AB - Esther

Chapter 1

1:1  And it came to pass after these things in the days of Artaxerxes (this Artaxerxes ruled over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India),

1:2  in those days, when King Artaxerxes was on the throne in the city of Susa,

1:3  in the third year of his reign, he made a feast for his friends, and the other nations, and to the nobles of the Persians and Medes, and the chief of the satraps.

1:4  And after this, after he had shown to them the wealth of his kingdom, and the abundant glory of his wealth during a hundred and eighty days,

1:5  when the days of the marriage feast were completed, the king made a banquet for the nations who were present in the city six days, in the court of the king's house,

1:6  which was adorned with hangings of fine linen and flax on cords of fine linen and purple, fastened to golden and silver studs, on pillars of Parian marble and stone. There were golden and silver couches on a pavement of emerald stone, and of pearl, and of Parian stone, and open-worked coverings variously flowered, having roses worked round about;

1:7  gold and silver cups, and a small cup of carbuncle set out of the value of thirty thousand talents, abundant and sweet wine, which the king himself drank.

1:8  And this banquet was not according to the appointed law; but so the king would have it: and he charged the stewards to perform his will and that of the company.

1:9  Also Vashti the queen made a banquet for the women in the palace where King Artaxerxes dwelt.

1:10  Now on the seventh day the king, being merry, told Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Zethar, Abagtha, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs, servants of King Artaxerxes,

1:11  to bring the queen in to him, to enthrone her, and crown her with the diadem, and to show her to the princes, and her beauty to the nations, for she was beautiful.

1:12  But Queen Vashti hearkened not to him to come with the chamberlains, so the king was grieved and angered.

1:13  And he said to his friends, Thus has Vashti spoken: pronounce therefore upon this case law and judgment.

1:14  So Carshena, Shethar, and Malisear, the princes of the Persians and Medes, who were near the king, who sat chief in rank by the king, drew near to him,

1:15  and reported to him according to the laws how it was proper to do to Queen Vashti, because she had not done the things commanded of the king by the eunuchs.

1:16  And Memucan said to the king and to the princes, Queen Vashti has not wronged the king only, but also all the king's rulers and princes,

1:17  for he has told them the words of the queen, and how she disobeyed the king. As then, he said, she refused to obey King Artaxerxes,

1:18  so this day shall the other ladies of the chiefs of the Persians and Medes, having heard what she said to the king, dare in the same way to dishonor their husbands.

1:19  If then it seem good to the king, let him make a royal decree, and let it be written according to the laws of the Medes and Persians, and let him not alter it. And let not the queen come in to him anymore, and let the king give her royalty to a woman better than she.

1:20  And let the law of the king which he shall have made, be widely proclaimed in his kingdom. And so shall all the women give honor to their husbands, from the poor even to the rich.

1:21  And the saying pleased the king and the princes; and the king did as Memucan had said,

1:22  and sent into all his kingdom through the several provinces, according to their language, in order that men might be feared in their own houses.

Chapter 2

2:1  And after this the king's anger was pacified, and he no more made mention of Vashti, bearing in mind what she had said, and how he had condemned her.

2:2  Then the servants of the king said, Let there be sought for the king chaste and beautiful young virgins.

2:3  And let the king appoint local governors in all the provinces of his kingdom, and let them select fair and chaste young women, and bring them to the city Susa, into the women's apartment, and let them be consigned to the king's eunuch, the keeper of the women. And let things for purification and other attendance be given to them.

2:4  And let the woman who shall please the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so.

2:5  Now there was a Jew in the city Susa, and his name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin;

2:6  who had been brought a prisoner from Jerusalem, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried into captivity.

2:7  And he had a foster child, daughter of Aminadab his father's brother, and her name was Esther. And when her parents were dead, he brought her up for a wife for himself. And the woman was beautiful.

2:8  And because the king's ordinance was published, many young women were gathered to the city Susa under the hand of Hegai; and Esther was brought to Hegai the keeper of the women.

