to Mordecai for this?” the king asked.

His servants replied, “You have done nothing for him.”

⁴ While the king was asking about the goodwill that Mordecai had displayed, Haman showed up in the courtyard. The king asked, “Who is that out in the courtyard?” Haman had come to speak with the king about impaling Mordecai on the pole that he had set up for him.

⁵ The king’s servants answered, “That’s Haman standing out in the courtyard.”

So the king said, “Call him in.”

⁶ The king asked Haman, “What should I do for a person whom I really want to honor?”

Haman thought to himself, Whom would the king really want to honor, except me? ⁷ So Haman said to the king, “Regarding the person whom the king really wants to honor, ⁸ have your servants bring out a fine linen robe that the king himself has worn and a horse on which the king himself has ridden. ⁹ Have one of your most honored officials place the robe upon the person whom the king so loves, and let him help that person mount the horse. Have him shout through the city streets, ‘This is what the king does for the person the king honors!’”

¹⁰ Then the king said to Haman, “Do all that you said for Mordecai the Jew who serves at the king’s gate. Don’t leave out a single thing that you’ve said!”

¹¹ So Haman took the robe and the horse and put the robe on Mordecai. He led him on horseback through the city square, shouting, “This is what the king does for the person the king really wants to honor!” ¹² Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate, while Haman hurried home, feeling great shame, his head covered. ¹³ Haman told his wife Zeresh and his friends about everything that had happened to him.

Both his friends^[x] and his wife said to him, “You’ve begun to lose face to Mordecai. If Mordecai belongs to the Judean people, and you’ve been humiliated before him, you will indeed fall. You will never be able to hold your own against him, because the living God is with him.”

Haman’s demise

¹⁴ They were still discussing this with him when several royal eunuchs arrived. They quickly hurried Haman off to the feast that Esther had prepared.

7 The king and Haman came in for the banquet with the queen. ² On the second day of the party the king said to Esther, “What’s the reason for all this? What’s your purpose and your request? What do you want? I’ll do it for you, even to the point of giving you half the kingdom.”

³ Esther answered, “If I please the king, grant my request that my life be spared—and my petition that the lives of my people be spared as well. That’s my desire, ⁴ because my people and I have been sold out to be killed, plundered, and enslaved—we and our children, to become slaves and female servants. The man who accuses us is not worthy to be in the king’s court!”

⁵ The king said, “Who is this person who dares to do such a thing?”

⁶ Esther replied, “The enemy is this wicked Haman!”

Haman was overcome with terror in the presence of the king and the queen. ⁷ The king got up and left the banquet for the palace garden, and Haman began to plead with Queen Esther, because he found himself in dire straits.

⁸ When the king returned from the palace garden, Haman had thrown himself upon the couch, pleading with the queen. The king said, “Will you even molest the queen in my own house?” Upon hearing this, Haman turned his face away in shame.

⁹ Bugathan, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, “Look, sir! Haman even prepared a pole for Mordecai, the man who gave information about the king. It’s standing at Haman’s house—seventy-five feet high.”

“Crucify Haman on it!” the king ordered. ¹⁰ So they hanged Haman on the pole that he had set up for Mordecai, and the king’s anger went away.

Esther acts again

8 That same day King Artaxerxes gave Queen Esther everything that had belonged to Haman the accuser. Mordecai was summoned before the king because Esther told the king that he was family to her. ² The king took the royal ring that he had removed from Haman and gave it to Mordecai. Esther put Mordecai in charge of what Haman had owned.

³ Esther spoke further to the king. She bowed at his feet and asked him to overturn the evil plot of Haman and whatever evils he planned to do to the Jews. ⁴ The king held out the gold scepter to Esther, and she got up and stood before him. ⁵ Esther said, “If the idea seems right to the king, and if I still please him, revoke the written decrees sent out by Haman, ordering the destruction of the Jews living within your kingdom. ⁶ How can I bear to watch the terrible evil about to sweep over my people? And how can I be delivered from the destruction of my people?”

Mordecai writes a new law

⁷ The king said to Esther, “I’ve given you everything Haman owned: I’ve favored you and impaled him on a pole because he planned to attack the Jews. ⁸ Write to the Jews in the king’s name whatever seems best to you and seal the letters with my royal ring. Anything written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s royal ring can’t be revoked.”

⁹ So the royal scribes were summoned on the twenty-third day of the first month (that is, the month of Nisan^[y]). They wrote out Mordecai’s orders regarding the Jews for the officials and governors of the provinces from India to Cush, one hundred twenty-seven in all. They wrote in the alphabet of each province and in the language of each people. ¹⁰ They wrote in the name of the king and sealed the order with the king’s royal ring. They sent the letters out by messengers on horseback. ¹¹ Mordecai ordered the Jews to live according to their own laws and to defend themselves. He allowed them to do as they wished to their attackers and opponents ¹² throughout Artaxerxes’ entire kingdom, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar^[z]).

