Esther 3

1 After these things King Achashyerosh promoted Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the officials who were with him.

Some time after this, King Xerxes honored Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, giving him a position higher than all his fellow officials.

2 All the king's servants who were in the King's Gate bowed down, and paid homage to Haman; for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow down or pay him homage.

All the officials in royal employment bowed down and showed respect to Haman, for this is what the king had commanded. But Mordecai would not bow down and show respect to him.

3 Then the king's servants, who were in the King's Gate, said to Mordecai, "Why do you disobey the king's commandment?"

The king's officials asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king's command?”

4 Now it came to pass, when they spoke daily to him, and he did not listen to them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's reason would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew.

They talked to him about it day after day, but he refused to listen. So they told Haman about it to see if he would put up with what Mordecai was doing, for Mordecai had told them he was a Jew.

5 When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down, nor pay him homage, Haman was full of wrath.

Haman was furious when he saw that Mordecai did not bow down and show respect to him.

6 But he scorned the thought of laying hands on Mordecai alone, for they had made known to him Mordecai's people. Therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Achashyerosh, even Mordecai's people.

Having found out who Mordecai's people were, he dismissed the idea of just killing Mordecai. He decided to kill every Jew in the whole Persian Empire—all of Mordecai's people!

7 In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Achashyerosh, they cast Pur (that is, the lot) before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, and chose the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.

In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, “pur” (meaning a “lot”) was cast in Haman's presence to choose a day and month, taking each day and each month one at a time. The lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar.

8 Haman said to King Achashyerosh, "There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom, and their laws are different than other people's. They do not keep the king's laws. Therefore it is not for the king's profit to allow them to remain.

Haman went to King Xerxes and said, “There's a particular people living among others in many different places throughout the provinces of your empire who cut themselves off from everybody else. They have their own laws which are different to those of any other people, and what's more, they don't obey the king's laws. So it's not a good idea for Your Majesty to ignore them.

9 If it pleases the king, let it be written that they be destroyed; and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who are in charge of the king's business, to bring it into the king's treasuries."

If it please Your Majesty, issue a decree to destroy them, and I will personally contribute 10,000 silver talents to those who carry out the king's business to be placed in the royal treasury.”

10 The king took his ring from his hand, and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy.

The king took off his signet ring and handed it to Haman, son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.

11 The king said to Haman, "The silver is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems good to you."

The king told Haman, “You can have the money, and do to the people whatever you want.”

12 Then the king's scribes were called in on the first month, on the thirteenth day of the month; and all that Haman commanded was written to the king's satraps, and to the governors who were over every province, and to the officials of every people, to every province according its writing, and to every people in their language. It was written in the name of King Achashyerosh, and it was sealed with the king's ring.

On the thirteenth day of the first month the king's secretaries were summoned. A decree was issued in accordance with everything Haman demanded and sent to the king's chief officers, the governors of the different provinces and the nobles of the various peoples in the provinces. It was sent in the script of each province and in the language of every people, with the authorization of King Xerxes and sealed with his signet ring.

13 Letters were sent by couriers into all the king's provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to plunder their possessions.

Letters were sent by messenger to all the provinces in the king's empire with orders to destroy, kill, and annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, and confiscate their possessions, all in one day—the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar.

14 A copy of the letter, that the decree should be given out in every province, was published to all the peoples, that they should be ready against that day.

A copy of the decree was to be issued as law in every province and publicized to the people so that they would be ready for the day.

15 The couriers went forth in haste by the king's commandment, and the decree was given out in the citadel of Shushan. The king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city of Shushan was perplexed.

By order of the king the messengers hurried on their way. The decree was also issued in the fortress of Susa. The king and Haman sat down for a drink while the people in city of Susa were very disturbed.