2:9  Now the young woman pleased him, and she found favor in his sight; and he hastened to give her the things for purification, and her portion, and the seven maidens appointed her out of the palace. And he treated her and her maidens well in the women's apartment.

2:10  But Esther revealed not her family nor her kindred; for Mordecai had charged her not to tell.

2:11  But Mordecai used to walk every day by the women's court, to see what would become of Esther.

2:12  Now this was the time for a virgin to go into the king, when she should have fulfilled twelve months; for so are the days of purification fulfilled, six months while they are anointing themselves with oil of myrrh, and six months with spices and women's purifications.

2:13  And then the young woman goes in to the king; and the officer to whoever he shall give the command, will bring her to come in with him from the women's apartment to the king's chamber.

2:14  She enters in the evening, and in the morning she departs to the second women's apartment, where Hegai the king's eunuch is keeper of the women. And she goes not in to the king again, unless she should be called by name.

2:15  And when the time was fulfilled for Esther, the daughter of Aminadab, the brother of Mordecai's father to go in to the king, she neglected nothing which the eunuch, the women's keeper, commanded; for Esther found grace in the sight of all that looked upon her.

2:16  So Esther went in to King Artaxerxes in the twelfth month, which is Adar, in the seventh year of his reign.

2:17  And the king loved Esther, and she found favor beyond all the other virgins, and he put on her the queen's crown.

2:18  And the king made a banquet for all his friends and great men for seven days, and he highly celebrated the marriage of Esther; and he made a release to those who were under his dominion.

2:19  But Mordecai served in the palace.

2:20  Now Esther had not revealed her relatives; for so Mordecai commanded her, to fear God, and perform His commandments, as when she was with him: and Esther changed not her manner of life.

2:21  And two of the king's eunuchs, the chiefs of the bodyguard, were grieved, because Mordecai was promoted; and they sought to kill King Artaxerxes.

2:22  And the matter became known to Mordecai, and he made it known to Esther, and she declared to the king the matter of the conspiracy.

2:23  And the king examined the two eunuchs, and hanged them. And the king gave orders to make a note for a memorial in the royal records of the good offices of Mordecai, as a commendation.

Chapter 3

3:1  And after this King Artaxerxes highly honored Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Bugaean, and exalted him, and set his seat above all his friends.

3:2  And everyone in the palace bowed down to him, for so the king had given orders to do; but Mordecai did not bow down to him.

3:3  And those in the king's palace said to Mordecai, Mordecai, why do you transgress the commands of the king?

3:4  Thus they spoke daily to him, but he hearkened not unto them; so they told it to Haman that Mordecai resisted the commands of the king; and Mordecai had shown to them that he was a Jew.

3:5  And when Haman understood that Mordecai did not bow down to him, he was greatly enraged,

3:6  and took counsel to utterly destroy all the Jews who were under the rule of Artaxerxes.

3:7  And he made a decree in the twelfth year of the reign of Artaxerxes, and cast lots daily and monthly, to slay in one day the race of Mordecai. And the lot fell on the fourteenth day of the month, which is Adar.

3:8  And he spoke to King Artaxerxes, saying, There is a nation scattered among the nations in all your kingdom, and their laws differ from those of all the other nations; and they disobey the laws of the king. Therefore it is not fitting for the king to let them alone.

3:9  If it seems good to the king, let him make a decree to destroy them, and I will remit into the king's treasury ten thousand talents of silver.

3:10  And the king took off his ring, and gave it into the hands of Haman, to seal the decrees against the Jews.

3:11  And the king said to Haman, Keep the silver, and treat the nation as you will.

3:12  So the king's recorders were called in the first month, on the thirteenth day, and they wrote as Haman commanded to the captains and governors in every province, from India even to Ethiopia, to a hundred and twenty-seven provinces, and to the rulers of the nations according to their many languages, in the name of King Artaxerxes.

