ESTHER
§ Mordecai’s dream¤1 °1 In the
days of Ahasuerus – the Ahasuerus whose empire stretched from India to
Ethiopia and comprised one hundred twenty-seven provinces – °2 when he occupied the royal throne in the citadel of
Susa, °3 in the third year of his reign, he gave a
banquet for all his officers and ministers, the Persian and Median aristocracy,
chiefs of the army, the nobles and the governors of the provinces. °4 For a hundred and eighty days, he displayed the
riches and splendor of his empire and the wealth and pomp of his royal
estate. °5 At the close of this period, the king gave a banquet
lasting seven days at the palace garden for all the people, great and lowly,
living in Susa. °6 There were white cotton curtains and blue
hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rings on
marble pillars. On a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl and
colored stones were gold and silver couches. °7 Drinks
were served in a variety of golden goblets, and the royal wine flowed freely,
in keeping with the king’s generosity. °8 By the
king’s order, each guest was allowed to drink as he pleased; all the stewards
had been instructed to serve each guest according to his own wishes. °9 Queen Vashti also gave a banquet for the women in
the royal palace of King Ahasuerus. °10 Merry with wine on the seventh day, the king ordered
the seven eunuchs who served him as chamberlains – Mahuman, Biztha, Harbona,
Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas – °11 to
bring into his presence Queen Vashti with her royal crown, for she was very
lovely and he wished to display her beauty to the people and nobles. °12 Queen Vashti, however, refused to come at the order
of the king transmitted by the eunuchs; the king was very displeased and
burned with rage. °13 As was his procedure, the king consulted experts in
law and justice. °14 He summoned the seven nobles of Persia
and Media who were in his personal service and held first rank in the kingdom
– Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena and Memucan. °15 He asked them, “According to law, what is to be done
with Queen Vashti for disobeying the king’s order issued through the
eunuchs?” °16 In the presence of the king and nobles, Memucan
replied, “It is not the king alone that Queen Vashti has wronged but all the
nobles and the whole populace in the provinces of King Ahasuerus. °17 All the women will soon know what she did, and so
they will despise their husbands and say: ‘King Ahasuerus ordered his wife to
be brought before him but she refused.’ °18 When
the Persian and Median ladies hear of that, they will treat the royal
officials in the same manner. So there will be no end to this kind of
disrespect. °19 If it pleases the king, therefore, let an
irrevocable royal decree be issued and included among the laws of Persia and
Media, that Vashti is never again to come into the presence of King
Ahasuerus, and that the king is authorized to give her royal position to
someone else more worthy than she. °20 When
this decree of the king is proclaimed throughout his vast kingdom, all wives
will honor their husbands, from the least to the greatest.” °21 This proposal pleased the king and his officials; so
the king acted on Memucan’s advice. °22 He
sent letters to all parts of the kingdom, to each province in its own script
and to each people in their own language, declaring that every husband should
be master in his own household. ¤2 °1 Later
when his anger had cooled, King Ahasuerus remembered Vashti’s disobedience
and his decree against her. °2 The king’s courtiers proposed, “Let
beautiful young girls be chosen for the king. °3 Let him
appoint commissioners throughout the provinces of his realm to bring all the
beautiful young virgins to the harem in Susa. Let them be put under the care
of the royal eunuch Hegai, custodian of women, and let them be given
ointments for beauty treatment. °4
Then let the girl who
pleases the king take Vashti’s place.” The king was pleased with the
suggestion and he acted on it. °5 Now there lived in Susa a Jew named Mordecai, son of
Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite °6 who had
been exiled from Jerusalem among the captives taken away with King Jeconiah
of Judah by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar. °7 Mordecai
was foster father to his cousin Hadassah, that is Esther, who had lost both
father and mother. The girl had a lovely face and figure. On the death of her
parents, Mordecai had adopted her as his daughter. °8 In compliance with the king’s edict, a great number
of young girls were brought to Susa and entrusted to Hegai. Esther was among
them. °9 Esther pleased the custodian of women and
won his favor. He not only promptly provided her with cosmetics and good food
but assigned to her seven special maids from the king’s household and
transferred her and her maids into the best place in the harem. °10 Esther did not reveal her nationality or family, for
Mordecai had forbidden her to do so. °11 Each
day Mordecai would walk up and down the courtyard of the harem to find out
how Esther was faring. °12 After a preparation of twelve months decreed for the
women, each of them had to appear in turn before King Ahasuerus. This
