Esther 3:7-15
Holman Christian Standard Bible
7 In the first month, the month of Nisan,[a] in King Ahasuerus’s twelfth year,[b](A) Pur (that is, the lot) was cast before Haman for each day in each month, and it fell on the twelfth month,(B) the month Adar.[c](C) 8 Then Haman informed King Ahasuerus, “There is one ethnic group, scattered throughout the peoples in every province of your kingdom,(D) yet living in isolation. Their laws are different from everyone else’s and they do not obey the king’s laws.(E) It is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them.(F) 9 If the king approves, let an order be drawn up authorizing their destruction, and I will pay 375 tons of silver to[d] the accountants for deposit in the royal treasury.”(G)
10 The king removed his signet ring(H) from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jewish people.(I) 11 Then the king told Haman, “The money and people are given to you to do with as you see fit.”
12 The royal scribes were summoned(J) on the thirteenth day of the first month, and the order was written exactly as Haman commanded. It was intended for the royal satraps,(K) the governors of each of the provinces, and the officials of each ethnic group and written for each province in its own script and to each ethnic group in its own language.(L) It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus(M) and sealed with the royal signet ring.(N) 13 Letters were sent by couriers(O) to each of the royal provinces telling the officials to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jewish people—young and old, women and children—and plunder their possessions on a single day,(P) the thirteenth day of Adar, the twelfth month.[e]
14 A copy of the text, issued as law throughout every province, was distributed to all the peoples so that they might get ready for that day. 15 The couriers left, spurred on by royal command, and the law was issued in the fortress of Susa.(Q) The king and Haman sat down to drink, while the city of Susa was in confusion.(R)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Esther 3:7 = March–April; called Abib in the pre-exilic period; Ex 13:4; Dt 16:1
- Esther 3:7 474 b.c.
- Esther 3:7 = February–March
- Esther 3:9 Lit will weigh 10,000 silver talents on the hands of
- Esther 3:13 LXX adds the text of Ahasuerus’s letter here.
Esther 3:7-15
International Standard Version
Haman’s Plot against the Jewish People
7 In the twelfth year of the reign of[a] King Ahasuerus, in the first month (the month Nisan), the pur (that is, the lot) was cast in Haman’s presence to determine the best day and month to carry out his plot.[b] The lot indicated the twelfth month, the month Adar.[c] 8 Then Haman told King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and divided among the people throughout the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different than all the other people, they don’t obey the king’s laws, and it’s not in the king’s best interest[d] to leave them alone. 9 If the king approves, let it be decreed[e] that they’re to be destroyed, and I’ll measure out 10,000 silver talents[f] and bring it to the king’s treasury for those who will do the work.”
10 The king removed his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Hammedatha the Agagite’s son Haman, the enemy of the Jewish people. 11 The king told Haman, “The silver is given to you, along with the people, to do with them as you see fit.”
12 The king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and all that Haman commanded was written to the regional authorities[g] of the king, to the governors who were over each province, and to the officials of each people. This order[h] was translated in the name of King Ahasuerus into the language of each province[i] and bore the seal of the king’s signet ring. 13 Letters were sent by couriers to all of the king’s provinces to annihilate, to kill, and to destroy all the Jewish people, both young and old, women and children, and to confiscate their goods[j] on a single day—the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of Adar. 14 A copy of the letter was to be issued as an edict in every province and published to all the people, telling them[k] to be ready for that day. 15 The couriers went out, urged on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in Susa the capital. The king and Haman sat down to drink, while the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Esther 3:7 The Heb. lacks the reign of
- Esther 3:7 Lit. before Haman from day to day and month to month
- Esther 3:7 Lit. day and month, the twelfth, the month Adar
- Esther 3:8 Lit. there is no advantage for the king
- Esther 3:9 Lit. written
- Esther 3:9 I.e. about 750,000 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
- Esther 3:12 Lit. satraps; Persian government officials similar in authority to a governor
- Esther 3:12 The Heb. lacks order
- Esther 3:12 Lit. Ahasuerus to the people, the script
- Esther 3:13 Lit. spoil
- Esther 3:14 The Heb. lacks telling them
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