\NormalFont\ShortTitle{Esther}
{\MTB The Book of
\par }{\MT Esther

\par }\ChapOne{1}{\SH The Follies of a Despot
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}These
events
happened
in
the
time
of
Ahasuerus,
who
ruled
over
a
hundred
and
twenty-seven
provinces
from
India
to
Ethiopia
\VS{2}from
his
royal
throne
in
the
fortified
palace
of
Susa.
\par }{\PP \VS{3}In
the
third
year
of
his
reign,
the
king
gave
a
feast
for
all
his
officers
and courtiers.
The
commanders
of
the
military
forces
of
Persia
and
Media,
the
nobles
and provincial
rulers
were
present
\VS{4}while
for
one
hundred
and
eighty
days
he
showed
them
the
glorious
riches
of
his
kingdom
and
the costliness
of
his
magnificent regalia.
\par }{\PP \VS{5}When
these
days
were
ended,
the
king
held
a
banquet
for
all
the
people
who
were
present
in
the
royal
palace
at
Susa,
high
and
low
alike.
It
was
a
seven
days’
feast
in
the
enclosed
garden
of
the
royal
palace.
\VS{6}There
were
white
and
violet cotton
curtains
fastened
to
silver
rings
and
pillars
of
marble
with
cords
of
fine
purple
wool
and
linen.
The
couches
were
of
gold
and
silver
placed
upon
a
mosaic
pavement
of
alabaster,
white
marble,
mother-of-pearl,
and
dark
stone.
\VS{7}Drink
was
brought
in
vessels
of
gold –
which
were
all
different –
and
the
king’s
wine
was
provided
with
royal liberality.
\VS{8}The
drinking
was
unrestricted,
for
the
king
had
directed
all
the
officers
of
his
household
to
let
each
man
do
as
he
pleased.
\VS{9}Queen
Vashti
also
gave
a
feast
for
the
women
in
the
King
Ahasuerus’
royal
palace.
\par }{\PP \VS{10}On
the
seventh
day,
when
the
king
was
merry
with
wine,
he
commanded
Mehuman,
Biztha,
Harbona,
Bigtha,
Abagtha, Zathar
and
Carkas,
his
seven
eunuch
attendants
\VS{11}to
bring
Queen
Vashti
before
him
with
the
royal
diadem
on
her
head,
to
show
her
beauty
to
the
people
and
the
officials,
for
she
was
very
beautiful.
\VS{12}But
Queen
Vashti
refused
to
come
as
the
king
commanded
through
the
eunuchs.
Then
the
king
became
very
angry
and
his
fury
burned
within
him.
\par }{\PP \VS{13}The
king
turned
to
the
wise
men
who
knew
the precedents,
for
it
was
his
custom
to confer
with
those
wise
in
law.
\VS{14}Those
next
to
him
were
Carshena,
Shethar,
Admatha,
Tarshish,
Meres,
Marsena
and
Memucan,
seven
officials
of
Persia
and
Media
who
had
access
to
the
king
and
were
highest
in
the
kingdom.
\VS{15}‘Queen Vashti’,
the
king
said, ‘has
failed
to
obey
my
royal
command –
the
command
of
King
Ahasuerus
conveyed
through
the
eunuchs!
What
does
the
law
say
should
be
done
to
her?’
\par }{\PP \VS{16}Memucan
replied
before
the
king
and
the
officials, ‘Queen
Vashti
has
done
wrong
not
only
to
the
king
but
also
to
all
the
officials
and
to
all
the
peoples
in
all
of
the
king’s
provinces.
\VS{17}The refusal
of
the
queen
will
be
reported
to
all
the
women
with
the
result
that
it
will
make
them
despise
their
husbands.
They
will
say, “King
Ahasuerus
commanded
Queen
Vashti
to
be
brought
in
before
him,
but
she
did
not
come!”
\VS{18}This
very
day
the
ladies
of
Persia
and
Media
who
have
heard
of
the refusal
of
the
queen
will
tell
it
to
all
the
king’s
officials,
and
there
will
be
contempt
and
strife!
\VS{19}If
it
seems
best
to
the
king,
let
him
send
out
a
royal
edict.
Let
it
be
written
among
the
laws
of
Persia
and
Media,
never
to
be
repealed,
that
Vashti
may
never
again
come
before
King
Ahasuerus.
Let
the
king
give
her
place
as
queen
to
another
who
is
more
worthy
than
she.
\VS{20}When
the
king’s
decree
which
he
makes
is
heard
throughout
his
kingdom –
great
as
it
is –
the
wives
of
all classes
will
give
honour
to
their
husbands.’
\par }{\PP \VS{21}The
proposal
pleased
the
king
and
the
officials,
and
the
king
did
as
Memucan
advised.
\VS{22}He
sent
letters
to
all
the
provinces,
to
every
province
in
its
own system
of
writing
and
to
every
people
in
their
language,
that
every
man
should
be
master
in
his
own
house!

