^51 (A)“Does our law judge a man without first ^(B)giving him a hearing and learning what he does?”

¹⁴ then you shall inquire and make search and ask ^(A)diligently. And behold, if it be true and certain that such an abomination has been done among you,

⁵ And she said, “If it please the king, ^(A)and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke ^(B)the letters devised by Haman ^(C)the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king. ⁶ For how can I bear ^(D)to see the calamity that is coming to my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?” ⁷ Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, ^(E)I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows,^[a] because he intended to lay hands on the Jews. ⁸ But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, ^(F)and seal it with the king's ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's ring ^(G)cannot be revoked.”

^9 (H)The king's scribes were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day. And an edict was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded concerning the Jews, to ^(I)the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces ^(J)from India to Ethiopia, ^(K)127 provinces, ^(L)to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, and also to the Jews in their script and their language. ^10 (M)And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus ^(N)and sealed it with the king's signet ring. Then he sent the letters by mounted couriers riding on ^(O)swift horses that were used in the king's service, bred from the royal stud, ¹¹ saying that the king allowed the Jews who were in every city ^(P)to gather and defend their lives, ^(Q)to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, ^(R)and to plunder their goods, ^12 (S)on one day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. ^13 (T)A copy of what was written was to be issued as a decree in every province, being publicly displayed to all peoples, and the Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies. ¹⁴ So the couriers, mounted on their ^(U)swift horses that were used in the king's service, rode out hurriedly, urged by the king's command. And the decree was issued in Susa the citadel.

¹⁵ Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king ^(V)in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown^[b] and ^(W)a robe of fine linen and purple, ^(X)and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. ¹⁶ The Jews had ^(Y)light and gladness and joy and honor. ¹⁷ And in every province and in every city, wherever the king's command and his edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jews, a feast and ^(Z)a holiday. ^(AA)And many from the peoples of the country declared themselves Jews, ^(AB)for fear of the Jews had fallen on them.

^10 (A)So the king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman ^(B)the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, ^(C)the enemy of the Jews. ¹¹ And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you.”

^12 (D)Then the king's scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and an edict, according to all that Haman commanded, was written to the king's ^(E)satraps and to the governors over all the provinces and to the officials of all the peoples, ^(F)to every province in its own script and every people in its own language. It was written ^(G)in the name of King Ahasuerus ^(H)and sealed with the king's signet ring. ¹³ Letters were sent ^(I)by couriers to all the king's provinces with instruction ^(J)to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, ^(K)in one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, ^(L)and to plunder their goods. ^14 (M)A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province by proclamation to all the peoples to be ready for that day. ^15 (N)The couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, ^(O)but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.

²⁴ And ^(A)Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king. He had neither taken care of his feet nor trimmed his beard nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came back in safety. ²⁵ And when he came to Jerusalem to meet the king, the king said to him, ^(B)“Why did you not go with me, Mephibosheth?” ²⁶ He answered, “My lord, O king, my servant deceived me, for your servant said to him, ‘I will saddle a donkey for myself,^[a] that I may ride on it and go with the king.’ For ^(C)your servant is lame. ^27 (D)He has slandered your servant to my lord the king. But my lord the king is ^(E)like the angel of God; do therefore what seems good to you. ²⁸ For all my father's house were but men doomed to death before my lord the king, but ^(F)you set your servant among those who eat at your table. What further right have I, then, to cry to the king?” ²⁹ And the king said to him, “Why speak any more of your affairs? I have decided: you and Ziba shall divide the land.” ³⁰ And Mephibosheth said to the king, “Oh, let him take it all, since my lord the king has come safely home.”

⁴ Then the king said to Ziba, “Behold, all that belonged to Mephibosheth is now yours.” And Ziba said, “I pay homage; let me ever find favor in your sight, my lord the king.”