3:13  And the message was sent by posts throughout the kingdom of Artaxerxes, to utterly destroy the race of the Jews on the first day of the twelfth month, which is Adar, and to plunder their goods. And the following is the copy of the letter: The great King Artaxerxes writes thus to the rulers and inferior governors of a hundred and twenty-seven provinces, from India even to Ethiopia, who hold authority under him. Ruling over many nations, and having obtained dominion over the whole world, I was minded, (not elated by the confidence of power but ever conducting myself with great moderation and with gentleness) to make the lives of my subjects continually tranquil, desiring both to maintain the kingdom quite and orderly to its utmost limits, and to restore the peace desired by all men. But when I had inquired of my counselors how this should be brought to pass, Haman, who excels in sound judgment among us, and has been manifestly well inclined without wavering and with unshaken fidelity, and has obtained the second post in the kingdom, informed us that a certain ill-disposed people is mixed up with all the tribes throughout the world, opposed in their laws to every other nation, and continually neglecting the commands of the kings, so that the united government blamelessly administered by us is not quietly established. Having then conceived that this nation alone of all others is continually set in opposition to every man, introducing as a change a foreign code of laws, and injuriously plotting to accomplish the worst of evils against our interests, and against the happy establishment of the monarchy; we have accordingly appointed those who are signified to you in the letters written by Haman, who is set over the public affairs and is our second governor, to utterly destroy them all with their wives and children by the swords of the enemies, without pitying or sparing any, on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month (which is Adar) of the present year; that the people aforetime and now ill-disposed to us having been violently consigned to death in one day, may hereafter secure to us continually a well- constituted and quiet state of affairs.

3:14  And the copies of the letters were published in every province; and an order was given to all the nations to be ready against that day.

3:15  And the business was hastened, and that at Susa. And the king and Haman began to drink, but the city was troubled.

Chapter 4

4:1  But Mordecai, having perceived what was done, tore his clothes, and put on sackcloth, and sprinkled dust upon himself. And having rushed forth through the open street of the city, he cried with a loud voice, A nation that has done no wrong is going to be destroyed!

4:2  And he came to the king's gate, and stood; for it was not lawful for him to enter into the palace, wearing sackcloth and ashes.

4:3  And in every province where the letters were published, there was crying and lamentation and great mourning on the part of the Jews: they spread for themselves sackcloth and ashes.

4:4  And the queen's maids and chamberlains went in and told her: and when she had heard what was done, she was disturbed; and she sent to clothe Mordecai, and take away his sackcloth; but he consented not.

4:5  So Esther called for her eunuch Hathach, who waited upon her; and she sent to learn the truth from Mordecai.

4:7  And Mordecai showed him what was done, and the promise which Haman had made the king of ten thousand talents to be paid into the treasury, that he might destroy the Jews.

4:8  And he gave him the copy of the writing that was published in Susa concerning their destruction, to show to Esther. And told him to command her to go in and make supplication to the king, and to beg him for the people, remembering, he said, the days of your low estate, how you were nursed by my hand-because Haman, who holds the next place to the king, has spoken against us for death. Call upon the Lord, and speak to the king concerning us, to deliver us from death!

4:9  So Hathach went in and told her all these words.

4:10  And Esther said to Hathach, Go to Mordecai, and say,

4:11  All the nations of the empire know, that whoever, man or woman, shall go in to the king into the inner court uncalled, that person cannot live. Only to whomsoever the king shall stretch out his golden scepter, he shall live; and I have not been called to go into the king, for these thirty days.

4:12  And Hathach reported to Mordecai all the words of Esther.

4:13  Then Mordecai said to Hathach, Go, and say to her, Esther, say not to yourself that you alone will escape in the kingdom, more than all the other Jews.

4:14  For if you shall refuse to heed on this occasion, help and protection will be to the Jews from another quarter; but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows if you have been made queen for this very occasion.

4:15  And Esther sent the man that came to her to Mordecai, saying,

4:16  Go and assemble the Jews that are in Susa, and fast for me, and eat not and drink not for three days, night and day. And I also and my maidens will fast, and then I will go in to the king contrary to the law, even if I must die.

4:17  So Mordecai went and did all that Esther commanded him. And he sought the Lord, making mention of all the works of the Lord; and he said, Lord God, King ruling over all, for all things are in Your power, and there is no one that shall oppose You in Your purpose to save Israel. For You have made the heaven and the earth, and every wonderful thing in the earth under heaven. And You are Lord of all, and there is no one who shall resist You, the Lord. You know all things: You know, O Lord, that it is not in the insolence, nor haughtiness, nor love of glory, that I have done this, to refuse to bow down to the haughty Haman. For I would gladly have kissed the soles of his feet for the safety of Israel. But I have done this, that I might not set the glory of man above the glory of God: and I will not worship anyone except You, my Lord, and I will not do these things in haughtiness. And now, O Lord God, O King, the God of Abraham, spare Your people, for our enemies are looking upon us for our destruction, and they have desired to destroy Your ancient inheritance. Do not overlook Your peculiar people, whom you have redeemed for Yourself out of the land of Egypt. Hearken to my prayer, and be propitious to Yours in gladness, that we may live and sing praises to Your name, O Lord; and do not utterly destroy the mount of them that praise You, O Lord. And all Israel cried with all their might, for their death was before their eyes. And Queen Esther found refuge in the Lord, being taken, as it were, in the agony of death. And having taken off her glorious apparel, she put on garments of distress and morning. And instead of grand perfumes, she put dung and ashes on her head, and she greatly brought down her body, and she filled every place of her glad adorning with the torn curls of her hair. And she sought the Lord God of Israel, and said, O my Lord, You alone are our king. Help me, I who am destitute, and have no helper but You, for my danger is close at hand. I have heard from my birth, in the tribe of my kindred, that You, O Lord, took Israel out of all the nations, and our fathers out of all their kindred for a perpetual inheritance, and have wrought for them all that You have said. And now we have sinned before You, and You have delivered us into the hands of our enemies, because we honored their gods. You are righteous, O Lord. But now they have not been contented with the bitterness of our slavery, but have laid their hands on the hands of their idols, in order to abolish the decree of Your mouth, and to utterly destroy Your inheritance, and to stop the mouth of them that praise You, and to extinguish the glory of Your house and Your altar, and to open the mouth of the Gentiles, to speak the praises of vanities, and in order that a mortal king should be admired forever. O Lord, do not resign Your scepter to them that are not, and let them not laugh at our fall, but turn their counsel against themselves, and make an example of him who has begun to injure us. Remember us, O Lord, manifest Yourself in the time of our affliction, and encourage me, O King of gods, and Ruler of all dominion. Put harmonious speech into my mouth before the lion, and turn his heart to hate him that fights against us, to the utter destruction of him and of them that consent with him. But deliver us by Your hand, and help I who am destitute, and have no one but You, O Lord. You know all things, and know that I hate the glory of transgressors, and that I abhor the manners of the uncircumcised, and of every stranger. You know my necessity, for I abhor the symbol of my proud station, which is upon my head in the days of my splendor. I abhor it as a menstrual cloth, and I wear it not in the days of my tranquility. And Your handmaid has not eaten at the table of Haman, and I have not honored the banquet of the king, neither have I drunk the wine of libations. Neither has Your handmaid rejoiced since the day of my promotion until now, except in You, O Lord God of Abraham. O God, who has power over all, hearken to the voice of the desperate, and deliver us from the hand of them that devise mischief; and deliver me from my fear.

Chapter 5

5:1  And it came to pass on the third day, when she had ceased praying, that she put off her mean dress, and put on her glorious apparel. And being splendidly arrayed, and having called upon God the Overseer and Preserver of all things, she took her two maids, and she leaned upon one, as a delicate female, and the other followed bearing her train. And she was blooming in the perfection of her beauty; and her face was cheerful and benevolent, but her heart was straitened for fear. And having passed through all the doors, she stood before the king. And he was sitting upon his royal throne, and he had put on all his glorious apparel, covered all over with gold and precious stones, and was very terrible. And having raised his face resplendent with glory, he looked with intense anger. And the queen fell, and changed her color as she fainted; and she bowed herself upon the head of the maid that went before her. But God changed the spirit of the king's gentleness, and in intense feeling he sprang from off his throne, and took her into his arms, until she recovered. And he comforted her with peaceable words, and said to her, What is the matter, Esther? I am your brother; be of good cheer, you shall not die, for our command is openly declared to you; Draw near.

