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Esther 8:3-17
New English Translation

3 Then Esther again spoke with the king, falling at his feet. She wept and begged him for mercy, that he might nullify the evil of Haman the Agagite and the plot that he had intended against the Jews.[a] 4 When the king extended to Esther the gold scepter, she[b] arose and stood before the king.

5 She said, “If the king is so inclined, and if I have met with his approval, and if the matter is agreeable to the king, and if I am attractive to him, let an edict be written rescinding those recorded intentions of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite,[c] which he wrote in order to destroy the Jews who are throughout all the king’s provinces. 6 For how can I watch the calamity that will befall my people, and how can I watch the destruction of my relatives?”[d]

7 King Ahasuerus replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Look, I have already given Haman’s estate to Esther, and he has been hanged on the gallows because he took hostile action[e] against the Jews. 8 Now write in the king’s name whatever in your opinion is appropriate concerning the Jews and seal it with the king’s signet ring. Any decree that is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring cannot be rescinded.”

9 The king’s scribes were quickly[f] summoned—in the third month (that is, the month of Sivan), on the twenty-third day.[g] They wrote out[h] everything that Mordecai instructed to the Jews, and to the satraps, and the governors, and the officials of the provinces all the way from India to Ethiopia[i]—127 provinces in all—to each province in its own script and to each people in their own language, and to the Jews according to their own script and their own language. 10 Mordecai[j] wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king’s signet ring. He then sent letters by couriers, who rode royal horses that were very swift.

11 The king thereby allowed the Jews who were in every city to assemble and to stand up for themselves—to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any army of whatever people or province that should become their adversaries, including their women and children,[k] and to confiscate their property. 12 This was to take place on a certain day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus—namely, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar). 13 A copy of the edict was to be presented as law throughout each and every province and made known to all peoples, so that the Jews might be prepared on that[l] day to avenge themselves on their enemies.

14 The couriers who were riding the royal horses went forth with the king’s edict without delay.[m] And the law was presented in Susa the citadel as well.

15 Now Mordecai went out from the king’s presence in blue and white royal attire, with a large golden crown and a purple linen mantle. The city of Susa shouted with joy.[n] 16 For the Jews there was radiant happiness and joyous honor.[o] 17 Throughout every province and throughout every city where the king’s edict and his law arrived, the Jews experienced happiness and joy, banquets and holidays. Many of the resident peoples[p] pretended to be Jews,[q] because the fear of the Jews had overcome them.[r]

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Footnotes

  1. Esther 8:3 sn As in 7:4 Esther avoids implicating the king in this plot. Instead Haman is given sole responsibility for the plan to destroy the Jews.
  2. Esther 8:4 tn Heb “Esther.” The pronoun (“she”) was used in the translation for stylistic reasons. A repetition of the proper name is redundant here in terms of contemporary English style.
  3. Esther 8:5 tc The LXX does not include the expression “the Agagite.”
  4. Esther 8:6 tn Heb “my kindred” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB “my race”; NIV “my family”; NLT “my people and my family.”
  5. Esther 8:7 tn Heb “sent forth his hand”; NAB, NIV “attacked”; NLT “tried to destroy.” Cf. 9:2.
  6. Esther 8:9 tn Heb “in that time”; NIV “At once.”
  7. Esther 8:9 sn Cf. 3:12. Two months and ten days have passed since Haman’s edict to wipe out the Jews.
  8. Esther 8:9 tn Heb “it was written”; this passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
  9. Esther 8:9 tn Heb “Cush” (so NIV), referring to the region of the upper Nile in Africa. Cf. KJV and most other English versions “Ethiopia.”
  10. Esther 8:10 tn Heb “He”; the referent (Mordecai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  11. Esther 8:11 tn Heb “children and women.” As in 3:13, the translation follows contemporary English idiom, which reverses the order.
  12. Esther 8:13 tn Heb “this” (so NASB); most English versions read “that” here for stylistic reasons.
  13. Esther 8:14 tn Heb “making haste and hurrying”; KJV, ASV “being hastened and pressed.”
  14. Esther 8:15 tn Heb “shouted and rejoiced.” The expression is a hendiadys (see the note on 5:10 for an explanation of this figure).
  15. Esther 8:16 tn Heb “light and gladness and joy and honor” (so NASB). The present translation understands the four terms to be a double hendiadys.
  16. Esther 8:17 tn Heb “peoples of the land” (so NASB); NIV “people of other nationalities”; NRSV “peoples of the country.”
  17. Esther 8:17 tn Heb “were becoming Jews”; NAB “embraced Judaism.” However, the Hitpael stem of the verb is sometimes used of a feigning action rather than a genuine one (see, e.g., 2 Sam 13:5, 6), which is the way the present translation understands the use of the word here (cf. NEB “professed themselves Jews”; NRSV “professed to be Jews”). This is the only occurrence of this verb in the Hebrew Bible, so there are no exact parallels. However, in the context of v. 17 the motivation of their conversion (Heb “the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them”) should not be overlooked. The LXX apparently understood the conversion described here to be genuine, since it adds the words “they were being circumcised and” before “they became Jews.”
  18. Esther 8:17 tn Heb “had fallen upon them” (so NRSV); NIV “had seized them.”
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Esther 8:3-17
International Standard Version

