All the royal officials who were at the king’s gate would kneel down and render homage to Haman, for that is what the king had ordered to be done toward him. But Mordecai refused to kneel and bow down to him.

Then Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.

Chapter C

The Prayer of Mordecai. Calling to mind everything that the Lord had done, Mordecai prayed to him in these words: “O Lord God, King and ruler of all things, the entire universe is subject to your power, and no one can thwart you in your intention to save Israel. You made heaven and earth and every wonderful thing under the firmament. You are Lord of all, and there is no one, O Lord, who can resist you. Since you know all things, O Lord, you realize that it was not because of insolence or pride or a desire for glory that I so acted in refusing to bow down to this haughty Haman. To ensure the salvation of Israel, I would gladly have kissed the soles of his feet. But I acted in this way so as not to place human glory above the glory of God. I will not bow down to anyone but you, my Lord, and I will not act in this way out of pride. “Now, Lord, my God and King, O God of Abraham, spare your people, for our enemies are determined to exterminate us and to destroy the inheritance that has been yours from times of old. Do not forsake your people whom you redeemed and brought out of Egypt for yourself. Hear my prayer and have mercy on your heritage. Turn our sorrow into joy so that we may live to sing praise to your name, O Lord. Do not silence the lips of those who praise you.” And all the Israelites also cried aloud with all their strength, since death was before their eyes. The Prayer of Esther. Queen Esther, too, was seized with great anguish and sought recourse from the Lord. Removing her splendid robes, she put on garments of sadness and mourning. Instead of rich perfumes, she covered her head with dirt and ashes. She greatly mortified her body, and every part that she used to adorn elegantly, she now covered with her disheveled hair. Then Esther prayed to the Lord, the God of Israel, and said: “O my Lord, you alone are our King. Come to my assistance, for I am alone and have no one to help me but you. My life is in great danger. From my earliest days I was taught by my family that you, O Lord, chose Israel out of all the nations and our fathers from among all their forebearers, as an everlasting heritage, and that you have fulfilled all the promises you made to them. But now we have sinned against you, and you have handed us over to our enemies because we paid honor to their gods. You are just, O Lord. “However, now our enemies are not satisfied with our bitter slavery. They have vowed to their idols to annul the decree you have proclaimed and destroy your heritage, to silence the mouths of those who praise you and to destroy your altar and the glory of your house, and instead, to open the mouths of the nations to praise their worthless idols and to offer an earthly king everlasting praise. “O Lord, do not consign your scepter to gods who do not exist. Do not let our enemies exult in our downfall, but turn their designs against them and make an example of the chief of our persecutors. Remember us, O Lord. Reveal yourself in this time of our tribulation, and give me courage, O King of gods and Master of every dominion. Give me the power of persuasive speech when I face the lion and enable me to turn his heart to hatred of the one who is our enemy so that he and all those who share his feelings may perish. Save us by your arm and come to my aid, for I am alone and have no one on whom to rely but you, O Lord. “You know all things. You are fully aware that I hate the honors offered by the wicked and abhor the bed of the uncircumcised or of any alien. You know the straits I am in. I loathe the symbol of my proud position that I wear on my head on days when I appear in public. I detest it as if it were an unclean rag, and I do not wear it on days when I am in private. I, your servant, have never eaten at Haman’s table, nor have I attended any banquet of the king or drunk the wine of libations. From the day I changed my state until now, I have experienced no joy except in you, O Lord, God of Abraham. O God all-powerful, give heed to the pleas of those in despair. Deliver us from the power of the wicked and rescue me from my fear.”