5:2  And having raised the golden scepter he laid it upon her neck, and embraced her, and said, Speak to me. And she said to him, I saw you, my lord, as an angel of God, and my heart was troubled for fear of your glory; for you, my lord, are to be wondered at, and your face is full of grace. And while she was speaking, she fainted and fell. Then the king was troubled, and all his servants comforted her.

5:3  And the king said, What do you wish, Esther? And what is your request? Ask even to the half of my kingdom, and it shall be yours.

5:4  And Esther said, Today is my great day: if then it seems good to the king, let both him and Haman come to the feast which I will prepare this day.

5:5  And the king said, Bring Haman here quickly, that we may perform the word of Esther. So they both came to the feast of which Esther had spoken.

5:6  And at the banquet the king said to Esther, What is your request, Queen Esther? Speak, and you shall have all that you require.

5:7  And she said, My request and my petition is this:

5:8  if I have found favor in the sight of the king, let the king and Haman come again tomorrow to the feast which I shall prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do the same.

5:9  So Haman went out from the king very glad and merry; but when Haman saw Mordecai the Jew in the court, he was greatly enraged.

5:10  And having gone into his own house, he called his friends, and his wife Zeresh.

5:11  And he showed them his wealth, and the glory with which the king had invested him, and how he had caused him to take precedence and bear chief rule in the kingdom.

5:12  And Haman said, The queen has called no one to the feast with the king but me, and I am invited tomorrow.

5:13  But these things please me not, while I see Mordecai the Jew in the court.

5:14  And Zeresh his wife and his friends said to him, Let there be a gallows made for you of fifty cubits, and in the morning speak to the king, and let Mordecai be hanged on the gallows. But go in to the feast with the king, and be merry. And the saying pleased Haman, and the gallows was prepared.

Chapter 6

6:1  But the Lord removed sleep from the king that night; and he told his servant to bring in the books, the registers of daily events, to read to him.

6:2  And he found the records written concerning Mordecai, how he had told the king concerning the two eunuchs of the king, when they were keeping guard, and sought to lay hands on Artaxerxes.

6:3  And the king said, What honor or favor have we done for Mordecai? And the king's servants said, You have not done anything for him.

6:4  And while the king was inquiring about the kindness of Mordecai, behold, Haman was in the court. And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman had come in to speak to the king, that he should hang Mordecai on the gallows, which he had prepared.

6:5  And the king's servants said, Behold, Haman stands in the court. And the king said, Call him.

6:6  And the king said to Haman, What shall I do to the man whom I wish to honor? And Haman said within himself, Whom would the king honor but myself?

6:7  And he said to the king, As for the man whom the king wishes to honor,

6:8  let the king's servants bring the robe of fine linen which the king puts on, and the horse on which the king rides,

6:9  and let him give it to one of the king's noble friends, and let him array the man whom the king loves. And let him mount him on the horse, and proclaim through the streets of the city, saying, Thus shall it be to every man whom the king honors.

6:10  Then the king said to Haman, you have well said: so do to Mordecai the Jew, who waits in the palace, and let not a word of what you have spoken be neglected.

6:11  So Haman took the robe and the horse, and clothed Mordecai, and mounted him on the horse, and went through the street of the city, and proclaimed, saying, Thus shall it be to every man whom the king wishes to honor.

6:12  And Mordecai returned to the palace. But Haman went home mourning, and covered his head.