preparatory period was for beautifying treatment: six months with oil of
myrrh and six months with perfumes and cosmetics. °13 Then
when the girl was to present herself to the king, she was allowed to take
with her from the harem to the king’s palace anything she wanted. °14 She would go there in the evening and return the
following morning to another harem under the care of the royal eunuch
Shaashgaz, custodian of the concubines. She would not go back to the king
unless he was pleased with her and summoned her by name. °15 When the turn came for Esther – the daughter of
Abihail whom Mordecai had adopted from his uncle – to go to the king, she
asked for nothing beyond what the eunuch Hegai had given her; and yet she won
the admiration of all who saw her. °16 Esther
was brought to King Ahasuerus in his palace in the tenth month called Tebeth,
in the seventh year of his reign. °17
The king liked Esther
more than any of the other women. Having won his favor and approval more than
any of the other virgins, she received the royal crown and was made queen in
place of Vashti. °18 The king then gave a great banquet in
honor of Esther for all his officials and ministers; he proclaimed a holiday
for all the provinces and distributed gifts with royal liberality. °19 When the virgins were assembled a second time,
Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate. °20 Up to
this time Esther had not revealed her family background or nationality, in
compliance with Mordecai’s instructions. She followed his advice just as she
had when she was being brought up by him. °21 It was
during the time that Mordecai spent at the king’s gate, that Bagathan and
Thares, two of the royal eunuchs who guarded the entrance, conspired to
assassinate King Ahasuerus. °22 Mordecai learned of the plot and informed
Queen Esther, who in turn reported it to the king, giving credit to Mordecai.
°23 The matter was investigated, found to be
true, and the two conspirators were hanged on the gallows. The incident was
recorded in the Book of Chronicles in the presence of the king. ¤3 °1 After these events, King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite, to a rank higher than that of all the other officials. °2 On orders of the king, all the royal officials at the king’s gate would kneel and bow down to Haman. This Mordecai refused to do. °3 The royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king’s order?” °4 They spoke to him day after day, but he refused to comply, explaining that he was a Jew. To find out if this explanation was acceptable, they reported the matter to Haman. °5 Haman was enraged when he saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor. °6 Having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he thought it would not be enough to lay hands on him alone, but sought to destroy all the Jews throughout the kingdom of Ahasuerus. °7 In the first month, the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, thepuror lot was cast in Haman’s presence to determine the day and the month for the destruction of Mordecai’s people. The lot fell on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar. °8 Haman talked to King Ahasuerus, “Scattered throughout the provinces of your kingdom is a certain people, whose customs differ from those of other people. Since they do not obey our laws, it is not in the king’s best interests to tolerate them. °9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them. I will deposit in the royal treasury ten thousand silver talents for the men who carry out the king’s business.” °10 The king took the signet ring off his finger, handed it to Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite, enemy of the Jews, and said, °11 “Keep the money, and do with these people as you please.” °12 On the thirteenth day of the first month, the royal scribes were summoned. As Haman dictated, they wrote orders in the script of each province and in the language of each people to the king’s satraps, the governors of every province, and the officials of every people. Written in the name of King Ahasuerus himself and sealed with his own ring, °13 these dispatches were sent by couriers to all the royal provinces with the order to kill, destroy and wipe out all the Jews – young and old, women and children – on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of Adar, and to plunder their goods. °14 A copy of the edict to be promulgated as law in every province was published for all the people to know so that they would be ready for that day. °15 The couriers, spurred on by the king’s command, set out in haste, and the edict was first promulgated in Susa. As the king and Haman sat down to drink, the city of Susa was in bewilderment. ¤4 °1 When Mordecai learned what had happened, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and walked through the city crying bitterly and loudly. °2 But he came only as far as the king’s gate, for no one in sackcloth was allowed to enter. °3 In every province where the king’s edict was read, there was great mourning among the Jews; fasting and weeping with lamentation, and many of them slept on sackcloth and ashes. °4 Queen Esther’s maids and eunuchs informed her about