\par }\Chap{2}{\SH Choosing a Queen
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}Some
time
later,
when
the
wrath
of
King
Ahasuerus
had
subsided,
he
remembered
what
Vashti
had
done
and
what
had
been
decreed
against
her.
\VS{2}Then
the
king’s
servants
who
waited
upon
him
said, ‘Let
beautiful
young
virgins
be
sought
for
the
king,
\VS{3}and
let
the
king
appoint
commissioners
to
all
the
provinces
of
his
kingdom
to
gather
them
all
to
Susa
the
royal
residence.
Let
them
be
brought
into
the
women’s
quarters
under
the
custody
of
Hegai,
the
king’s
eunuch,
who
has
charge
of
the
women.
Then
give
them
what
is
needed
to
make
them
beautiful,
\VS{4}and
let
the
girl
who
pleases
the
king
be
queen
instead
of
Vashti.’
The
proposal
pleased
the
king
so
he
put
it
into
action.
\par }{\PP \VS{5}In
Susa
the
royal
residence
lived
a
Jew
named
Mordecai.
He
was
son
of
Jair,
son
of
Shimei,
son
of
Kish,
a
Benjamite.
\VS{6}(Kish
had
been
carried
away
from
Jerusalem
with
the
exiles
who
were
deported
with
Jeconiah
king
of
Judah,
whom
Nebuchadnezzar
the
king
of
Babylon
took
captive.)
\VS{7}Mordecai
had
adopted
Hadassah,
that
is,
Esther,
his
uncle’s
daughter,
since
she
had
neither
father
nor
mother.
The
girl
was shapely
and
beautiful;
and
after
her
father
and
mother
died,
Mordecai
raised
her
as
if
she
was
his
own
daughter.
\par }{\PP \VS{8}When
the
king’s
command
and
decree
were
known,
many
girls
were
gathered
together
to
Susa
the
capital
under
the
custody
of
Hegai.
Esther
was
also
taken
into
the
king’s
palace
and
placed
under
the
custody
of
Hegai,
who
had
charge
of
the
women.
\VS{9}The
girl
pleased
him
and
gained
his
favour,
so
that
he
quickly
gave
her
the
cosmetics
she
needed
to enhance
her
beauty
and
her
allowance
of
food
and
the
seven
maids
selected
from
the
king’s
household.
He
also
transferred
her
and
her
maids
to
the
best
place
in
the
harem.
\VS{10}Esther
had
not
revealed
her
people
nor
her
family background
because
Mordecai
had
ordered
her
not
to.
\VS{11}Every
day
Mordecai
would
to
walk
in
front
of
the
courtyard
of
the
harem
and
ask
after
Esther’s
health
and
what
was happening
to
her.
\par }{\PP \VS{12}The
girls
were
prepared
for
meeting
King
Ahasuerus
for
twelve
months:
six
months
being
treated
with
oil
of
myrrh
and
six
months
with
perfumes
and
cosmetics.
After
the
twelve
months,
\VS{13}each
girl
went
in
to
the
king.
She
was
allowed
to
take
with
her
whatever
she
wished
from
the
women’s
quarters,
\VS{14}and
would
enter
the
palace
in
the
evening
and
return
the
next
morning
to
another
part
of
the
harem
under
the
care
of
the
king’s
eunuch
Shaashgaz
who
was
in
charge
of
concubines.
She
would
not
go
to
the
king
again
unless
he
desired
her
and
summoned
her
by
name.
\VS{15}When
it
was
the
turn
of
Esther (the
girl
adopted
by
Mordecai,
daughter
of
his
uncle
Abihail)
to
go
in
to
the
king,
she
only
took
with
her
those
things
that
Hegai,
the
king’s
eunuch
in
charge
of
the
women,
had
advised
her
to
take.
Esther
was
liked
by
all
who
saw
her.
\VS{16}Esther
was
taken
to
King
Ahasuerus
in
the
royal
palace
in
the
tenth
month,
the
month
of
Tebeth,
in
the
seventh
year
of
his
reign.
\VS{17}And
the
king
loved
her
more
than
all
the
other
women,
and
she
became
his favourite
and
won
his
affection.
He
placed
the
royal
diadem
on
her
head
and
made
her
queen
instead
of
Vashti.
\VS{18}Then
the
king
gave
a
great
feast
to
all
his
officials
and courtiers
in
honour
of
Esther,
and
he remitted
the
taxes
of
the
provinces
and
distributed
gifts
with
royal liberality.
\par }{\PP \VS{19}All
the
time
the
virgins
were
assembled
again,
Mordecai
was
sitting
as
an offical
at
the
king’s
gate.
\VS{20}Esther
had
not
revealed
her
people
or
family background
because
she
still
obeyed
him
as
she
had
when
he
was
bringing
her
up.
\par }{\SH Hatred
without
Pity
\par }{\PP \VS{21}In
those
days
while
Mordecai
was
sitting
in
the
king’s
gate,
two
of
the
royal
court
attendants,
Bigthan
and
Teresh,
who
guarded
the
entrance
of
the
palace,
became
enraged
and
attempted
to
kill
King
Ahasuerus.
