Beginning
Vindication of the Jews
Chapter 6
Mordecai Is Honored. 1 That night the king found it difficult to sleep, so he ordered the book of the chronicles of his reign to be brought in and read to him. 2 During the reading, the passage came up about Mordecai uncovering the plot to assassinate King Ahasuerus on the part of Bagathan and Teresh, two of the royal eunuchs who guarded the doorway.
3 The king asked, “How has Mordecai been honored and rewarded for this?”
The attendants said, “He has received neither honor nor reward.”
4 The king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just come into the outer court of the king’s palace to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gibbet that he had built for him.
5 His attendants replied, “Haman is waiting in the court.”
“Let him come in,” the king said.
6 When Haman came in, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man whom the king wants to reward?”
Now Haman thought to himself, “What man would the king rather reward than me?” 7 So he replied to the king, “For the man whom the king wants to reward, 8 [a]let there be brought in the purple robe that the king wore and the horse that he rode when the royal crown was placed on his head. 9 Then let the robe and the horse be entrusted to one of the noblest of the king’s officials. Let them robe the man the king wants to reward and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king wants to reward.’ ”
10 Then the king said to Haman, “Go, right away. Get the robe and the horse and do for Mordecai the Jew—who sits at the king’s gate—what you have suggested. Do not leave out anything you have proposed.” 11 So Haman procured the robe and the horse. He put the robe on Mordecai and had him ride through the city streets, proclaiming, “This is what is done for the man the king wants to reward.”
12 Afterward, Mordecai went back to the king’s gate. Haman, however, hurried home, with his head covered[b] in grief 13 and told Zeresh his wife and all his friends what had befallen him.
His friends and his wife, Zeresh, told him, “If Mordecai, before whom your downfall has started, is of the Jewish race, you will not be able to overcome him but will surely suffer defeat, because the living God is with him.”
14 Haman Is Put to Death. While they were still speaking, the king’s eunuchs arrived and took Haman to the banquet Esther had prepared.
Chapter 7
1 So the king and Haman went to dine with Queen Esther. 2 And once again, on the second day as they were having wine, the king asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even if it is for half my kingdom, it will be granted you.”
3 Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. 4 For I and my people have been handed over to destruction, slaughter, and extinction. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have not said anything, because such distress would not be reason enough to disturb the king.”[c]
5 Then King Ahasuerus asked Queen Esther, “Who is it and where is the one who has done such a thing?”
6 Esther replied, “Our enemy is this wicked man Haman.”
In terror, Haman faced the king and queen. 7 The king got up in a rage, left his wine, and went out into the palace garden. But Haman stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life, since he feared that the king had already decided his fate.
8 So Haman threw himself upon the couch on which Esther was reclining. At that very moment the king was just returning from the palace garden to the banquet hall. The king exclaimed: “Will he also violate the queen while she is with me in my own house?”
The words were scarcely out of the king’s mouth when Haman’s face was covered. 9 Then Harbona, one of the eunuchs who attended the king, said, “There is a gibbet fifty cubits high at Haman’s house. Haman prepared it for Mordecai, who warned your majesty about the plot.”
The king said, “Hang him on it.” 10 So they hanged Haman on the gibbet he had prepared for Mordecai, and the king’s anger cooled down.
Chapter 8
The King’s Edict in Favor of the Jews. 1 That same day, King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther all the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai was invited to come into the king’s presence, for Esther revealed how he was related to her. 2 The king removed his signet ring, which he had taken back from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther placed Mordecai in charge of Haman’s property.
3 Then Esther spoke with the king again, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to revoke the evil plot that Haman, the Agagite, had set up against the Jews. 4 Then the king extended the golden scepter to Esther, and she arose and stood before him.
5 “If it pleases your majesty,” she said, “and seems the right thing to do, and if I have found favor with you so that you love me, let an order be issued to overrule the letters that Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote for the destruction of the Jews in all the royal provinces. 6 For how can I bear to see the evil that is about to fall on my people, and how can I behold the destruction of my race?”
7 King Ahasuerus then said to Queen Esther and to the Jew Mordecai, “Now that I have given Esther the property of Haman, and he has been hanged on the gibbet because he attacked the Jews, 8 you may write another edict in the king’s name on behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal it with the king’s signet ring—for no document that is written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.”[d]
9 Then on the twenty-third day of the third month, Sivan, the king’s scribes were summoned. They wrote out all Mordecai’s words to the Jews and to the satraps, governors, and nobles of the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia. These words were written in the script of each province and the language of each people and also in the script and language of the Jews. 10 Mordecai wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, sealed the letters with the king’s signet ring, and sent them via mounted couriers, riding speedy royal horses. 11 The king’s edict gave the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves as well as to destroy, kill, and annihilate, along with their wives and children, every armed group of any nation and province that should attack them, and to seize their goods as spoil.
Chapter E
A Copy of the Edict.[e]1 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!
2 “Many people who have been the recipients of ever-increasing honors through the bountiful kindness of their benefactors tend to grow ever more arrogant.3 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.4 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.
5 “In addition, it often happens that the deceitful schemes of friends who have been entrusted with the administration of public affairs6 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.7 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.8 From this moment on we shall direct all of our efforts to ensure the peace and tranquillity of all our subjects in the kingdom,9 revising our policies as necessary and giving equitable treatment in adjudicating matters that are brought before us.
10 “In this regard, Haman, son of Hammedatha, a Macedonian[f] without a trace of Persian blood or of the kindness that is part of our heritage, was the recipient of our hospitality.11 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.12 However, unworthy of this dignity, Haman with unrestrained arrogance undertook to deprive us of our kingdom and our life.13 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.14 By such measures he sought to render us vulnerable and to transfer the sovereignty now enjoyed by the Persians to the Macedonians.
15 “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 laws16 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.
17 “Therefore, I command you to ignore the letters sent by Haman, son of Hammedatha,18 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.
19 “Instead, post copies of this letter in every public place and permit Jews to be governed by their own laws.20 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.21 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.22 And therefore you, too, must include among your commemorative feasts this day as one for rejoicing,23 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.
24 “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.”
12 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.(Chapter 8)
13 A copy of the text of the edict to be issued as law in every province was made known among all peoples of every nationality so that the Jews might be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.[g]
14 The couriers, riding the royal horses, sped forth in haste at the king’s command. And the edict was also promulgated in the citadel of Susa.
15 Mordecai departed from the king’s presence vested in royal garments of blue and white, with a large crown of gold and purple robe of fine linen, and the city of Susa held a joyous celebration. 16 For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy, exaltation and triumph. 17 In every province and in every city, wherever the king’s edict arrived, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with banqueting and feasting. And many of the peoples of that land became Jewish, for they were seized with the fear of the Jews.
Chapter 9
Triumph of the Jews.[h] 1 On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of Adar, the edict of the king was to become effective. It was on this day that the enemies of the Jews had expected to become masters of them. But in a role reversal it was the Jews who became masters of their enemies. 2 The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to attack those seeking their destruction. No one could withstand them, because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them. 3 Moreover, all of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king’s administrators helped the Jews, out of fear of Mordecai. 4 Mordecai was powerful in the palace: his fame spread throughout the provinces, and his power kept on growing.
5 The Jews overcame all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did what they pleased to their enemies. 6 In the citadel of Susa, they killed and destroyed five hundred men. 7 They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8 Porathai, Adalia, Aridatha, 9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha, 10 the ten sons of Haman, son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. However, they did not engage in plundering.
11 On the same day, the number of those slain in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king. 12 He said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in the citadel of Susa. But what must they have done in the other royal provinces! You shall again be granted whatever you ask, and whatever you request will be honored.”
13 “If it pleases the king,” Esther replied, “let the Jews in Susa be permitted again to carry out this day’s edict tomorrow also, and let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on gibbets.”