Mordecai. Overcome with grief, she sent clothes for Mordecai to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he refused. °5 Esther summoned Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend to her, and ordered him to find out the reason for Mordecai’s action. °6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the public square in front of the king’s gate. °7 Mordecai told him all that had happened, as well as the exact amount of money Haman had promised to contribute to the royal treasury. °8 He also gave Hathach a copy of the written decree for their destruction, to show and explain to Esther. He further told him to urge her to go to the king to beg for mercy and intercede for her people:“Remember the days of your lowly estate when you were brought up in my charge. Haman, who is next to the king, has asked for our death. Pray to the Lord and speak to the king for us. Save us from death.” °9 Hathach
returned to Esther and told her what Mordecai had said. °10
In reply, Esther gave Hathach this message for Mordecai, °11 “All the king’s servants and the people of his
provinces know that any man or woman who goes to the king in the inner court
without being summoned suffers the death penalty, unless the king grants them
their life by holding out to them his golden scepter. But I have not been
called to go to the king for thirty days now.” °12 When Mordecai received Esther’s words, °13 he sent back this answer, “Do not suppose that because you are in the king’s palace, you alone of all the Jews will escape. °14 If you remain silent now, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another source, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows – perhaps you have come to the throne for just such a time as this.” °15 Esther sent back her reply to Mordecai, °16 “Go, gather all the Jews who are in Susa. Fast for me – all of you; do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will also fast. Then I will go to the king, even if it is against the law. If I die for this, let it be.” °17 Mordecai went away and carried out Esther’s instructions. ¤5 (°1 °2)°3 The king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? Tell me what you wish. Even if it is half of my kingdom, I will give it to you.” °4 Esther replied, “If it pleases your majesty, come with Haman to a banquet I have prepared today.” °5 The king gave the order: “Call Haman at once so that Esther may have her wish.” So the king and Haman went to the banquet prepared by Esther. °6 During the drinking of wine, the king again said to Esther, “What is your petition? Speak up and it will be given. What is your request? Even half of my kingdom is yours for the asking.” °7 Esther replied, “My petition and request is this: °8 if I have found favor with your majesty, if it pleases you to grant my petition and request, come with Haman tomorrow to another banquet I will prepare. Then I will answer your question.” °9 Haman left that day happy and in good spirits, but when he saw Mordecai at the royal gate neither rising nor showing signs of fear of him, he was filled with rage towards the man. °10 He did not show it, however, but went home and summoned his friends and his wife Zeresh. °11 After boasting about his vast wealth, his many sons, and the promotion he received from the king placing him above the officials and royal servants, °12 Haman added, “Besides, Queen Esther invited me alone to go with the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me again tomorrow together with the king. °13 Yet none of this satisfies me, as long as I see the Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.” °14 His wife Zeresh and all his friends said, “Have a fifty-cubit gallows built. In the morning ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go to the banquet merrily together with the king.” Satisfied with the suggestion, Haman had the gallows erected. § Haman is humiliated before Mordecai¤6 °1 As he was sleepless that night, the king asked for the Book of Chronicles and ordered that the record of his reign be read to him. °2 He came across the passage wherein Mordecai exposed a plot to assassinate King Ahasuerus, the plot of two royal eunuchs guarding the gate, Bagathan and Teresh. °3 The king asked, “What reward and honor did Mordecai receive for this?” The king’s attendants answered, “None, your majesty.” °4 Haman had entered the outer court, wanting to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows he had erected. “Who is there in the court?” the king asked. °5 So the king’s attendants answered, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” The king ordered, “Let him come in.” °6 When Haman entered, the king asked him, “What should be done to the man the king wishes to honor?” Haman thought to himself: whom would the king wish to honor but me? °7 So he replied, “For the man the king wishes to honor, °8 let royal robes be brought which the king has worn, and a horse, which the king has ridden, with a royal diadem on its head. °9 The robes and the horse should be handed to one of the king’s noblest officers who should array the man the king wishes to honor and lead him on horseback through the city street, proclaiming before him: ‘This is what is