Addition E

Artaxerxes’ second decree

E Written below is a copy of the letter:

The Great King Artaxerxes writes to the governors in the one hundred twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia, and to those who are loyal to us. Greetings!

² Many people who are greatly honored, owing to the immense generosity of their benefactors, become overly ambitious. ³ Not only do they seek to harm our subjects, but they even attempt to scheme against their own benefactors since they are unable to manage their pride. ⁴ Not only do they fail to exhibit gratitude among people, but encouraged by the boasts of people who know nothing of goodness, they even suppose they will escape the judgment of the God who sees all. ⁵ Often, many people in positions of authority become accessories to the shedding of innocent blood because of the influence of friends they trusted to manage their affairs. They suffer terrible misfortunes ⁶ as a result of the cruel lies of those who take advantage of the innocent goodwill of rulers.

⁷ Now this can be seen, not so much from older accounts that we have inherited but from what is right before your eyes.^[aa] Consider the ungodly things that have been done as a result of the corruption of those not worthy to hold power. ⁸ But looking to the future, we will make the kingdom peaceful and secure for all people, ⁹ adopting changes and settling those matters that come to our attention with a fair reply.

¹⁰ As for Haman, Hammedatha’s son, a Macedonian, he was not Persian, and was far removed from us in kindness. Yet we warmly welcomed him. ¹¹ He gained the goodwill that we have for every nation to such an extent that he was publicly proclaimed our father. All worshipped him as the person second only to the royal throne. ¹² But when he could no longer hold his pride in check, he made it his business to rob us of our leadership and our life. ¹³ With lies and tricks he called for the destruction of Mordecai, our savior and constant benefactor, and Esther, our innocent partner in the kingdom, together with their whole nation. ¹⁴ He thought that, by these methods, he could render us helpless and turn the Persian Empire over to the Macedonians.

¹⁵ But we find that the Jews, whom this accursed man wanted to destroy, are not criminals but are governed by just laws. ¹⁶ They are children of the most high, most great, living God, who has guided the kingdom on the best course for us and for our ancestors.

¹⁷ You would do well, therefore, not to act on the letters sent by Haman, Hammedatha’s son. ¹⁸ Haman, who devised these things, has been impaled at the gates of Susa together with his entire household. The God who holds power over all things swiftly passed this fair judgment on him. ¹⁹ And you should publish a copy of this letter in every place for all to see, to allow the Jews to live by their own customs, ²⁰ and to assist them so that they can defend themselves against their attackers in the time of distress, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar.^{[ab] 21} God, who rules over all things, has made this a joyous day for his chosen line rather than one of destruction. ²² As for you, celebrate it with feasting ²³ as a special holiday among your festivals so that it will be for us, and for all Persians of goodwill, a memorial of deliverance, both now and in the future. But for those who plot against us, it will be a memorial of destruction. ²⁴ Any city or region, without exception, that does not act accordingly will be completely destroyed by fire and spear. This city will be made uninhabitable not only to humans but also to wild animals and birds for all time.

¹³ Let copies of this decree be displayed publicly throughout the kingdom so that all the Jews may be ready on this day to do battle with their enemies. ¹⁴ Messengers on horses sped off to do as the king said, and the law was made public in the city of Susa.

¹⁵ Mordecai went out dressed in a royal robe, wearing a gold crown and a turban made of purple linen. The people of Susa rejoiced to see him, ¹⁶ and light and gladness came to the Jews. ¹⁷ In every city and region—wherever the king’s order was posted and the decree proclaimed—the Jews had happiness and joy, feasts and a holiday. Many of the Gentiles had themselves circumcised and became Jews themselves, out of fear of the Jews.

The fateful day

9 On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar^[ac]), the letters written by the king were to be enforced. ² On that day, the Jews’ enemies perished. Out of fear for the Jews, no one stood in their way. ³ All the leaders of the provinces, the governors, and those in charge of the king’s business respected the Jews. They were afraid of Mordecai, ⁴ because the king decreed that Mordecai’s name was to be honored throughout the kingdom.^{[ad] 6} In the city of Susa, the Jews killed five hundred people. ⁷ They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, ⁸ Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, ⁹ Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha, ¹⁰ and they plundered their houses. These were the ten sons of Haman the enemy of the Jews, the son of Hammedatha, a Bougaean.

