Esther 9 (ARST)

1On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month{ of that year}, the month of Adar, it was time for everyone to do what the letters from the king said that he had decreed for them to do. The enemies of the Jews had expected to destroy the Jews on that day. But just the opposite happened. Instead, it was the Jews who destroyed their enemies.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.

2Throughout the empire, the Jews joined together in their cities to defend themselves against those who wanted to harm them. No one was able to fight back against them because everyone in the empire had become very afraid of them,{ so no one helped anyone who attacked the Jews}.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.

3All the leaders in each province, the royal officials, the governors, and everyone who worked for the king helped the Jews because they had become very afraid of Mordecai.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.

4They were afraid of Mordecai because he was a very important royal official. Throughout the empire, everyone was hearing about how great he was because Mordecai kept becoming more and more powerful.For Mordecai exercised great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful.

5{ On the day when they were allowed to defend themselves}, the Jews took their weapons and fought against all of their enemies. The Jews destroyed them completely. They were able to do everything that they wanted to do against their enemies.The Jews put all their enemies to the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did as they pleased to those who hated them.

6In the capital city of Susa the Jews killed 500 men.In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men,

7{ The Jews} also{ killed the ten sons of Haman. The names of his sons were} Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,including Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,

8Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,

9Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha.Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha.

10These were the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. The Jews killed them, but they did not take the things that belonged to them.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.

11At the end of the day, someone came in and reported to the king how many people the Jews had killed in the capital city of Susa.On that day the number of those killed in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king,

12So the king said to Queen Esther,“Here in the capital city of Susa the Jews have killed 500 men, including the ten sons of Haman. In the rest of my empire, they must have killed many more than that! So, what else do you want? Tell me, and I will do it for you. I will do whatever you ask, so please tell me what you want.”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.”

13Esther replied,“If it seems like a good plan to you, O king, then please allow the Jews who{ live here} in Susa to do again tomorrow what you allowed them to do today. Also, command{ your servants} to hang{ the bodies of} Haman’ s ten sons on wooden poles.”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.”

14The king did as{ Esther} asked. He issued a decree{ allowing the Jews} in Susa{ to fight against their enemies again the next day}, and{ he ordered his servants} to hang{ the bodies of} Haman’ s ten sons.So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they hanged the ten sons of Haman.

15And so on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, the Jews who{ lived} in Susa joined together again and killed 300{ more} men in Susa. But{ once again} they did not take the things that belonged to those men.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.

16The Jews who{ lived} in the other parts of the empire, who had joined together to fight for their lives{ on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar}, had defeated their enemies and killed 75, 000 of them{ on that day}. But they did not take the things that had belonged to their enemies.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.

17{ After defeating their enemies} on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, they rested on the fourteenth day. They devoted the fourteenth day as a day to celebrate joyfully.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.

18But the Jews who{ lived} in Susa joined together{ to fight against their enemies} on both the thirteenth and fourteenth days of the month{ of Adar}. They rested on the fifteenth day. They devoted that day to celebrating joyfully.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.

19That is why the Jews who live in rural villages observe this holiday on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar{ rather than on the fifteenth day}. They do this by celebrating joyfully and by giving gifts to one another.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.

20Mordecai wrote down everything that had happened. Then he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the empire, everywhere that they lived.Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to all the Jews in all the provinces of King Xerxes, both near and far,

21He established{ a holiday on} the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar. He told the Jews to observe it every single yearto establish among them an annual celebration on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar

22because those were the days when the Jews rested and no longer had to fight their enemies. That was the month when everything had changed for them. They had been deeply distressed{ because their enemies were going to destroy them}. But then they became very happy{ after they were safe from all their enemies}.{ So Mordecai told them} to observe those days with joyful celebration and by giving gifts to one another.{ Mordecai} also{ told them that} they should help the poor on those days.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.

23The Jews were already celebrating those days that way. So they{ readily} agreed to do what Mordecai had instructed them to do.So the Jews agreed to continue the custom they had started, as Mordecai had written to them.

24{ They would celebrate those days to remember} how Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had tried to destroy them. He had thrown a Pur(that is, a lot){ to find out what would be the best day} to attack the Jews and destroy them completely.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.

25{ They would also remember how Esther dared to} come before the king{ even though he did not summon her}. Then the king{ allowed Mordecai to} send a letter{ throughout the empire} saying that the king would make Haman’ s evil plan to destroy the Jews happen to Haman instead. The king also ordered his servants to hang Haman on a wooden pole. When the Jews in Susa killed his ten sons, the king had his servants hang their bodies, as well.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.

26The{ Persian} word{ for“lot”} is“Pur.” That is why{ the Jews} gave the name Purim to this celebration. Because of all of the amazing things that they had just experienced and because{ Mordecai then} wrote{ to them to tell them to observe this holiday},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,

27the Jews agreed to establish those two days as holidays and to observe them in the way that{ Mordecai} had told them, on those specific days. They agreed that they and their descendants and everyone who became part of the Jewish people{ would celebrate this festival of Purim} every year, forever.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.

28So that is why every Jewish family in every generation{ since} has celebrated these days as holidays, everywhere they have lived. The Jewish community and its descendants will always faithfully observe this festival of Purim.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.

29Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, with{ help from} Mordecai the Jew, wrote a second letter about Purim. Because Esther was the queen, she was able to command the Jews to obey{ what Mordecai had written} about Purim{ in his letter}.So Queen Esther daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim.

30They sent{ copies of this second} letter to all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Ahasuerus. It encouraged them that{ their situation was now} peaceful and secure.And Mordecai sent letters with words of peace and truth to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Xerxes,

31{ In this second letter,} Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther confirmed that Purim should be celebrated on the{ fourteenth and fifteenth} days{ of the month of Adar}.{ They also confirmed} that the Jews should continue the times of fasting and mourning that the Jews had established for themselves and their descendants.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.

32Esther issued a decree establishing Purim{ as a holiday for the Jews}, and the{ royal scribes} wrote it down in the book{ of laws}.So Esther’s decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, which were written into the record.

Esther 9

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Esther 9

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