done for the man the king is pleased to honor!’” °10 The king ordered Haman, “Hurry! Take the robes and the horse and do as you have said for the Jew Mordecai sitting at the royal gate. Do not leave out anything you have recommended.” °11 So Haman took the robes and the horse, arrayed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the streets, proclaiming, “This is what is done for the man the king is pleased to honor!” °12 After this Mordecai returned to the king’s gate, while Haman hurried home greatly dejected and with his head veiled. °13 He told his wife and all his friends everything that had happened, and they said to him, “If Mordecai, who started your downfall, is of Jewish origin, you will not win against him. You will surely be ruined.” °14 While they were still talking, the king’s eunuchs arrived and escorted Haman to the banquet Esther had prepared. § The banquet¤7 °1 So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared. °2 And again, on that second day, while they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther “Whatever your petition is, Queen Esther, it shall be granted. Whatever request you make shall be fulfilled, even if it were half of my kingdom.” °3 Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life; and spare also the lives of my people. This is my petition and request for myself and for my people. °4 For my people and I have been delivered to destruction, slaughter and extinction. Had we been sold merely as male and female slaves, I would have said nothing, for our calamity would not be as great a loss to the king.” °5 King Ahasuerus asked Queen Esther, “Who and where is the man who dared do such a thing?” °6 Esther answered, “He is no other than this wicked Haman – an enemy and a foe!” At this, Haman was seized with terror. °7 The king left the banquet in anger and went to the garden. Haman stayed to beg Queen Esther for his life, realizing that the king had decided on his doom. °8 When the king returned from the garden to the banquet hall, Haman had thrown himself on the bed where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Is he going to molest the queen even before my eyes in my own house?” No sooner had the king spoken than his assistants covered Haman’s face. °9 Harbona, one of the king’s eunuchs, said, “This man built a fifty-cubit gallows for Mordecai who gave the report that saved the king. It is standing there at his house.” The king said, “Very well, hang him on it.” °10 So Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided. ¤8 °1 That
same day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, enemy of the
Jews. Mordecai was admitted into the king’s presence, for Esther had revealed
how he was related to her. °2 The king took off his signet ring, which
he had recovered from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai, whom Esther appointed
in charge of Haman’s house. °3 Once more Esther had an opportunity of being heard
by the king. Weeping and falling before him, she begged him to frustrate the
evil plot of Haman the Agagite against the Jews. °4 The
king held out the golden scepter to her, and she rose and stood before him,
saying, °5 “If it pleases your majesty, if I am pleasing to
your eyes and have found favor with you, and if you think it proper to do so,
let an order be issued revoking the letters which Haman, son of Hammedatha
the Agagite, wrote to destroy the Jews in all the royal provinces. °6 For how can I bear to see the destruction of my
people, the extermination of my race?” °7 King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai
the Jew, “I have given Haman’s house to Esther and had Haman hanged on the
gallows for plotting to destroy the Jews. °8 Now you
can write a decree as you please concerning the Jews, in the name of the
king, and seal it with the royal signet ring; for any document written in the
king’s name and sealed with his ring cannot be revoked.” °9 The royal scribes were summoned that very day, the
twenty-third of the third month of Sivan, and as Mordecai dictated they wrote
an order to the Jews, to the satraps, governors and officials of the one
hundred twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia, to each province in
its own script, to each people in its own language, and to the Jews in their
own script and language. °10 These letters written in the name of King
Ahasuerus and sealed with the royal signet ring were carried by couriers
mounted on the king’s thoroughbred steeds. °11 The king’s edict granted the Jews in each city the
right to assemble and defend themselves, to kill, destroy and wipe out any
armed group of any nation or province that might attack them and their women
and children, and to seize their goods as spoil. °12 This
edict took effect throughout the provinces of King Ahasuerus on the
thirteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar. °13 A copy of the text of the edict to be promulgated as
law in every province was published among all the peoples so that the Jews
might be prepared on the day stated to avenge themselves on their enemies. °14 Spurred on by the king’s command, the couriers,
mounted on the king’s steeds, rode out in haste, and the edict was