Chapter D

Esther Appears before the King. On the third day, having finished her prayers, Esther removed her penitential garments and arrayed herself in the splendor due to her state. Thus beautifully adorned, she invoked the aid of God, who watches over and saves all, and took her two maids with her. One of them provided gentle support for her, while the other followed, bearing her train. She was radiant in the splendor of her beauty, and her countenance was joyous as though permeated with love, but her heart was filled with fear. She passed through one door after another and finally stood in the presence of the king. He was seated on his royal throne, clothed in all his kingly regalia adorned with gold and precious stones, so that his appearance was terrifying. He looked up, and his face blazed with anger when he saw her. The queen grew faint, turned pale, and steadied herself against the head of the maid who preceded her. Then God changed the king’s mood from anger to one of gentleness. In alarm he sprang from his throne, held her in his arms until she revived, and soothed her with comforting words. “What is the matter, Esther?” he said to her. “I am your husband. Take courage. You shall not die, for our decree applies only to the common folk. Come near!” Then he raised his gold scepter and, touching her neck with it, embraced her and said: “Speak to me.” She replied: “My lord, when I approached you, you looked like an angel of God, and I was filled with fear at your majestic presence. You are wonderful, my lord, and your face is enchanting.” As she said this, she fell in a faint. Then the king became troubled as his attendants sought to revive her.

Chapter E

A Copy of the Edict. This is a copy of the edict: “King Ahasuerus the Great to the governors of the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces extending from India to Ethiopia, and to all our loyal subjects: Greetings! “Many people who have been the recipients of ever-increasing honors through the bountiful kindness of their benefactors tend to grow ever more arrogant. Not only do they plot to injure our subjects but, as their power tends to increase their insolent behavior, they even begin to scheme against their very benefactors. Not only do they make it impossible for others to experience gratitude, but they are so inundated in their own arrogance that the concept of goodness has become meaningless to them, and they even believe that they will escape the all-seeing God and his justice, which hates evil. “In addition, it often happens that the deceitful schemes of friends who have been entrusted with the administration of public affairs influence their benefactors to become unwitting accomplices of theirs in the shedding of innocent blood. Thus, the sincere desire of rulers to achieve only the good of their subjects is thwarted by deceitful trickery. History is replete with stories of such evil, but never more so than at the present when we examine the evil wrought in our midst through the criminal deeds of those officials who disgraced their office of authority by their wicked conduct. From this moment on we shall direct all of our efforts to ensure the peace and tranquillity of all our subjects in the kingdom, revising our policies as necessary and giving equitable treatment in adjudicating matters that are brought before us. “In this regard, Haman, son of Hammedatha, a Macedonian without a trace of Persian blood or of the kindness that is part of our heritage, was the recipient of our hospitality. He so completely enjoyed the goodwill that we extend to all nations that we regarded him as our father before whom all should bow down, and we proclaimed him to rank second in line to the royal throne. However, unworthy of this dignity, Haman with unrestrained arrogance undertook to deprive us of our kingdom and our life. By acts of deceit he insisted that it was essential for us to order the destruction of Mordecai, our savior and constant benefactor, and of Esther, our innocent royal consort, together with their whole race. By such measures he sought to render us vulnerable and to transfer the sovereignty now enjoyed by the Persians to the Macedonians. “However, we have determined that the Jews, who were marked for extermination by this thrice-wicked man, are no evildoers. On the contrary, they are governed by the most righteous laws and are children of the Most High, the living God of sovereign majesty who has ensured for us as well as for our ancestors the continuing prosperity of our kingdom. “Therefore, I command you to ignore the letters sent by Haman, son of Hammedatha, for he who wrote them has been hanged, together with his entire household, at the gates of Susa. God, the ruler of the universe, has inflicted upon him the punishment he so richly deserved. “Instead, post copies of this letter in every public place and permit Jews to be governed by their own laws. Furthermore, ensure that on the day scheduled for their annihilation, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar, they will receive your aid to defend themselves against their assailants in a time of oppression. For God, who rules over all things, has changed that day for his chosen people from a day of destruction to a day of joy. And therefore you, too, must include among your commemorative feasts this day as one for rejoicing, so that both today and in the future it may be for us and for all loyal Persians a memorial of deliverance and a reminder of destruction for those who plot against us. “Any city or province that does not observe this edict shall be mercilessly destroyed by fire and sword. It will be made unaccessible not only to all people, but also to wild animals and birds forever.” The day appointed for the Jews to do this in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar.