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The Book of Esther 9

9 Now in month 12, which is the month of Adar, on day 13 of it, when the word of the king and his law had reached the time to be done, on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to dominate them: but being overturned, it happened that the Jews themselves dominated those who hated them. 2 The Jews assembled themselves in their cities in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus to stretch out a hand against those seeking their evil. But a man did not stand to their face, for sudden fear of them had fallen on all the peoples. 3 And all the officials of the provinces, and the satraps and the governors and those doing the work that was for the king were lifting up the Jews, for dread of Mordecai had fallen on them. 4 For Mordecai was great in the palace of the king, and the report of him was going out into all the provinces, for the man Mordecai was progressing and becoming great.

5 And the Jews struck to all their enemies a strike of sword and slaughter and destruction. And they did to those who hated them according to their pleasure. 6 And in Susa the citadel the Jews slaughtered and destroyed 500 men. 7 And Parshandatha and Dalphon and Aspatha 8 and Poratha and Adalia and Aridatha 9 and Parmashta and Arisai and Aridai and Vaizatha, 10 the ten sons of Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the adversary of the Jews, they slaughtered. But they did not stretch out their hand to the plunder. 11 On that day, the report of the number of those who were killed in Susa the citadel came to the face of the king.

12 And the king said to Esther the queen, “In Susa the citadel the Jews have slaughtered and destroyed 500 men, with the ten sons of Haman. In the rest of the provinces of the king, what have they done? Now what is your petition? And it will be given to you. And what is your request? Again, and it will be done.” 13 And Esther said, “If it is good to the king, let it be given also tomorrow to the Jews who are in Susa to do according to the law of today, and let the ten sons of Haman hang on the pole.” 14 And the king said for this to be done. And a law was given in Susa, and they hanged the ten sons of Haman. 15 And the Jews who were in Susa assembled themselves also on day 14 of the month of Adar, and they killed 300 men in Susa. But they did not stretch out their hand to the plunder.

16 And the rest of the Jews who were in the provinces of the king assembled themselves and stood for their lives, and they rested from their enemies, and they slaughtered 75,000 of those who hated them. But they did not stretch out their hand to the plunder. 17 On day 13 of the month of Adar, then they rested. On the fourteenth of it, then they made it a day of feasting and rejoicing. 18 But the Jews who were in Susa assembled themselves on the thirteenth of it and on the fourteenth of it. And they rested on the fifteenth of it, and they made it a day of feasting and rejoicing. 19 Therefore, the Jews, the ones of the open country, the ones who dwell in the cities of the open areas, make day 14 of the month of Adar for rejoicing and for feasting and a good day and for the sending of gifts, a man to his friend.

20 And Mordecai wrote these things. And he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, the near ones and the far ones, 21 to set up for them to be making day 14 of the month of Adar and day 15 of it, every year by year, 22 as the days when the Jews rested on them from their enemies and as the month when it had turned for them from sorrow into joy and from mourning into a good day, in order to make them days of feasting and rejoicing and sending of gifts, a man to his friend and gifts to the needy. 23 And the Jews accepted what they had begun to do and what Mordecai had written to them.

24 For Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the adversary of all the Jews, had plotted concerning the Jews to annihilate them. And he had cast a Pur (which is “the lot”) to vex them and to destroy them. 25 But when she came to the face of the king, he said with the letter, “Let his evil plot that he plotted concerning the Jews return on his head, and let them hang him and his sons on the pole.” 26 Therefore, they called these days “Purim,” on account of the name of Pur. Therefore, on account of all the words of this letter and what they had seen concerning this and what had come upon them, 27 the Jews set up and accepted for themselves and for their seed and for all those who unite themselves to them (and it will not pass away) to be making these two days according to their writing and according to their appointed time every year by year. 28 And these days are remembered and are made in every generation by generation, family by family, province by province, and city by city. And these days of Purim will not pass away from the midst of the Jews, and their remembrance will not come to an end from their seed.

29 And Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew wrote with all power to set up this second letter of Purim. 30 And he sent letters to all the Jews, to 127 provinces, the kingdom of Ahasuerus, words of peace and truth 31 to set up these days of Purim at their appointed times according to what Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had set up for them and according to what they had set up concerning their lives and concerning their seed, the matters of the fasts and their outcry. 32 And the decree of Esther set up these matters of Purim, and it was written in the book.

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