¹¹ That same day, a report concerning the number killed in Susa reached the king that it was five hundred people. ¹² So the king said to Esther in the city of Susa, “The Jews have killed five hundred people in Susa as well as the ten sons of Haman. What have they done in the rest of the royal provinces? What more do you wish now? I’ll give it to you.”

¹³ Esther said to the king, “Give the Jews leave to do likewise tomorrow so that they may hang Haman’s ten sons.” ¹⁴ The king ordered that this be done, and he allowed the Jews in the city to hang the bodies of Haman’s ten sons.

¹⁵ The Jews in Susa joined together again on the fourteenth day of Adar.^[ae] They killed three hundred people, but they didn’t take anything the people owned. ¹⁶ The rest of the Jews throughout the kingdom also came together and helped each other. They found rest from their enemies, for they had destroyed fifteen thousand of them on the thirteenth of Adar, and they didn’t take anything their enemies owned. ¹⁷ They rested on the fourteenth day of the same month. They spent it as a day of rest, with joy and celebration. ¹⁸ The Jews in Susa joined together for self-defense on the fourteenth day and did not rest. But they rested on the fifteenth day with joy and celebration. ¹⁹ This is why Jews out in the country celebrate the fourteenth of Adar as a holiday, sending gifts of food to their neighbors, but those who live in the big cities celebrate the fifteenth of Adar as a holiday, sending gifts of food to their neighbors.

The new holiday of Purim

²⁰ Mordecai wrote these things down in a scroll and sent copies to the Jews throughout Artaxerxes’ kingdom, both near and far away. ²¹ He made it a rule that Jews keep the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar^[af] as special days each and every year. ²² They are the days on which the Jews found rest from their enemies. The whole of Adar, the month in which sadness was turned into joy and mournful weeping into a holiday, was to be celebrated as a special time for weddings, for parties, and for sending gifts of food to friends and to the poor.

²³ The Jews accepted what Mordecai had written to them— ²⁴ how Haman, Hammedatha’s son, the Macedonian, declared war on the Jews, how he made an edict and cast lots to destroy them, ²⁵ and how he went to the king to have Mordecai impaled. But whatever evils Haman tried to bring upon the Jews turned back on him instead, and he and his sons ended up impaled. ²⁶ This is why people call these days Purim—on account of the lots, which are called purim in the Hebrew language. Mordecai established the festival on the basis of the contents of this letter, on the basis of what the Jews suffered because of all these events, and on the basis of how it all turned out for them. ²⁷ The Jews took it upon themselves, their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, as well as all non-Jews who become Jews, to celebrate these two days^[ag] and never do otherwise. These days are a commemoration to be observed generation after generation in every city, land, and region. ²⁸ These days of Purim will be observed for all time, and the events they commemorate will never be forgotten.

²⁹ Queen Esther, Aminadab’s daughter, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote about all they had done and confirmed the letter about Purim.^{[ah] 31} Mordecai and Queen Esther established this ruling by their own authority, at the same time that they secured their own well-being and plan.^{[ai] 32} Esther’s order made this decree binding for all time, and it was written down for posterity.

The fame of Artaxerxes and Mordecai

10 The king instituted a toll on all the land and sea routes of his kingdom.^{[aj] 2} His strength and courage, wealth and fame, are all recorded for posterity in the official records of the Persian and Median kings.

³ Mordecai was second only to King Artaxerxes, and he was a great man in the kingdom. He was held in honor by all the Jews and loved by his whole nation for his conduct.

Addition F

Mordecai interprets his dream

F Mordecai said, “These things came from God. ² I remember the dream that I had about these things. Not one aspect of it failed to come true. ³ There was the little spring that became a great river, and there were light and the sun and an abundance of water. The river is Esther, whom the king married and made queen. ⁴ The two dragons are Haman and myself. ⁵ The nations are those who gathered to wipe out the very name of the Jews.

⁶ “As for my nation Israel, it cried out to God and was saved. The Lord saved his people, and the Lord delivered us from all these evils. God has done signs and great wonders that have not happened among the nations. ⁷ For this reason God made two lots, one to represent God’s people and one to represent the nations. ⁸ These two lots came before God for the hour and season and day of decision in the presence of all the nations. ⁹ God remembered his people and affirmed the just cause of his inheritance.

¹⁰ “The fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar^[ak] will be observed among God’s people Israel with a gathering, with joy and feasting in the presence of God, from generation to generation forever.”

¹¹ In the fourth year of the rule of Ptolemy and Cleopatra, Dositheus, who affirmed that he was a priest and Levite, and his son Ptolemy brought the preceding letter concerning Purim. They verified its genuineness. Lysimachus, Ptolemy’s son, a resident of Jerusalem, translated the letter.