\VS{22}But
Mordecai
learned
of
the
conspiracy
and
disclosed
it
to
Queen
Esther,
and
she
told
the
king
on
Mordecai’s
behalf.
\VS{23}When
the
affair
was
investigated
and
the facts
discovered,
the
conspirators
were
both
hanged
on
the
gallows.
The incident
was
recorded
in
the
presence
of
the
king
in
the
daily
record
of
events.

\par }\Chap{3}{\PP \VerseOne{1}After
these
events
King
Ahasuerus
promoted
Haman
the
son
of
Hammedatha
the
Agagite,
and
advanced
him
to
a
place
above
all
the
officials
who
were
with
him.
\VS{2}All
the
king’s courtiers
who
were
in
the
king’s
gate
used
to
bow
down
before
Haman,
for
so
the
king
had
commanded,
but
Mordecai
did
not
bow
down
nor
prostrate
himself.
\par }{\PP \VS{3}Then
the
king’s courtiers,
who
were
in
the
king’s
gate,
said
to
Mordecai, ‘Why
do
you
disobey
the
king’s
command?’
\VS{4}When
they
had
spoken
to
him
day
after
day
without
his
listening
to
them,
they
informed
Haman,
to
see
whether
Mordecai’s
acts
would
be tolerated,
for
he
had
told
them
that
he
was
a
Jew.
\VS{5}When
Haman
saw
that
Mordecai
did
not
bow
down
nor
prostrate
himself
before
him,
he
was
furious.
\VS{6}But
it
seemed
to
him
beneath
his
dignity
to
lay
hands
on
Mordecai
alone,
for
they
had
told
him
who
Mordecai’s
people
were.
Instead
Haman
sought
to
destroy
all
the
people
of
Mordecai,
all
the
Jews
throughout
the
kingdom
of
Ahasuerus.
\par }{\PP \VS{7}In
the
first
month (the
month
of
Nisan)
in
the
twelfth
year
of
the
reign
of
King
Ahasuerus,
Haman
had “pur” (which
means “lot”)
cast
before
him
to
determine
the
best
day
and
best
month
for
his
actions.
The
lot
fell
on
the
thirteenth
day
of
the
twelfth
month –
the
month
of
Adar.
\par }{\PP \VS{8}So
Haman
said
to
King
Ahasuerus, ‘There
is
a
certain
people
scattered
among
the
peoples
in
all
the
provinces
of
your
kingdom,
whose
laws differ
from
those
of
every
other
and
who
do
not
keep
the
king’s
laws.
Therefore
it
is
not
right
for
the
king
to
tolerate
them.
\VS{9}If
it
seems
best
to
the
king,
let
an
order
be
given
to
destroy
them,
and
I
will
pay
ten
thousand
silver coins
into
the
royal
treasury.’
\VS{10}So
the
king
took
off
his
signet
ring
from
his
hand
and
gave
it
to
Haman
son
of
Hammedatha
the
Agagite,
the
enemy
of
the
Jews.
\VS{11}‘The
money
is
yours,’
the
king
said
to
Haman, ‘and
the
people
also
to
do
with
them
as
you
wish.’
\VS{12}And
so,
on
the
thirteenth
day
of
the
first
month,
the
king’s
secretaries
were
summoned
and
as
Haman
instructed
an
edict
was
issued
to
the
king’s
satraps
and provincial
governors
and
the
rulers
of
each
of
the
peoples
in
their
own
script
and
their
own
language.
The
edict
was
written
in
the
name
of
King
Ahasuerus
and
sealed
with
his
ring.
\VS{13}Dispatches
were
sent
by
couriers
to
all
the
king’s
provinces,
saying:
Destroy,
kill,
put
an
end
to
all
the
Jews,
young
and
old,
little
children
and
women,
on
the
thirteenth
day
of
the
twelfth
month,
and
plunder
their
possessions.
\VS{14}A
copy
of
the
edict
was
to
be
published
as
a
decree
in
every
province –
publicly
displayed
so
that
everyone
might
be
ready
for
that
day.
\VS{15}By
command
of
the
king
the
couriers raced
off,
and
the
edict
was
published
in
Susa
itself.
\par }{\PP Then
the
king
and
Haman
sat
down
to
drink,
but
the
city
of
Susa
was
in
turmoil.

\par }\Chap{4}{\SH A Queen’s Efforts to Save Her People
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}When
Mordecai
learned
all
that
had
been
done,
he
tore
his
clothes
and
put
on
sackcloth
and strewed
ashes
on
his
head,
and
went
out
into
the
city
and
raised
a
loud
and
bitter
cry
of
lamentation.
\VS{2}He
went
as
far
as
the
king’s
gate,
but
no
one
could
enter
the
gate
clothed
with
sackcloth.
\VS{3}In
every
province,
wherever
the
king’s
command
and
decree
went,
there
was
great
mourning,
fasting,
weeping,
and
wailing
among
the
Jews.