14 The king then gave an order that this should be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they hanged the ten sons of Haman. 15 The Jews in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they put to death three hundred men in Susa. However, they did not engage in plundering.[i]
16 Meanwhile, the other Jews who were in the king’s provinces also assembled to protect themselves and to obtain rest from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand[j] of them, but they did not engage in plundering. 17 This took place on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day of the month they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.
18 The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth of the month of Adar. On the fifteenth of the month they rested, and made it a day of feasting and joy.
19 That is why rural Jews, who live in villages, observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of feasting and rejoicing, a holiday on which they give presents to one another. Instead, those who live in large cities celebrate the fifteenth of Adar as a day of feasting and joy and give presents to each other.[k]
20 The Feast of Purim.[l] Mordecai recorded these events, and dispatched letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Ahasuerus, to both those who were near and those who were far off. 21 He commanded them to celebrate every year the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, 22 as the time when the Jews succeeded in obtaining relief from their enemies and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe these days as days of feasting and rejoicing, sending food to one another and gifts to the poor.
23 So the Jews accepted all that Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews, had hatched a plot to destroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for their defeat and destruction. 25 But when Esther entered the royal presence, the king gave written orders that the wicked scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should be turned against him instead and that he and his sons should be hanged on gibbets. 26 (Therefore, these days were called Purim,[m] from the word pur.)
Because of everything mentioned in this letter and because of what they had seen and what they had experienced, 27 the Jews took upon themselves, their descendants, and any who should join them,[n] the inviolable obligation to celebrate these two days every year in the way prescribed and at the time appointed.
28 These days were to be remembered in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. Moreover, these days of Purim were never to fall into disuse among the Jews, nor should their memory die out among their descendants.
29 Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail and of Mordecai the Jew, wrote with complete authority to confirm this second letter about Purim. 30 And Mordecai sent documents about peace and security to all the Jews in the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces of Ahasuerus’s kingdom. 31 Thus, there were established, for their appointed time, these days of Purim that Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had designated for the Jews, and as they had established for themselves and for their race, the duty of fasting and supplication. 32 Esther’s decree confirmed these rules concerning Purim, and it was recorded in the book.
Chapter 10
The Greatness of Mordecai.1 King Ahasuerus imposed tribute throughout the land to its distant shores.2 And all his acts of power and might, as well as an account of the greatness of Mordecai, whom the king promoted, are set down in the book of the annals of the kings of Media and Persia.3 Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, preeminent among the Jews, and held in high esteem by his fellow Jews because he worked for the good of his people and was the herald of peace for his whole race.
Epilogue
Chapter F
Mordecai’s Dream Fulfilled.[o]1 Then Mordecai said: “All this is God’s doing,2 for I remember the dream I had about these events, and not one of them has failed to be fulfilled—3 the tiny spring that became a river, the light that shone, the sun, the abundance of water. The river is Esther, whom the king married and established as queen.4 The two dragons are Haman and myself.5 The nations are those who joined together to extinguish the name of the Jews.6 And my nation is Israel who cried to God for deliverance and was saved.
“The Lord has saved his people and delivered us from all these evils. God has performed great signs and wonders such as have never before occurred among the nations.7 To accomplish this he prepared two lots,[p] one for the people of God and one for all the nations.8 These lots were cast at the prescribed hour and time, on the day of judgment before God and all the nations.9 And God remembered his people and rendered a verdict of justice in favor of his heritage.
10 “Therefore, they are to assemble with joy and gladness before God and celebrate these days in the month of Adar, on the fourteenth and fifteenth of that month, from generation to generation among his people Israel forever.”
A Postscript about Purim.11 In the fourth year[q] of the reign of Ptolemy and Cleopatra, Dositheus, who said he was a priest and Levite, and his son, Ptolemy, brought to Egypt the preceding letter about Purim, saying that it was genuine and had been translated by Lysimachus, son of Ptolemy, of the community of Jerusalem.
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