6:13  And Haman related the events that had befallen him to Zeresh his wife, and to his friends. And his friends and his wife said to him, If Mordecai is of the race of the Jews, and you have begun to be humbled before him, you will surely fall, and you will not be able to withstand him, for the living God is with him.

6:14  While they were yet speaking, the eunuchs arrived, and hastened to bring Haman to the banquet which Esther had prepared.

Chapter 7

7:1  So the king and Haman went in to drink with the queen.

7:2  And the king said to Esther at the banquet on the second day, What is it, Queen Esther? And what is your request, and what is your petition? And it shall be done for you, up to half of my kingdom.

7:3  And she answered and said, If I have found favor in the sight of the king, let my life be granted to my petition, and my people to my request.

7:4  For both I and my people have been sold for destruction, and pillage, and slavery; both we and our children as bondmen and bondwomen. And I consented not to it, for the slanderer is not worthy of the king's palace.

7:5  And the king said, Who is this that has dared to do this thing?

7:6  And Esther said, the adversary is Haman, this wicked man. Then Haman was troubled before the king and the queen.

7:7  And the king rose up from the banquet to go into the garden. And Haman began to plead with the queen; for he saw that he was in an evil case.

7:8  And the king returned from the garden; and Haman had fallen upon the bed, begging the queen. And the king said, Will you even force my wife in my house? And when Haman heard it, his countenance changed.

7:9  And Harbonah, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, Behold, Haman has also prepared a gallows for Mordecai, who spoke concerning the king, and a gallows of fifty cubits high has been set up on Haman's premises. And the king said, Let him be hanged on it!

7:10  So Haman was hanged on the gallows that had been prepared for Mordecai; and then the king's wrath was appeased.

Chapter 8

8:1  And in that day King Artaxerxes gave to Esther all that belonged to Haman the slanderer. And Mordecai was called by the king; for Esther had shown that he was related to her.

8:2  And the king took the ring which he had taken away from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai over all that had been Haman's.

8:3  And she spoke yet again to the king, and fell at his feet, and beseeched him to do away the mischief of Haman, and all that he had done against the Jews.

8:4  Then the king stretched out to Esther the golden scepter; and Esther arose to stand near the king.

8:5  And Esther said, If it seems good to you, and if I have found favor in your sight, let an order be sent that the letters sent by Haman may be reversed, that were written for the destruction of the Jews, who are in your kingdom.

8:6  For how shall I be able to look upon the affliction of my people, and how shall I be able to survive the destruction of my relatives?

8:7  And the king said to Esther, If I have given and freely granted you all that was Haman's, and hanged him on a gallows, because he laid his hands upon the Jews, what do you yet further seek?

8:8  Write also in my name, as it seems good to you, and seal it with my ring; for whatever orders are written at the command of the king, and sealed with my ring, it is not lawful to revoke them.

8:9  So the scribes were called in the first month, which is Nisan, on the twenty-third day of the same year. And orders were written concerning the Jews, whatever the king had commanded to the local governors and chiefs of the satraps, from India even to Ethiopia, a hundred and twenty-seven satraps, according to the several provinces, according to their dialects.

8:10  And they were written by order of the king, and sealed with his ring, and they sent the letters by couriers.

8:11  In it he charged them to use their own laws in every city, and to help each other, and to treat their adversaries, and those who attacked them, as they pleased,

8:12  on one day in all the kingdom of Artaxerxes, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is Adar.