Many
of
them
sat
in
sackcloth
and
ashes.
\par }{\PP \VS{4}When
Esther’s
maids
and
attendants
told
her
about
Mordecai’s
behaviour,
she
was
greatly
troubled.
She
sent
garments
for
Mordecai
to
put
on,
so
that
he
could
take
off
his sack-cloth,
but
he
would
not
accept
them.
\VS{5}So
Esther
called
Hathach,
one
of
the
king’s
eunuchs
whom
he
had
appointed
to
attend
her,
and
ordered
him
to
go
to
Mordecai
to
learn
what
it
all
meant
and
the
reason
for
it.
\par }{\PP \VS{6}So
Hathach
went
out
to
Mordecai,
to
the
city
square
in
front
of
the
king’s
gate.
\VS{7}Mordecai
told
him
all
that
had
happened
to
him
and
the
exact
amount
of
money
that
Haman
had
promised
to
pay
into
the
king’s
treasury
for
the
destruction
of
the
Jews.
\VS{8}Also
he
gave
him
a
copy
of
the
decree
to
destroy
them,
that
had
been
published
in
Susa,
to
show
to
Esther
for
her
information.
He
also
told
her
to
go
to
the
king
and
implore
his
mercy
and
to
plead
with
him
in
behalf
of
her
people.
\par }{\PP \VS{9}When
Hathach
came
and
told
Esther
what
Mordecai
had
said,
\VS{10}she
instructed
Hathach
to
go
and
say
to
Mordecai,
\VS{11}‘All
the
king’s courtiers
and
the
people
of
the
king’s
provinces
know
that
for
every
man
or
woman
who
goes
to
the
king
into
the
inner
court
without
being
called
there
is
one
penalty,
death,
unless
the
king
holds
out
the
golden
sceptre signifying
that
they
may
live.
It
has
been
thirty
days
since
I
have
been
called
to
go
in
to
the
king.’
\par }{\PP \VS{12}When
Mordecai
was
told
what
Esther
had
said,
\VS{13}he
sent
back
this
reply
to
Esther, ‘Don’t
imagine
that
you
alone
of
all
the
Jews
will
escape
because
you
belong
to
the
king’s
household.
\VS{14}If
you
persist
in
remaining
silent
at
this
time,
relief
and
deliverance
will
come
to
the
Jews
from
another
quarter,
but
you
and
your
family
will
perish.
Who
knows?
Maybe
you
have
been
raised
to
the
throne
for
a
time
like
this!’
\par }{\PP \VS{15}Then
Esther
sent
this
message
to
Mordecai:
\VS{16}‘Go,
gather
all
the
Jews
in
Susa
and
fast
for
me.
Don’t
eat
nor
drink
anything
for
three
days
and
nights.
My
maids
and
I
will
fast
as
well.
Then
I
will
go
in
to
the
king,
although
it
is
contrary
to
the
law,
and
if
I
die,
I
die.’
\VS{17}Mordecai
did
everything
Esther
had
directed.

\par }\Chap{5}{\PP \VerseOne{1}On
the
third
day,
Esther
put
on
her regalia
and
stood
in
the
inner
court
of
the
royal
palace
opposite
the
king’s
house.
The
king
was
sitting
on
his
throne
in
the
palace,
opposite
the
entrance.
\VS{2}When
he
saw
Esther
the
queen
standing
in
the
court,
she
won
his
favour,
and
he
held
out
to
her
the
golden
sceptre
that
was
in
his
hand.
So
Esther
approached
and
touched
the
top
of
the
sceptre.
\VS{3}Then
the
king
said
to
her, ‘What
is
it,
Queen
Esther?
Whatever
your
request
is,
it
will
be
granted,
even
if
it
is
the
half
of
the
kingdom.’
\par }{\PP \VS{4}‘If
it
seems
best
to
the
king,’
Esther
said, ‘let
the
king
and
Haman
come
today
to
the
banquet
that
I
have
prepared
for
him.’
\VS{5}Then
the
king
ordered, ‘Bring
Haman
quickly,
so
that
Esther’s
wish
may
be
gratified.’
\par }{\PP So
the
king
and
Haman
went
to
the
banquet
that
Esther
had
prepared.
\VS{6}While
they
were
drinking
wine,
the
king
said
to
Esther, ‘Whatever
your
petition
is,
it
will
be
granted.
Your
request,
it
will
be
done –
even
if
it
takes
half
of
my
kingdom.’
\VS{7}Esther
answered,
\VS{8}‘If
I
have
won
the
king’s
favour
and
if
it
seems
best
to
the
king
to
grant
my
petition
and
to accede
to
my
request,
my
petition
and
my
request
are
that
the
king
and
Haman
come
to
the
banquet
which
I
will
prepare
for
them.
Tomorrow
I
will
answer
the
king’s
question
as
he
wishes.’