promulgated in the citadel of Susa. °15 In royal garments of blue and white, with a large
golden crown and a cloak of purple and fine linen, Mordecai left the king’s
presence. There was a joyful celebration in the city of Susa. °16 For the Jews it was a time of splendor and
merriment, honor and triumph. °17 Wherever the king’s edict was read in
every province and in each city, there was rejoicing and feasting among the
Jews. Many people of other nationalities were seized with fear of the Jews,
and they embraced Judaism. ¤9 °1 When
the day came for the order of the king to be carried out – the thirteenth day
of the twelfth month, Adar, on which the enemies of the Jews had expected to
crush them – the reverse happened, for it was the Jews who got the upper hand
over those who sought their harm. °2
In their towns
throughout the provinces of King Ahasuerus, the Jews gathered to strike at
those who planned their destruction. But no one dared resist them, for they
were feared by all the other nations. °3 In
fact, all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, governors and the
king’s administrators supported the Jews out of fear of Mordecai, °4 who had become more and more powerful and prominent
not only in the palace but throughout the provinces. °5 The Jews struck down their enemies, killing them by
the sword, doing as they pleased to those who hated them. °6 In Susa alone, they killed 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, who was Hammedatha’s son and
enemy of the Jews. But they laid no hand on the spoils. °11 That same day the number of the slain in Susa was
reported to the king, °12 who in turn told Esther: “The Jews have
killed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in Susa alone. Imagine what
more they have done in the rest of my provinces! But you shall again be
granted whatever you ask; whatever you request shall be fulfilled.” °13 Esther replied, “If it pleases the king, let the
Jews in Susa be permitted again tomorrow to carry out today’s edict, and let
Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows.” °14 The king then ordered that this be done. The edict
was issued in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged. °15 On the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, the Jews
in Susa gathered again and put to death three hundred men. But again they
laid no hand on the spoils. °16 The other Jews in the king’s provinces also
assembled to protect themselves and rid themselves of their enemies. They
killed seventy-five thousand of their foes, but did not lay hands on the
spoils. °17 This was on the thirteenth day of the
month of Adar, and the Jews rested on the fourteenth, making it a day of
feasting and rejoicing. °18 The Jews in Susa, however, assembled on the
thirteenth and fourteenth and rested on the fifteenth, making this a day of
feasting and rejoicing. °19 That is why the rural Jews have a
different day of rest and celebration: the fourteenth of the month of Adar on
which they send presents to each other. °20 Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to
all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, °21 directing them to celebrate annually the fourteenth
and fifteenth of the month of Adar °22 as the
days when the Jews rid themselves of their enemies, and as the month when
their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into feasting. They were
to observe these as days of festivity and rejoicing, days for giving food
presents to one another and gifts to the poor. °23 The Jews agreed to observe annually this celebration
instituted on Mordecai’s written order. °24 For
Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite, enemy of the Jews, had plotted to
destroy them and had cast thepuror
lot for their ruin. °25 Yet through Esther’s intervention, the
king ordered in writing that the wicked plan against the Jews should instead
be turned against Haman, whom he ordered to be hanged as well as his sons. °26 These days, therefore, have been called Purim after
the wordpur.Because of this written
order and of what they had seen and experienced, °27 the
Jews took upon themselves, their descendants and all who would join them, to
celebrate these two days every year without fail, in the manner prescribed
and at the time appointed. °28 Commemorated and celebrated thus, in
every family, province and city, through all generations, these days of Purim
were never to fall into disuse among the Jews nor into oblivion among their
descendants. °29 Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, along with the
Jew Mordecai, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter
concerning Purim. °30 Letters were sent to all the Jews in the
one hundred twenty-seven provinces of Ahasuerus’ kingdom, in words conveying
goodwill and assurance, °31 enjoining them to observe these days of
Purim at the designated time, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had
decreed and just as the Jews had prescribed for themselves and their
descendants, with respect to their duty of fasting and lamentation. °32 Esther’s decree fixed these practices of Purim, and
it was recorded in the book. ¤10 °1 King
Ahasuerus levied tribute throughout the empire including the distant islands.
