THE BOOK OF
ESTHER
Esther 9 ©
According to the king’s writing, the Jews gather themselves together against their enemies to slay them, v. 1, etc. The governors help them for fear of Mordecai, 3. Who was great with the king, 4. The Jews destroy many of their enemies, 5. Among others also the ten sons of Haman, 7. The king asks Esther what she desires yet further, 12. She desires that the like might be done on the second day, and that Haman’s sons might be hanged, 13. Which the king commands to be done, 14. The Jews slay three hundred men more at Shushan, 15. In the other provinces they slay threescore and fifteen thousand of their enemies, but lay not their hand on the spoil, 16. The Jews keep a feast, and days of rejoicing. 17. Which Mordecai confirms, 21. And appoints to have them diligently kept by their posterity, 22. Which the Jews undertake to do, 23. And those days are called the days of Purim, 26. All this is written by Esther and Mordecai, 29. And made known to all, 30. And written in a book, 32.
NOW in the twelfth month, that is, the month 1Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, 2when the king's commandment and 3his decree drew near to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped to have power over them, (though 4it was turned to the contrary, that the Jews had rule over them that hated them;)
The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought 5their hurt: and no man could 6withstand them; for 7the fear of them fell upon all people.
And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants,a and the deputies, and officers 8of the king, 9helped the Jews; because 10the fear of Mordecai fell upon them.
For Mordecai was 11great in the king's house, and his fame went out throughout all the provinces: for this man Mordecai 12waxed greater and greater.
Thus the Jews smote all their enemies 13with the stroke of the sword, and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto those that hated them.
And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed 14five hundred men.
And 15Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha,
And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha,
And Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vajezatha,
The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, 16slew they; but on the spoil laid 17they not their hand.
On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the palace was brought before the king.
¶And the king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of Haman; 18what have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? now what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: or what is thy request further? and it shall be done.
Then said Esther, 19If it please the king, 20let it be granted to the Jews which are in Shushan to do to morrow also according unto this day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged 21upon the gallows.
And the king commanded it so to be done: and 22the decree was given at Shushan; and they hanged Haman's ten sons.
For the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men at Shushan; but on the prey they laid not their hand.
But the other Jews that were in the king’s provinces 23gathered themselves together, and stood for their 24lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but 25they laid not their hands on the prey,
On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.
But the Jews that were 26at Shushan assembled together 27on the thirteenth day thereof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.
28Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns, made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of 29gladness and feasting, and a 30good day, and of sending 31portions 32one to another.
¶And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far,
To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, 33yearly,
34As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into a 35good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.
And the Jews undertook to do 36as they had begun, and 37as Mordecai had written unto them;
Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is, the 38lot, to consume them, and to destroy them;
But when 39Esther came 40before the king, 41he 42commanded byb letters that 43his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
Wherefore they called 44these days Purim after the name of 45Pur. Therefore for all the words of 46this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and which had 47come unto them,
The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and 48upon their seed, and upon all such as 49joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail, that they would keep 50these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time 51every year;
And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every fam-ily, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from 52among the Jews, nor the memorial of them perish 53from their seed.
54Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote 55with all authority, to confirm 56this 57second letter of Purim.
And 58he sent the letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with 59words of peace and truth,
To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had decreed 60for themselves and for 61their seed, the 62matters of the fastings and their cry.
And the decree of Esther 63confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book.