\par }{\PP \VS{9}Haman
went
out
that
day
joyful
and elated,
but
when
he
saw
Mordecai
in
the
king’s
gate
and
noticed
that
he
neither
stood
up
nor
moved
for
him,
he
was
furiously
angry
with
Mordecai.
\VS{10}Nevertheless
Haman
restrained
himself
and
went
home.
He
called
together
his
friends
and
Zeresh
his
wife
\VS{11}and
recounted
to
them
the
greatness
of
his
wealth,
how
many
children
he
had,
and
all
the
ways
in
which
the
king
had
honoured
him,
and
how
he
had
promoted
him
above
the
officials
and
the
royal courtiers.
\VS{12}‘What
is
more,’
Haman
said, ‘Queen
Esther
brought
no
one
in
with
the
king
to
the
banquet
which
she
had
prepared
except
me,
and
tomorrow
also
I
am
invited
by
her
along
with
the
king.
\VS{13}Yet
all
this
does
not
satisfy
me
as
long
as
I
see
Mordecai
the
Jew
sitting
at
the
king’s
gate.’
\par }{\PP \VS{14}Then
Zeresh
his
wife
and
all
his
friends
said
to
him, ‘Let
a
gallows
seventy-five
feet
high
be
erected,
and
in
the
morning
speak
to
the
king
and
let
Mordecai
be
hanged
on
it.
Then
go
merrily
with
the
king
to
the
banquet.’
The
advice
pleased
Haman,
and
so
he
had
the
gallows
erected.

\par }\Chap{6}{\SH Downfall of a Conspirator
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}On
that
night
the
king
was
unable
to
sleep,
so
he
gave
orders
to
bring
the
books
that
recorded
memorable
deeds,
and
they
were
read
before
the
king.
\VS{2}It
was
found
recorded
how
Mordecai
had
furnished
information
regarding
Bigthan
and
Teresh,
two
of
the
king’s
attendants
who
guarded
the
entrance
of
the
palace,
who
had
attempted
to
kill
King
Ahasuerus.
\VS{3}‘What
honour
and
dignity
have
been
conferred
on
Mordecai
for
this?’
the
king
asked.
When
the
king’s pages
who
waited
on
him
replied ‘Nothing
has
been
done
for
him,’
\VS{4}the
king
said, ‘Who
is
in
the
court?’
Now
Haman
had
just
entered
the
outer
court
of
the
king’s
house
to
speak
to
the
king
about
hanging
Mordecai
on
the
gallows
that
he
had
prepared
for
him.
\VS{5}So
the
king’s pages
said
to
him, ‘Haman
is
standing
there,
in
the
court.’
The
king
said, ‘Let
him
enter.’
\VS{6}So
Haman
entered,
and
the
king
said
to
him, ‘What
should
be
done
for
the
man
whom
the
king
wishes
to
honour?’
Haman
said
to
himself, ‘Whom
besides
me
could
the
king
wish
to
honour?’
\VS{7}So
he
said
to
the
king, ‘For
the
man
whom
the
king
wishes
to
honour
\VS{8}let
a
royal
garment
be
brought,
which
the
king
has
worn,
and
the
horse
on
which
the
king
has
ridden
and
on
whose
head
a
royal
diadem
has
been
placed.
\VS{9}Then
let
the
garment
and
the
horse
be
placed
in
charge
of
one
of
the
king’s
noble
officials.
Let
him
clothe
the
man
whom
the
king
wishes
to
honour
and
let
him
lead
that
man
on
the
horse
through
the
city
square,
proclaiming
before
him, “This
is
what
is
done
for
the
man
whom
the
king
wishes
to
honour.” ’
\par }{\PP \VS{10}Then
the
king
said
to
Haman, ‘Make
haste
and
take
the
garment
and
the
horse,
as
you
have
said,
and
do
this
to
Mordecai
the
Jew,
who
sits
in
the
king’s
gate.
Omit
nothing
of
all
you
have
said.’
\VS{11}So
Haman
took
the
garment
and
the
horse
and
clothed
Mordecai,
and
made
him
ride
through
the
city
square
and
proclaimed
before
him, ‘This
is
what
is
done
for
the
man
whom
the
king
wishes
to
honour.’
\par }{\PP \VS{12}Mordecai
returned
to
the
king’s
gate,
but
Haman
hurried
to
his
house,
mourning,
with
his
head
covered.
\VS{13}Haman
recounted
to
Zeresh
his
wife
and
to
all
his
friends
everything
that
had
happened
to
him.
Then
his
wise
men
and
Zeresh
his
wife
said
to
him, ‘If
Mordecai
before
whom
you
have
already
been
humiliated
is
of
the
Jewish
people,
you
can
do
nothing
against
him
but
will
surely
fall
before
him.’
\par }{\PP \VS{14}While
they
were
still
talking
with
him,
the
king’s
attendants
came
and
quickly
took
Haman
to
the
banquet
that
Esther
had
prepared.

\par }\Chap{7}{\PP \VerseOne{1}So
the
king
and
Haman
went
to
drink
with
Queen
Esther.
