Esther 3

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

And after this king Artaxerxes highly honored Aman [son] of Amadathes, the Bugaean, and exalted him, and set his seat above all his friends.

2 All the king's servants who were at the king's gate always knelt and prostrated themselves to Haman, as the king had ordered them to do. But Mordecai neither knelt nor prostrated himself.

And all in the palace did him obeisance, for so the king had given orders to do: but Mardochaeus did not do him obeisance.

3 Then the king's servants who were at the king's gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you disobey the king's command?”

And they in the king's palace said to Mardochaeus, Mardochaeus, why do you transgress the commands of the king?

4 They spoke with him day after day, but he refused to comply with their demands. So they spoke with Haman to see if the matter about Mordecai would remain like that, for he had told them that he was a Jew.

[Thus] they spoke daily to him, but he listened not to them; so they represented to Aman that Mardochaeus resisted the commands of the king: and Mardochaeus had shown to them that he was a Jew.

5 When Haman saw that Mordecai did not kneel and bow down to him, Haman was filled with rage.

And when Aman understood that Mardochaeus did not obeisance to him, he was greatly enraged,

6 He had contempt for the idea of killing only Mordecai, for the king's servants had told him who Mordecai's people were. Haman wanted to exterminate all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were in the entire kingdom of Ahasuerus.

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

7 In the first month (which is the month of Nisan), in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, the Pur—that is the lot—was thrown before Haman, to select a day and month. They cast the lot over and over until the lot fell on the twelfth month (which is the month of Adar).

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

8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and distributed among all the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different from those of other people, and they do not keep the king's laws, so it is not suitable for the king to let them stay.

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; and it is not expedient for the king to let them alone.

9 If it please the king, give a command to kill them, and I will weigh out ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who are in charge of the king's business, for them to put it into the king's treasury.”

If it seem 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.

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

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

11 The king said to Haman, “I will see that the money is given back to you and your people. You will do with it whatever you wish.”

And the king said to Aman, Keep the silver, and treat the nation as you will.

12 Then the king's scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and a decree containing all that Haman had commanded was written to the king's provincial governors, those who were over all the provinces, to the governors of all the various peoples, and to the officials of all the people, to every province in their own writing, and to every people in their own language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and was sealed with his ring.

So the king's recorders were called in the first month, on the thirteenth [day], and they wrote as Aman 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 [several] languages, in the name of king Artaxerxes.

13 Documents were hand-delivered by couriers to all the king's provinces, to annihilate, kill, and destroy all Jews, from young to old, children and women, in one day—on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (which is the month of Adar)—and to plunder their possessions.

And [the message] was sent by posts throughout the kingdom of Artaxerxes, to destroy utterly the race of the Jews on the first day of the twelfth month, which is Adar, and to plunder their goods.

14 A copy of the letter was made law in every province. In every province it was made known to all the people that they should prepare for this day.

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.

15 The couriers went out and hurried to distribute the king's order. The decree was also distributed within the fortress of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was in turmoil.

And the business was hastened, and [that] at Susa: and the king and Aman began to drink; but the city was troubled.