Esther 9

1 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,

The first law that the king had commanded was to be made effective on March 7th. On that day the enemies of the Jews hoped to get rid of them. But instead, on that same day the Jews defeated their enemies.

2 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.

Throughout the empire, the Jews gathered together in their cities to attack those who wanted to get rid of them. No one could fight against the Jews, because all the other people in the areas where the Jews lived were afraid of them, [so they did not want to help anyone who attacked the Jews].

3 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.

All the governors and [other] officials and important people in all the provinces helped the Jews, because they were afraid of Mordecai.

4 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.

They were afraid of him because in all the provinces [they knew that] Mordecai was now the king’s most important official, [with the authority that Haman previously had]. Mordecai was becoming more famous because [the king was giving him] more and more power.

5 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.

[On March 7th, ] the Jews attacked and killed with their swords all of their enemies. They did whatever they wanted to do, to the people who hated them.

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

[Just] in Susa alone, the capital city, they killed 500 people.

7 And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha,

Among those whom they killed were the ten sons of Haman. [Their names were] Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,

8 And Poratha, and Adalya, and Aridatha,

Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,

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

Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha.

10 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.

Those were grandsons of Hammedatha and sons of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. The Jews killed them, but they did not take the things that belonged to the people whom they killed.

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

[At the end of] that day someone reported to the king the number of people whom the Jews killed in Susa.

12 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.

Then the king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed 500 people here in Susa, including the ten sons of Haman! [So I think that] they must have killed many more people in the rest of my empire [RHQ]! [But okay], now what else do you want me to do for you. You tell me, and I will do it.”

13 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.

Esther replied, “If it pleases you, allow the Jews here in Susa to do again tomorrow what [you] commanded [them] to do today. And command that the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows/poles.”

14 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.

So the king commanded that the Jews be permitted to kill more of their enemies the next day. After he issued [another] order in Susa, the bodies of Haman’s ten sons were hanged.

15 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.

On the next day, the Jews in Susa gathered together and killed 300 more people. But [again, ] they did not take the things that belonged to the people whom they killed.

16 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,

That happened on March 8th. On the following day, the Jews [in Susa] rested and celebrated. In all the other provinces, the Jewish people gathered together to defend themselves, and they killed 75,000 people who hated them, but [again] they did not take the things that belonged to the people whom they killed.

17 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.

That occurred on March 7th, and on the following day they rested and celebrated.

18 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.

After the Jews in Susa gathered together [and killed their enemies] on March 7th and 8th, they rested and celebrated on March 9th.

19 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.

That is why [every year], on March 8th, the Jews who live in villages now celebrate [defeating their enemies]. They have feasts and give gifts [of food] to each other.

20 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,

Mordecai wrote down all the things that had happened. Then he sent letters to the Jews who lived throughout the empire of King Xerxes.

21 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,

He told them that every year they should celebrate on the 8th and 9th of March,

22 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.

because those were the days when the Jews got rid of their enemies. He also told them that they should celebrate on those days by feasting and giving gifts [of food] to each other and to poor people. They would remember it as the month in which they changed from being very sorrowful to being very joyful, from crying to celebrating.

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

So the Jews agreed to do what Mordecai wrote. They agreed to celebrate on those days [every year].

24 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.

They would remember how Haman, son of Hammedatha, a descendant of [King] Agag, became an enemy of all the Jews. [They would remember] how he had made an evil plan to kill the Jews, and that he had (cast lots/thrown small marked stones) to choose the day to kill [DOU] them.

25 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.

[They would remember] that when Esther told the king about Haman’s plan, the king arranged that the evil plan that Haman had made to kill the Jews would fail, and that he [would be killed] instead of the Jews, and that Haman and that his sons were hanged.

26 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,

[Because the (lot/small marked stone) that Haman threw was called] Pur, the Jews called these days Purim. And, because of everything that ([Mordecai] wrote/was written) in that letter, and because of all that happened to them,

27 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.

the Jews [throughout the empire] agreed to celebrate in that manner on those two days every year. They said that they would tell their descendants and those people who became Jews to be certain to celebrate this festival every year. They should celebrate just as [Mordecai] told them to do [in the letter] that he wrote.

28 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.

They said that they would remember and celebrate on those two days every year, in each family, in every city, and in every province. They solemnly declared that they and their descendants would never stop remembering and celebrating those days called Purim.

29 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.

Then Mordecai and Queen Esther, who was the daughter of Abihail, wrote a second letter about the Purim feast. Esther used the authority that she had because of being the queen to confirm that what Mordecai had written in the first letter was true.

30 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,

What they wrote [in the second letter] was, “We wish that all of you will be living peacefully and safely/righteously. We want you and your descendants to celebrate Purim each year on the days that we two established, and to do the things that we two told you to do.” In that letter, Queen Esther and Mordecai also gave them instructions about (fasting/abstaining from eating food) and being sorrowful. Then copies of that letter were sent to all the Jews who were living in the 127 provinces of the empire.

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

The letter that Esther wrote about the manner in which they should celebrate the Purim feast was also written in an official record.