\VS{2}As
they
were
drinking
wine
on
that
second
day,
the
king
again
said
to
Esther, ‘Whatever
your
petition
is,
Queen
Esther,
it
will
be
granted
to
you.
Whatever
you
request
it
will
be
done,
even
if
it
takes
half
of
the
kingdom.’
\VS{3}Then
Queen
Esther
answered, ‘Your
Majesty,
if
I
have
won
your
favour,
and
if
it
seems
best
to
Your
Majesty,
let
my
life
be
given
me
as
my
petition,
and
my
people
as
my
request,
\VS{4}for
I
and
my
people
have
been
sold
to
be
destroyed,
killed,
and
completely
annihilated!
If
we
had
been
merely
sold
into
slavery
I
would
not
have
disturbed
your
peace,
because
such
a
fate
would
not
have affected
the interests
of
the
king.’
\par }{\PP \VS{5}Then
King
Ahasuerus
said
to
Queen
Esther, ‘Who
is
he
and
where
is
he
whose
heart
has
impelled
him
to
do
this?’
\par }{\PP \VS{6}‘A
foe,
an
enemy:
this
wicked
Haman.’
Esther
answered.
Haman
shrank
in
terror
before
the
king
and
the
queen.
\VS{7}In
his
wrath
the
king
rose
from
the
place
where
he
was
drinking
wine
and
went
into
the
palace
garden.
Haman
stayed
to
beg
Queen
Esther
for
his
life,
for
he
saw
that
the
king
was
fully
determined
to
bring
calamity
upon
him.
\VS{8}As
the
king
returned
from
the
palace
garden
to
the
banquet
hall,
Haman
had flung
himself
on
Esther’s
couch.
The
king
cried, ‘Is
he
going
to
rape
my
queen
while
I
am
present
in
my
own
house?’
\par }{\PP As
the
king
spoke
these
words,
the
attendants
covered
Haman’s
face
\VS{9}and
Harbonah,
one
of
those
who
waited
on
the
king,
said, ‘There
are
the
gallows,
seventy-five
feet
high,
which Hainan
erected
for
Mordecai,
who
spoke
a
good
word
in
behalf
of
the
king,
standing
in
the
house
of
Haman!’
The
king
said ‘Hang
him
on
them.’
\VS{10}So
they
hanged
Haman
on
the
gallows
that
he
had
prepared
for
Mordecai.
Then
the
wrath
of
the
king
was
pacified.

\par }\Chap{8}{\SH Deliverance of the Jews
\par }{\PP \VerseOne{1}At
that
time
King
Ahasuerus
gave
the
property
of
Haman
the
Jews’
enemy
to
Queen
Esther.
Mordecai
was
made
one
of
the
king’s
personal
advisers,
for
Esther
had
disclosed
his relationship
to
her.
\VS{2}The
king
also
drew
off
his
signet
ring,
which
he
had
taken
from
Haman.
He
gave
it
to
Mordecai,
and
Esther
placed
Mordecai
in
charge
of
Haman’s
property.
\par }{\PP \VS{3}Then
Esther
sought
another
audience
with
the
king
and
fell
at
his
feet
and
with
tears
begged
him
to
avert
the
evil
planned
by
Haman
the
Agagite
and
to
frustrate
his
designs
against
the
Jews.
\VS{4}The
king
held
out
to
her
the
golden
sceptre,
and
she
arose
and
stood
before
him.
\VS{5}‘If
it
seems
best
to
the
king,’
she
said, ‘and
if
I
have
won
his
favour
and
he
thinks
it
right,
and
if
I
please
him,
let
written
orders
be
given
to
revoke
the dispatches
devised
by
Haman
son
of
Hammedatha
the
Agagite,
which
he
wrote
ordering
the
destruction
of
the
Jews
who
are
in
all
the
king’s
provinces.
\VS{6}For
how
can
I
bear
to
look
upon
the
evil
that
will
come
to
my
people?
How
can
I
bear
to
see
their
destruction?’
\VS{7}Then
King
Ahasuerus
said
to
Queen
Esther
and
to
Mordecai
the
Jew, ‘See,
I
have
given
Esther
the
property
of
Haman,
and
they
have
hanged
him
on
the
gallows,
because
he
laid
hands
upon
the
Jews.
\VS{8}Now
you
write
on
behalf
of
the
Jews,
as
seems
best
to
you,
in
the
king’s
name
and
seal
it
with
the
king’s
signet
ring.
For
a
document
that
is
written
in
the
king’s
name
and
sealed
with
the
king’s
signet
ring
cannot
be
revoked.’
\par }{\PP \VS{9}On
the
twenty-third
day
of
the
third
month (that
is
the
month
of
Sivan),
the
king’s
secretaries
were
summoned
and
as
Mordecai
instructed
an
edict
was
issued
to
the
Jews,
to
the
satraps
and provincial
governors
and
the
rulers
of
each
of
the
one
hundred
twenty-seven
provinces
from
India
to
Ethiopia
in
their
own
script
and
their
own
language,
and
to
the
Jews
in
their
own
script
and
language.
