Esther 9

1 On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the king’s command and edict were to be executed. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but their plan was overturned and the Jews overpowered those who hated them.

And in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth day thereof, when the king's command with his law drew near to he put into execution, on the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to have power over them, which had been changed nevertheless, so that the Jews had power over those that hated them,

2 In each of the provinces of King Xerxes, the Jews assembled in their cities to attack those who sought to harm them. No man could withstand them, because the fear of them had fallen upon all peoples.

The Jews assembled together in their cities, throughout all the provinces of king Achashverosh, to stretch out their hand against those that had sought their injury: and no man could keep standing before them; for the dread of them had fallen upon all the nations.

3 And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and the king’s administrators helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai had fallen upon them.

And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the governors, and the superintendents of the affairs of the king, elevated the Jews; because the dread of Mordecai had fallen upon them.

4 For Mordecai exercised great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful.

For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went throughout all the provinces; for the man Mordecai became greater and greater.

5 The Jews put all their enemies to the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did as they pleased to those who hated them.

And the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and extermination; and they acted with those that hated them according to their pleasure.

6 In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men,

And in Shushan the capital the Jews slew and exterminated five hundred men.

7 including Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,

And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha,

8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,

And Poratha, and Adalya, and Aridatha,

9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha.

And Parmashtha, and Arissai, and Aridai, and Vayzatha,

10 They killed these ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the adversary of the Jews, did they slay; but to the spoil did they not stretch forth their hand.

11 On that day the number of those killed in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king,

On that same day came the number of those that were slain in Shushan the capital before the king.

12 who said to Queen Esther, “In the citadel of Susa the Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men, including Haman’s ten sons. What have they done in the rest of the royal provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be given to you. And what further do you request? It will be fulfilled.”

Then said the king unto Esther the queen, In Shushan the capital have the Jews slain and exterminated five hundred men, and the ten sons of Haman: what have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? Now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request farther? and it shall be done.

13 Esther replied, “If it pleases the king, may the Jews in Susa also have tomorrow to carry out today’s edict, and may the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows.”

Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it tomorrow also be granted to the Jews who are in Shushan to do according to the law of this day, and let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows.

14 So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they hanged the ten sons of Haman.

And the king ordered that it should be done so; and the law was given out at Shushan; and the ten sons of Haman were hanged.

15 On the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, the Jews in Susa came together again and put to death three hundred men there, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

And the Jews that were in Shushan assembled together also on the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and slew at Shushan three hundred men; but to the spoil they did not stretch forth their hand.

16 The rest of the Jews in the royal provinces also assembled to defend themselves and rid themselves of their enemies. They killed 75,000 who hated them, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.

And the remaining Jews that were in the king's provinces assembled together, and stood forward for their life, and procured rest from their enemies, and slew of those that hated them seventy and five thousand; but to the spoil did they not stretch forth their hand,

17 This was done on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested, making it a day of feasting and joy.

On the thirteenth day of the month Adar, and they rested on the fourteenth day thereof, and made it a day of entertainment and joy.

18 The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and the fourteenth days of the month. So they rested on the fifteenth day, making it a day of feasting and joy.

But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled together on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof, and rested on the fifteenth thereof, and made it a day of entertainment and joy.

19 This is why the rural Jews, who live in the villages, observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting. It is a holiday for sending gifts to one another.

Therefore do the Jews of the villages, that dwell in the unwalled towns, make the fourteenth day of the month Adar as one of joy and entertainment, and a feast-day, and of sending portions one to another.

20 Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to all the Jews in all the provinces of King Xerxes, both near and far,

And Mordecai wrote down these events; and he sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of king Achashverosh, those nigh and those far away,

21 to establish among them an annual celebration on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar

To take it on themselves as a duty, that they should celebrate the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same in each and every year,

22 as the days on which the Jews gained rest from their enemies and the month in which their sorrow turned to joy and their mourning into a holiday. He wrote that these were to be days of feasting and joy, of sending gifts to one another and to the poor.

Like those days whereon the Jews had rest from their enemies, and the month which was changed unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a feast-day: to make them days of entertainment and joy, and of sending portions one to the other, and gifts to the needy.

23 So the Jews agreed to continue the custom they had started, as Mordecai had written to them.

And the Jews took upon themselves that which they had begun already to do, and that which Mordecai had written unto them.

24 For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the Pur (that is, the lot) to crush and destroy them.

Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the adversary of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to exterminate them, and had cast the Pur, that is, the lot, to destroy them, and to exterminate them.

25 But when it came before the king, he commanded by letter that the wicked scheme which Haman had devised against the Jews should come back upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.

But when [Esther] came before the king, he ordered by that letter that his wicked device, which he had devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head: and they hanged him and his sons on the gallows.

26 Therefore these days are called Purim, from the word Pur. Because of all the instructions in this letter, and because of all they had seen and experienced,

Therefore did they call these days Purim, after the name of Pur: therefore, because of all the words of this letter, both for that which they had experienced thereby, and for that which had occurred unto them,

27 the Jews bound themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should not fail to celebrate these two days at the appointed time each and every year, according to their regulation.

The Jews confirmed it as a duty, and took upon themselves, and upon their seed, and upon all such as join themselves unto them, so that no one should fail therein, that they would celebrate these two days according to their prescription, and at their appointed time, in each and every year.

28 These days should be remembered and celebrated by every generation, family, province, and city, so that these days of Purim should not fail to be observed among the Jews, nor should the memory of them fade from their descendants.

And these days are remembered and celebrated throughout each and every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and these days of Purim will not pass away from the midst of the Jews, nor will their memorial cease from their seed.

29 So Queen Esther daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim.

Then wrote Esther the queen, the daughter of Abichayil, with Mordecai the Jew, with all due strength, to confirm this letter of Purim the second time.

30 And Mordecai sent letters with words of peace and truth to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Xerxes,

And he sent letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred and twenty-seven provinces of the kingdom of Achashverosh, word's of peace and truth,

31 in order to confirm these days of Purim at their appointed time, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established them and had committed themselves and their descendants to the times of fasting and lamentation.

To confirm these days of Purim in their times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined on them, and as they had confirmed for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their prayers.

32 So Esther’s decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, which were written into the record.

And the order of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book.