°2 All his acts of power and valor, together with a
full account of the greatness of Mordecai who was raised by the king to high
honor, are recorded in the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia. °3 The Jew Mordecai was second in rank to King
Ahasuerus; he was great among the Jews and esteemed by many of his brothers
as the harbinger of peace and welfare for all his people. °4And Mordecai said, “This is
God’s work. °5 I remember the dream I had
about this, nothing of which has failed to be fulfilled – °6 the little spring that became a river,
the light, the sun and the flood of water. Esther is the river, whom the king
married and made queen. °7 Haman and I are the two
dragons. °8 Those who assembled to
destroy the Jews are the nations. °9 And
my nation is Israel, my people, who cried to God and were saved. Yes, the
Lord has saved his people and delivered us from all these evils. God has
worked such signs and great wonders as have never occurred among the nations. °10For this purpose, God
prepared two destinies – one for his people and the other for all the
nations. °11 These
two destinies were fulfilled at the moment, the hour and the day laid down by
God among the nations. °12 He remembered his people
and rendered justice to his inheritance. °13 Thus,
gathering together with joy before God on the fourteenth and fifteenth of the
month of Adar, Israel will celebrate these days from generation to
generation. In the fourth year of the reign of Ptolemy and Cleopatra, Dositheus,
who affirmed he was a priest and a Levite, and his son Ptolemy brought to
Egypt the foregoing letter concerning the Purim, maintaining that it was
genuine and had been translated by Lysimachus, Ptolemy’s son and a resident
of Jerusalem. ¤11 °1On the first day of Nissan, in the second
year of the reign of Ahasuerus the Great, a dream came to Mordecai, son of
Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin. °2 Mordecai was a Jew residing
at Susa who held a prominent position at the king’s court.
°3 He
was one of the captives whom Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had deported
from Jerusalem with Jeconiah, king of Judah. °4According to his dream,
there were cries and tumult, thunder and earthquake and confusion upon the
earth, °5 as two great dragons came,
both ready for combat. °6 At
the sound of their terrible roar every nation prepared to fight against the
holy nation. °7 On earth it was a day of
darkness and gloom, tribulation and distress, affliction and great
disturbance. °8 The whole nation of the
just was troubled because of the fear of evils awaiting them, and were ready
to perish. °9 But
they cried out to God, and a little spring appeared, from which grew a great
river with a flood of water.
°10 Light
came as the sun rose, and the humble were raised up and they devoured the
mighty. °11In this dream Mordecai saw
what God intended to do. On awakening he thought deeply about the matter and
tried all day to understand its meaning. ¤12 °1In those days while Mordecai was resting
at the king’s gate together with Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s
eunuchs and palace guards,
°2 he
was aware that they had become irritated and were plotting to kill King
Ahasuerus. °3 Mordecai investigated the
matter, informed the king who had the two eunuchs questioned. They confessed
and were put to death. °4By order of the king, these
events were recorded by Mordecai °5 who
was rewarded and appointed to an office in the court. °6In revenge for the king’s
two eunuchs, Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite who enjoyed the king’s
favor, sought to harm Mordecai and his people. ¤13 °1The text of the letter was as follows: The Great King Ahasuerus to the rulers of the hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia and to the governors under them: °2As ruler of many nations and master of the whole world, I have resolved never to be carried away by the arrogance of power but always to rule with fairness and clemency, to provide for my subjects a life free of distress, and to restore the peace that all desire by making my government humane and truly civilized as far as the borders of my kingdom. °3When I consulted my advisers on how this might be accomplished, Haman, who excels among us in wisdom, who has earned distinction for trustworthiness and loyalty, and who has attained the second rank in the kingdom, °4 brought to our attention the existence throughout my realm of a people of ill will, whose laws are opposed to those of every nation. Their continuous disregard of the decrees of kings hinders the establishment of unity in the empire. °5Considering, therefore,