\par }{\PP \VS{10}Mordecai
wrote
in
the
name
of
King
Ahasuerus.
He
sealed
it
with
the
king’s
signet
ring. Dispatches
were
sent
by
mounted
couriers
who
rode
the
swift,
noble
steeds,
bred
of
the
royal
studs.
\VS{11}In
this
way
the
king
permitted
the
Jews
who
were
in
every
city
to
gather
together
and
make
a
stand
for
their
life,
to
destroy,
to
kill,
and
annihilate
all
the
armed
forces
of
any
people
or
province
that
might
be
hostile
to
them,
including
their
children
and
women,
and
to
take
their
goods
as
plunder
\VS{12}throughout
all
the
provinces
of
King
Ahasuerus
on
that
thirteenth
day
of
the
twelfth
month (which
is
called
Adar).
\VS{13}A
copy
of
the
edict
was
to
be
published
as
a
decree
in
every
province –
publicly
displayed
so
that
the
Jews
might
be
ready
for
that
day
and
avenge
themselves.
\VS{14}So
the
couriers
who
rode
the
swift,
noble
steeds
went
out,
hastened
and
impelled
by
the
king’s
commands!
\par }{\PP Meantime
the
decree
had
been
given
out
in
the
royal
palace
at
Susa;
\VS{15}and
Mordecai
had
gone
out
from
the
presence
of
the
king
in
royal
garments
of
violet
and
white
and
with
a
great
crown
of
gold
and
with
a
robe
of
fine
linen
and
purple.
The
people
of
Susa
shouted
and
were
glad.
\VS{16}To
the
Jews
there
came
light
and
gladness
and
joy
and
honour.
\VS{17}And
in
every
province
and
city,
wherever
the
king’s
command
and
decree
came,
there
was
gladness
and
joy
among
the
Jews
and
a
holiday.
Many
of
the
peoples
of
the
earth professed
to
be
Jews,
for
fear
of
the
Jews
took
possession
of
them.

\par }\Chap{9}{\PP \VerseOne{1}Now
in
the
twelfth
month (that
is
the
month
of
Adar),
on
the
thirteenth
day,
when
the
king’s
command
and
his
decree
was
about
to
put
into
execution,
on
the
day
that
the
enemies
of
the
Jews
hoped
to
gain
the
mastery
over
them,
then
the
tables
were
turned
so
that
the
Jews
had
the
mastery
over
those
who
hated
them.
\VS{2}The
Jews
gathered
together
in
the
cities
throughout
all
the
provinces
of
King
Ahasuerus,
to
attack
anyone
who
tried
to
harm
them.
No
one
could
withstand
them,
for
the
fear
of
them
had
fallen
on
all
the
peoples.
\VS{3}All
the
princes
of
the
provinces
and
the
satraps
and
the
governors
and
they
who
attended
to
the
king’s
business,
helped
the
Jews,
because
the
fear
of
Mordecai
had
fallen
on
them.
\VS{4}For
Mordecai
was
great
in
the
king’s
palace,
and
as
his
power
increased
his
fame
spread
throughout
all
the
provinces.
\VS{5}The
Jews
put
all
their
enemies
to
the
sword
and,
with
slaughter
and
destruction,
they
did
what
they
wanted
to
those
who
hated
them.
\VS{6}In
Susa
the
capital
the
Jews
killed
five
hundred
people.
\VS{7}They
killed
Parshandatha,
Dalphon,
Aspatha,
\VS{8}Poratha,
Adalia,
Aridatha,
\VS{9}Parmashta, Arisia,
Aridai,
and
Vaizatha,
\VS{10}the
ten
sons
of
Haman
the
son
of
Hammedatha,
the
Jews’
enemy;
but
they
did
not
take
any
plunder.
\par }{\PP \VS{11}On
that
day
the
number
of
those
who
were
slain
in
Susa
was
brought
before
the
king,
\VS{12}and
the
king
said
to
Queen
Esther, ‘The
Jews
have
slain
five
hundred
people
in
Susa,
and
the
ten
sons
of
Haman.
What
then
have
they
done
in
the
rest
of
the
king’s
provinces!
Now
what
is
your
petition?
It
will
be
granted
to
you.
What
is
your
request?
It
will
be
done.’
\par }{\PP \VS{13}‘If
it
please
the
king,’
Esther
said, ‘let
it
be
granted
to
the
Jews
who
are
in
Susa
to
do
tomorrow
also
according
to
this
day’s
decree.
Let
the
bodies
of
Haman’s
ten
sons
be
hanged
on
the
gallows.’
\VS{14}And
the
king
commanded
it
to
be
done.
A
decree
was
given
out
in
Susa
and
they
hung
the
bodies
of
Haman’s
ten
sons
on
the
gallows.
\VS{15}The
Jews
who
were
in
Susa
gathered
themselves
together
again
on
the
fourteenth
day
of
the
month
of
Adar.
