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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 Any decree that is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring cannot be rescinded.”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
New American Standard Bible

3 Then Esther spoke again [a]to the king, fell at his feet, wept, and pleaded for his compassion to avert the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite and his plot which he had devised against the Jews. 4 And (A)the king extended the golden scepter to Esther. So Esther got up and stood before the king. 5 Then she said, “(B)If it pleases the king and if I have found favor before him, and the matter seems proper to the king and I am pleasing in his sight, let it be written to revoke the (C)letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to eliminate the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces. 6 For (D)how can I endure to see the disaster which will happen to my people, and how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?” 7 So King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, (E)I have given the house of Haman to Esther, and they have hanged him on the wooden gallows because he had reached out with his hand against the Jews.

The King’s Decree Avenges the Jews

8 Now you write to the Jews [b]as you see fit, in the king’s name, and (F)seal it with the king’s signet ring; for a decree which is written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s signet ring (G)may not be revoked.”

9 (H)So the king’s scribes were summoned at that time in the third month (that is, the month Sivan), on the twenty-third [c]day; and it was written in accordance with everything that Mordecai commanded the Jews, the satraps, the governors, and the officials of the provinces which extended (I)from India to [d]Cush, 127 provinces, to (J)every province according to its script, and to every people according to their language, as well as to the Jews according to their script and their language. 10 He wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king’s signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on (K)horses, riding on royal relay horses, offspring of racing mares. 11 [e]In the letters the king granted the Jews who were in each and every city the right (L)to assemble and to defend their lives, (M)to destroy, kill, and eliminate the entire army of any people or province which was going to attack them, including children and women, and (N)to plunder their spoils, 12 on (O)one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (that is, the month Adar). 13 (P)A copy of the edict to be [f]issued as law in each and every province was published to all the peoples, so that the Jews would be ready for this day to avenge themselves on their enemies. 14 The couriers, hurrying and speeded by the king’s command, left, riding on the royal relay horses; and the decree was issued at the citadel in Susa.

15 Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king (Q)in a royal robe of violet and white, with a large crown of gold and (R)a garment of fine linen and purple; and (S)the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. 16 For the Jews there was (T)light, joy, jubilation, and honor. 17 In each and every province and in each and every city, wherever the king’s commandment and his decree arrived, there was joy and jubilation for the Jews, a feast and a [g](U)holiday. And (V)many among the peoples of the land [h]became Jews, because the dread of the Jews had fallen on them.

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Footnotes

  1. Esther 8:3 Lit before
  2. Esther 8:8 Lit according to the good in your eyes
  3. Esther 8:9 Lit in it
  4. Esther 8:9 Or Ethiopia
  5. Esther 8:11 Lit Which the king
  6. Esther 8:13 Lit given
  7. Esther 8:17 Lit good day
  8. Esther 8:17 Or posed as Jews
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Esther 9
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