the continuous opposition of this people to all humankind, its outlandish
system of laws and strange manner of life, its hostility to our interests and
the harm it does to the stability of our kingdom,
°6 we hereby
decree that all the people indicated in the letters of Haman, who is in
charge of affairs and a second father to us, be utterly destroyed with women
and children, by the sword, without mercy or consideration, on the fourteenth
day of the twelfth month, Adar, of the present year, °7
so that when these people, with
their past and present ill will, have gone down into the world of the dead on
a single day, they may at last leave our government in complete stability and
peace. § Mordecai’s prayer°8Recalling all that the Lord had done, he prayed to him and said: °9Lord, King and Master of all, everything is under your power; no one can withstand you in your will to save Israel. °10You made heaven and earth and all the marvels under heaven. °11 You are the Lord of all, no one can resist you, Lord. °12You know all things, O Lord; you know that no insolence, no vainglory or arrogance prompted me to act thus, to refuse to bow down before the proud Haman. °13 Readily would I have kissed his feet for Israel’s safety. °14But what I did, I did so as not to place human glory above the glory of God. I will not bow down to anyone except to you, O Lord. My refusal has not been out of pride. °15And now, Lord God, King, God of Abraham, deliver your people! Our enemies plot our ruin; they are bent upon destroying the inheritance that was yours from the beginning. °16Do not forsake your own inheritance which you redeemed out of Egypt for yourself. °17Hear my supplication, have mercy on your inheritance. Turn our mourning into rejoicing, that we may live to sing praise to your name, O Lord. Do not silence the mouths of those who give you praise. °18And Israel cried out with all their might, for they
were faced with death. § The prayer of Esther¤14 °1Seized with anguish in her fear of death, Queen Esther likewise had recourse to the Lord. °2 Taking off her splendid robes, she put on garments of distress and mourning. In place of expensive perfumes, she covered her head with dirt and ashes. Humbling her body severely, she put aside all her festive adornments and left her hair disheveled. °3 Then she prayed to the Lord God of Israel: °4My Lord, you who stand alone, come to my help; I am alone and have no help but you. Through my own choice I am endangering my life. °5As a child I was wont to hear from the people of the land of my forebears that you, O Lord, chose Israel from among all peoples, and our fathers from among their ancestors to be your lasting heritage; that you did for them, all that you have promised. °6But we have sinned, and for this you have handed us over to our enemies; °7 we have worshiped their gods, but you, O Lord, are just. °8Dissatisfied with our bitter servitude, they made a pact with their idols °9 to abolish what you have decreed, to blot out your heritage, °10 to shut the mouths that give you praise, to quench the glory of your Temple and your altar and instead to let the pagans sing the praise of worthless idols, and idolize forever a king of flesh. °11Do not give up your scepter, O Lord, to non-existent beings. Never let them gloat over our ruin, but turn their designs against themselves and make an example of our chief enemy. °12Remember us, Lord; reveal yourself in the time of our calamity. Give me courage, King of gods and master of all power. °13 Make my words persuasive when I face the lion; turn his heart against our enemy, that the latter and his like may be brought to their end. °14Save us by your hand; help me who am alone and have none but you, O Lord. °15You know everything; you know how I hate honor if
from the impious, how I loathe the bed of the uncircumcised and of any
foreigner. °16You know I am here under constraint, that I loathe the
diadem about my brow when I appear in public; as a filthy rag I loathe it and
do not wear it in private. °17Your handmaid has never eaten at Haman’s table, nor
has taken pleasure in royal banquets, nor drunk the wine offered to their
gods. °18Neither has your handmaid found pleasure from the
day of her promotion till now except in you, Lord God of Abraham. °19O God, more powerful than all, hear the voice of
those in despair; save us from the evil man’s power, and deliver me from my