They
killed
three
hundred
people
in
Susa.
But
they
did
not
take
any
plunder.
\VS{16}And
the
other
Jews
who
were
in
the
king’s
provinces
gathered
themselves
together
and
fought
for
their
lives
and overcame
their
enemies.
They
killed
seventy-five
thousand
who
hated
them.
But
they
did
not
take
any
plunder.
\VS{17}This
was
on
the
thirteenth
day
of
Adar.
\par }{\BB \par }{\PP On
the
fourteenth
day
of
the
month
Adar
the
Jews
rested
and
made
it
a
day
of
feasting
and
rejoicing.
\VS{18}(But
the
Jews
in
Susa
gathered
on
both
the
thirteenth
and
fourteenth
day –
and
rested
on
the
fifteenth
day
of
the
same
month
and
made
it
a
day
of
feasting
and
rejoicing.)
\par }{\PP \VS{19}This
is
why
the
Jews
who
live
in
the
country
villages
keep
the
fourteenth
day
of
the
month
of
Adar
as
a
day
of
rejoicing
and
feasting
and
a
holiday,
and
a
day
in
which
they
send
gifts
of
food
to
each
other.
\par }{\SH The
Establishment
of
Purim
\par }{\PP \VS{20}Mordecai
had
these
things
recorded.
He
sent
letters
to
all
the
Jews
who
were
in
all
the
provinces
of
the
King
Ahasuerus,
both
near
and
far.
\VS{21}He
told
them
to
keep
the
fourteenth
day
of
the
month
of
Adar
and
also
the
fifteenth
day
every
year,
\VS{22}as
the
days
on
which
the
Jews
had
rest
from
their
enemies,
and
the
month
which
was
turned
from
sorrow
to
gladness
and
from
mourning
into
a
feast
day.
They
should
make
them
days
of
feasting
and
gladness
and
of
sending
gifts
of
food
to
each
other
and
of
gifts
to
the
poor.
\par }{\PP \VS{23}So
what
the
Jews
had
begun
to
do
they
adopted
as
a
custom,
just
as
Mordecai
had
written
to
them.
\VS{24}For
Haman
the
son
of
Hammedatha,
the
Agagite,
the
enemy
of
all
the
Jews,
had
plotted
to
destroy
them.
He
had
cast “Pur”,
that
is
the
lot,
intending
to
consume
them
and
to
destroy
them.
\VS{25}But
when
the
matter
came
before
the
king,
he
gave
written
orders
that
his
wicked
plot,
which
he
had
planned
against
the
Jews,
should
come
upon
his
own
head,
and
that
he
and
his
sons
should
be
hanged
on
the
gallows.
\VS{26}This
is
why
these
days
are
called
Purim,
after
the
word
Pur.
Therefore
because
of
all
the
words
of
this
letter,
as
well
as
all
they
had
seen,
and
all
they
had
experienced,
\VS{27}the
Jews
established
and
made
it
a
custom
for
them,
for
their
descendants,
and
for
all
who
should
join
them,
so
that
it
might
not
be
repealed,
that
they
should
continue
to
observe
these
two
days
as
feasts
each
year,
\VS{28}and
that
these
days
should
be
remembered
and
kept
throughout
every
generation,
every
family,
every
province,
and
every
city.
And
these
days
of
Purim
should
not
pass
away
from
among
the
Jews
nor
the
remembrance
of
them
disappear
among
their
descendants.
\par }{\PP \VS{29}Queen
Esther,
the
daughter
of
Abihail,
gave
Mordecai
the
Jew
all
authority
in
writing
to
confirm
this
second
letter
of
Purim.
\VS{30}He
sent
letters
to
all
the
Jews,
to
the
hundred
and
twenty-seven
provinces
of
the
kingdom
of
Ahasuerus,
wishing
them
peace
and
security,
\VS{31}to
confirm
these
days
of
Purim
in
their
proper
times,
to
be
observed
as
Mordecai
the
Jew
and
Queen
Esther
had
directed
and
as
the
Jews
had proscribed
for
themselves
and
their
descendants,
in
the
matter
of
the
fastings
and
their
cry
of
lamentation.
\VS{32}And
the
commands
of
Esther
confirmed
these
matters
of
Purim;
and
it
was
written
in
the
records.
\par }{\BB \par }
\Chap{10}{\PP \VerseOne{1}King
Ahasuerus
imposed
a
tribute
on
the
land
and
the
coasts.
\VS{2}All
the
acts
of
his
power
and
of
his
might,
and
the
full
account
of
the
greatness
of
Mordecai
to
which
the
king
advanced
him,
are
they
not
recorded
in
the
book
of
the
chronicles
of
the
kings
of
Media
and
Persia?
\VS{3}For
Mordecai
the
Jew
was
next
in
rank
to
King
Ahasuerus,
and
great
among
the
Jews,
and
loved
by
them
all.
He
sought
the
good
of
his
people
and
promoted
the
welfare
of
their
descendants.
\par }