Esther Asks that the Jewish People be Spared

3 Then Esther spoke to the king again and fell at his feet. She wept and pleaded with him for mercy to overturn the evil plan devised[a] by Haman the Agagite and his plot against the Jewish people. 4 The king extended the golden scepter to Esther, and she got up and stood before the king. 5 She said, “If it pleases the king, and if I’ve found favor with him, and if the matter is proper in the king’s opinion, and if I’m pleasing to the king, let an order be issued[b] revoking the letters devised by Hammedatha the Agagite’s son Haman, which ordered[c] the destruction of the Jewish people throughout the king’s provinces. 6 Indeed, how can I bear to see this disaster happen to my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my kinsmen?”

7 King Ahasuerus told Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, “Look, I’ve given Haman’s property[d] to Esther, and they have hanged[e] him on the pole because he tried to harm[f] the Jewish people. 8 Now, in the name of the king, you write what seems good to you concerning the Jewish people, and seal it with the king’s signet ring, for a document written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring cannot be revoked.”

9 The king’s scribes were summoned at that time, on the twenty-third day of the third month, which is the month Sivan, and everything that Mordecai commanded the Jewish people, the regional authorities,[g] the governors, and the provincial officials of the 127 provinces from India to Cush[h] was written down for each province according to its script, for each people according to their language, and for the Jewish people according to their script and language. 10 He wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king’s signet ring. He sent the letters by couriers on horseback, riding steeds especially bred for the king.[i]

11 What the king granted the Jewish people in every town was the right[j] to assemble and defend themselves,[k] to annihilate, kill, and destroy every armed force of a people or a province that was hostile to them, including children and women, and to plunder their property.[l] 12 Throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, the one day for the Jewish people to do this was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar. 13 A copy of the document was to be issued as law in each and every province and published for all people, indicating that the Jewish people were to be ready to take vengeance on their enemies on that day. 14 The couriers, mounted on the royal steeds, left quickly, urged on by the king’s command. The edict was also issued in Susa the capital.

The Jewish People Celebrate the King’s Edict

15 Mordecai left the king’s presence in royal robes of blue and white, wearing a large golden crown and a purple robe made of fine linen; and the city of Susa shouted with joy. 16 For the Jewish people, there was light and joy, gladness and honor. 17 In each and every province, and in each and every city, in the places where the king’s order and edict reached, there was gladness and joy among the Jewish people, along with a festival and a holiday. Many of the people of the land became[m] Jews, because they had come to fear the Jewish people.

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Footnotes

  1. Esther 8:3 The Heb. lacks devised
  2. Esther 8:5 Lit. let it be written
  3. Esther 8:5 Lit. were written
  4. Esther 8:7 Lit. house
  5. Esther 8:7 Or impaled
  6. Esther 8:7 Lit. sent his hand against
  7. Esther 8:9 Lit. satraps; Persian government officials similar in authority to a governor
  8. Esther 8:9 I.e. the upper Nile region
  9. Esther 8:10 Or sired by the royal stud; i.e. the horses were strong and fast and specially bred for the task
  10. Esther 8:11 The Heb. lacks the right
  11. Esther 8:11 Lit. and stand; or their lives
  12. Esther 8:11 Lit. spoil
  13. Esther 8:17 Or professed to be
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