fear. § Esther appears before the king¤15 °1Ending her prayer on the third day, Esther took off her penitential garments and put on her royal attire. °2 Radiant in appearance after invoking the all-seeing God and Savior, she took her two maids with her, °3 and leaned gently on one of them for support, °4 while the other followed carrying her train. °5 Although her heart was frozen with fear, she looked radiant in her perfect beauty, her face depicting love and joy. °6After passing through all the doors, she found herself face to face with the king seated on his throne, awe-inspiring in the full array of his majesty, his robes all covered with gold and precious stones. °7 As he looked up, his face flushed with majestic anger, the queen faltered, turned pale and leaned weakly upon the shoulder of the maid in front of her. °8Then God changed the king’s anger to gentleness. Alarmed, he sprang from his throne, took Esther in his arms until she had recovered and comforted her with soothing words. °9 “What is it, Esther?” he said. “I am your brother. Take heart. °10 You will not die, because our decree applies only to ordinary people. °11 Come, speak to me.” °12 He raised the golden scepter, touched her neck with it, then embraced her saying, “Speak to me.” °13Esther spoke: “My lord, I saw you like an angel of
God, and I trembled with fear before your majesty. °14 For
you are admirable, my Lord, and your appearance is awesome although you are
full of kindness.” °15 But she fell fainting as she spoke. °16 The king was deeply distressed, and his
attendants tried to revive her. ¤16 °1The text of the letter read as follows: “The
great King Ahasuerus to the satraps, governors and all our loyal subjects in
the one hundred twenty-seven provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia:
Greetings! °2The more some men are
honored through the generosity of their patrons, the prouder they become. °3 Gloating in their power and incapable of
responsibility, they seek to injure our subjects and even plot against their
own benefactors. °4 They
drive out gratitude from the human heart. Carried away by the arrogant boasts
of men who know nothing of goodness, they think they will escape the justice
of the all-seeing God. °5It often happens also that
those in authority, through the influence of friends entrusted with the
administration of public affairs, become partly responsible for the shedding
of innocent blood and are involved in causing irremediable misfortune. °6 Even well-intentioned
rulers are led astray by the trickery of the corrupt. °7These evil practices of
past times, as attested by the records, have been carried over to the present
in the crimes perpetrated by unworthy officials. °8 For the future, however, we
will strive to make our kingdom a realm of peace for all °9 by starting now to adopt new policies and
by treating with the utmost justice all matters that come to our attention. °10To give an example, Haman,
son of Hammedatha, a Macedonian who is alien to Persian blood and devoid of
our kindness, was treated hospitably by us. °11 Enjoying the goodwill that we have
towards every nation, he was even proclaimed our “father,” before whom, as
second in rank to the king, everyone bowed down. °12 But his arrogance turned
his head, and he schemed to deprive us of our kingdom and our life. °13 He plotted for the destruction of
Mordecai, our savior and constant benefactor, of Esther, our blameless royal
partner, and of their entire race. °14 In that way he hoped to make us
defenseless and facilitate the transfer of rule by the Persians to the
Macedonians. °15‘We find, however, that the
Jews consigned to extinction by this accursed man are not evildoers but are
governed by the most just of laws. °16 They are, in fact, children of the Most
High, the great living God, who has made our kingdom prosperous for us and
for our ancestors. °17You will, therefore, do
well to ignore the letter sent by Haman, son of Hammedatha, °18 for the man himself, together with his
entire family, has been hanged at the gate of Susa. Thus speedily has God,
who rules over all, given him the punishment he deserved. °19Post a copy of this letter
in every public place, give the Jews freedom to live by their own laws, °20 and come to their aid in time of trial
against those who plan to attack them on the thirteenth day of the twelfth
month, Adar. °21 For
God, who rules over all, has turned this day from one of destruction into one
of joy for his chosen people. °22You should, therefore,
celebrate this memorable day among your designated feasts with all rejoicing, °23 so that both now and hereafter it may be
for us and the loyal Persians a celebration of salvation, and for those who
plot against us a reminder of destruction. °24Every city and country,
without exception, that fails to observe this decree shall be ruthlessly
destroyed with sword and fire. It will then be ever left untrodden not only
by people but by the beasts and birds as well. The End |