8:13  And the following is the copy of the letter of the orders: The great King Artaxerxes sends greeting to the rulers of the provinces in a hundred and twenty-seven satraps, from India to Ethiopia, even to those who are faithful to our interests. Many who have been frequently honored by the most abundant kindness of their benefactors have conceived ambitious designs, and not only endeavor to hurt our subjects, but moreover, not being able to bear prosperity, they also endeavor to plot against their own benefactors. And they not only would utterly abolish gratitude from among men, but also, elated by the boastings of men who are strangers to all that is good, they suppose that they shall escape the sin-hating vengeance of the ever-seeing God. And oftentimes evil exhortation has made partakers of the guilt of shedding innocent blood, and has involved in irremediable calamities, many of those who were appointed to offices of authority, who had been entrusted with the management of their friends' affairs. While men, by the false sophistry of an evil disposition, have deceived the simple candor of the ruling powers. And it is possible to see this, not so much from more ancient traditionary accounts, as it is immediately in your power to see it by examining what things have been wickedly perpetrated by the baseness of men holding power in an unworthy manner. And it is right to take heed with regard to the future, that we may maintain the government in undisturbed peace for all men, adopting needful changes, and ever judging those cases which come under our notice, with truly equitable decision. For whereas Haman, a Macedonian, the son of Hammedatha, in reality an alien from the blood of the Persians, and differing widely from our mild course of government, having been hospitably entertained by us, obtained so large a share of our universal kindness, as to be called our father, and to continue the person next to the royal throne, reverenced by all. He, however, overcome by the pride of his station, endeavored to deprive us of our dominion, and our life; having by various and subtle artifices demanded for destruction both Mordecai, our deliverer and perpetual benefactor, and Esther, the blameless consort of our kingdom, with their whole nation. For by these methods, the thought, having surprised us in a defenseless rate, to transfer the dominion of the Persians to the Macedonians. But we find that the Jews, who have been consigned to destruction by the most abominable of men, are not malefactors, but living according to the most just laws, and being the sons of the living God, the Most High and Mighty, who maintains the kingdom, to us as well as to our forefathers, in the most excellent order. You will therefore do well in refusing to obey the letters sent by Haman the son of Hammedatha, because he that has done these things has been hanged with his whole family at the gates of Susa, Almighty God having swiftly returned to him a worthy recompense. We beseech you, therefore, having openly published a copy of this letter in every place, to give the Jews permission to use their own lawful customs, and to strengthen them, that on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of Adar, on that same day, they may defend themselves against those who attacked them in a time of affliction. For in the place of the destruction of the chosen race, Almighty God has granted them this time of gladness. Therefore you also among your notable feasts, keep a distinct day with all festivity, that both now and hereafter it may be a day of deliverance to us and those who are well disposed toward the Persians, but to those that plotted against us a memorial of destruction. And every city and province collectively, which shall not do accordingly, shall be consumed with vengeance by spear and fire. It shall be made not only inaccessible to men, but also most hateful to wild beasts and birds forever. And let the copies be posted in conspicuous places throughout the kingdom, and let all the Jews be ready against this day, to fight against their enemies.

8:14  So the horsemen went forth with haste to perform the king's commands; and the ordinance was also published in Susa.

8:15  And Mordecai went forth clothed in the royal apparel, and wearing a golden crown, and a diadem of fine purple linen. And the people in Susa saw it and rejoiced.

8:16  And the Jews had light and gladness,

8:17  in every city and province wherever the ordinance was published: wherever the proclamation took place, the Jews had joy and gladness, feasting and mirth. And many of the Gentiles were circumcised, and became Jews, for fear of the Jews.

Chapter 9

9:1  Now in the twelfth month, on the thirteenth day of the month which is Adar, the letters written by the king arrived.

9:2  In that day the adversaries of the Jews perished: for no one resisted, through fear of them.

9:3  For the chiefs of the satraps, and the princes and the royal scribes honored the Jews; for the fear of Mordecai was upon them.

9:4  For the order of the king was in force, that he should be celebrated in all the kingdom.

9:6  And in the city Susa the Jews killed five hundred men:

9:7  Also Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,

9:8  Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,

9:9  Parmashta, Ruphaeus, Aridai, and Vajezatha,

9:10  the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha the Bugaean, the enemy of the Jews, and they plundered their property on the same day.

9:11  And the number of them that perished in Susa was rendered to the king.

9:12  And the king said to Esther, The Jews have slain five hundred men in the city Susa. And what have they done in the rest of the country? What then is your petition, that it may be done for you?

9:13  And Esther said to the king, let it be granted to the Jews so to treat them tomorrow as to hang the ten sons of Haman.

9:14  And he permitted it to be so done; and he gave up to the Jews of the city the bodies of the sons of Haman, to hang.

9:15  And the Jews assembled in Susa on the fourteenth day of Adar, and killed three hundred men, but plundered no property.

9:16  And the rest of the Jews who were in the kingdom assembled, and helped one another, and obtained rest from their enemies; for they destroyed fifteen thousand of them on the thirteenth day of Adar, but took no spoil.

9:17  And they rested on the fourteenth of the same month, and kept it as a day of rest with joy and gladness.

9:18  And the Jews in the city Susa assembled also on the fourteenth day and rested; and they kept also the fifteenth with joy and gladness.

9:19  Because of this the Jews dispersed in every foreign land to keep the fourteenth of Adar as a holy day with joy, sending portions each to his neighbor.

9:20  And Mordecai wrote these things in a book, and sent them to the Jews, as many as were in the kingdom of Artaxerxes, both them that were near and them that were afar off,

9:21  to establish these as joyful days, and to keep the fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar;

9:22  for on these days the Jews obtained rest from their enemies. And as to the month, which was Adar, in which a change was made for them, from mourning to joy, and from sorrow to a good day, to spend the whole of it in good days of feasting and gladness, sending portions to their friends, and to the poor.

9:23  And the Jews consented to this accordingly as Mordecai wrote to them,

9:24  showing how Haman the son of Hammedatha the Macedonian fought against them, how he made a decree and cast lots to utterly destroy them;

9:25  also how he went in to the king, telling him to hang Mordecai. But all the calamities he tried to bring upon the Jews came upon himself, and he was hanged, and his children.

9:26  Therefore these days were called Purim, because of the name Pur; (for in their language they are called Phrurae;) because of the words of this letter, and because of all they suffered on this account, and all that happened to them.

9:27  And Mordecai established it, and the Jews took upon themselves, and upon their seed, and upon those that were joined to them to observe it, neither would they on any account behave differently. But these days were to be a memorial kept in every generation, and city, and family, and province.

9:28  And these days of the Phrurae, they said, shall be kept forever, and their memorial shall not fail in any generation.

9:29  And Queen Esther, the daughter of Aminadab, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote all that they had done, and the confirmation of the letter of Purim.

9:31  And Mordecai and Esther the queen appointed a fast for themselves privately, even at that time also having formed their plan against their own health.

9:32  And Esther established it by a command forever, and it was written for a memorial.

Chapter 10

10:1  And the king levied a tax upon his kingdom both by land and sea.

10:2  And as for his strength and valor, and the wealth and glory of his kingdom, behold, they are written in the book of the Persians and Medes, for a memorial.

10:3  And Mordecai was second to King Artaxerxes, and was a great man in the kingdom, and honored by the Jews, and passed his life beloved of all his nation. And Mordecai said, These things have been done by God. For I remember the dream which I had concerning these matters. For not one particular of them has failed. There was the little fountain, which became a river, and there was a light, and the sun, and much water. The river is Esther, whom the king married, and made queen. And the two serpents are Haman and myself. And the nations are those that combined to destroy the name of the Jews. But as for my nation, this is Israel, even they that cried to God, and were delivered: for the Lord delivered His people, and the Lord rescued us out of all these calamities; and God wrought such signs and great wonders as have not been done among the nations. Therefore did He ordain two lots, one for the people of God, and one for all the other nations. And these two lots came for an appointed season, and for a day of judgment before God, and for all the nations. And God remembered His people, and vindicated His inheritance. And they shall observe these days, in the month of Adar, on the fourteenth and on the fifteenth day of the month, with an assembly, and joy and gladness before God, throughout the generations forever among His people Israel. In the fourth year of the reign of Ptolemy and Cleopatra, Dositheus, who said that he was a priest and a Levite, and Ptolemy his son, brought in the published letter of Purim, which they said existed, and which Lysimachus the son of Ptolemy who was in Jerusalem, had interpreted.