The Jews Destroy Their Enemies 1 ULT Now in month 12, which is the month of Adar, on day 13 of it, when the word of the king and his law had reached the time to be done, on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to dominate them: but being overturned, it happened that the Jews themselves dominated those who hated them. BSB BSB: 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.
2 ULT The Jews assembled themselves in their cities in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus to stretch out a hand against those seeking their evil. But a man did not stand to their face, for sudden fear of them had fallen on all the peoples. BSB BSB: 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.
3 ULT And all the officials of the provinces, and the satraps and the governors and those doing the work that was for the king were lifting up the Jews, for dread of Mordecai had fallen on them. BSB BSB: 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.
4 ULT For Mordecai was great in the palace of the king, and the report of him was going out into all the provinces, for the man Mordecai was progressing and becoming great. BSB BSB: For Mordecai exercised great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful.
5 ULT And the Jews struck to all their enemies a strike of sword and slaughter and destruction. And they did to those who hated them according to their pleasure. BSB BSB: The Jews put all their enemies to the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did as they pleased to those who hated them.
6 ULT And in Susa the citadel the Jews slaughtered and destroyed 500 men. BSB BSB: In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men,
7 ULT And Parshandatha and Dalphon and Aspatha BSB BSB: including Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,
8 ULT and Poratha and Adalia and Aridatha BSB BSB: Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
9 ULT and Parmashta and Arisai and Aridai and Vaizatha, BSB BSB: Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha.
10 ULT the ten sons of Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the adversary of the Jews, they slaughtered. But they did not stretch out their hand to the plunder. BSB BSB: 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.
Haman’s Sons Hanged 11 ULT On that day, the report of the number of those who were killed in Susa the citadel came to the face of the king. BSB BSB: On that day the number of those killed in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king,
12 ULT And the king said to Esther the queen,“In Susa the citadel the Jews have slaughtered and destroyed 500 men, with the ten sons of Haman. In the rest of the provinces of the king, what have they done? Now what is your petition? And it will be given to you. And what is your request? Again, and it will be done.” BSB BSB: 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.”
13 ULT And Esther said,“If it is good to the king, let it be given also tomorrow to the Jews who are in Susa to do according to the law of today, and let the ten sons of Haman hang on the pole.” BSB BSB: 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.”
14 ULT And the king said for this to be done. And a law was given in Susa, and they hanged the ten sons of Haman. BSB BSB: So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they hanged the ten sons of Haman.
15 ULT And the Jews who were in Susa assembled themselves also on day 14 of the month of Adar, and they killed 300 men in Susa. But they did not stretch out their hand to the plunder. BSB BSB: 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.
16 ULT And the rest of the Jews who were in the provinces of the king assembled themselves and stood for their lives, and they rested from their enemies, and they slaughtered 75, 000 of those who hated them. But they did not stretch out their hand to the plunder. BSB BSB: 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 ULT On day 13 of the month of Adar, then they rested. On the fourteenth of it, then they made it a day of feasting and rejoicing. BSB BSB: 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.
The Feast of Purim Instituted 18 ULT But the Jews who were in Susa assembled themselves on the thirteenth of it and on the fourteenth of it. And they rested on the fifteenth of it, and they made it a day of feasting and rejoicing. BSB BSB: 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.
19 ULT Therefore, the Jews, the ones of the open country, the ones who dwell in the cities of the open areas, make day 14 of the month of Adar for rejoicing and for feasting and a good day and for the sending of gifts, a man to his friend. BSB BSB: 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.
20 ULT And Mordecai wrote these things. And he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, the near ones and the far ones, BSB BSB: Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to all the Jews in all the provinces of King Xerxes, both near and far,
21 ULT to set up for them to be making day 14 of the month of Adar and day 15 of it, every year by year, BSB BSB: to establish among them an annual celebration on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar
22 ULT as the days when the Jews rested on them from their enemies and as the month when it had turned for them from sorrow into joy and from mourning into a good day, in order to make them days of feasting and rejoicing and sending of gifts, a man to his friend and gifts to the needy. BSB BSB: 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.
23 ULT And the Jews accepted what they had begun to do and what Mordecai had written to them. BSB BSB: So the Jews agreed to continue the custom they had started, as Mordecai had written to them.
24 ULT For Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the adversary of all the Jews, had plotted concerning the Jews to annihilate them. And he had cast a Pur(which is“the lot”) to vex them and to destroy them. BSB BSB: 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 ULT But when she came to the face of the king, he said with the letter,“Let his evil plot that he plotted concerning the Jews return on his head, and let them hang him and his sons on the pole.” BSB BSB: 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.
26 ULT Therefore, they called these days“Purim,” on account of the name of Pur. Therefore, on account of all the words of this letter and what they had seen concerning this and what had come upon them, BSB BSB: 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,
27 ULT the Jews set up and accepted for themselves and for their seed and for all those who unite themselves to them(and it will not pass away) to be making these two days according to their writing and according to their appointed time every year by year. BSB BSB: 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.
28 ULT And these days are remembered and are made in every generation by generation, family by family, province by province, and city by city. And these days of Purim will not pass away from the midst of the Jews, and their remembrance will not come to an end from their seed. BSB BSB: 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.
29 ULT And Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew wrote with all power to set up this second letter of Purim. BSB BSB: So Queen Esther daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim.
30 ULT And he sent letters to all the Jews, to 127 provinces, the kingdom of Ahasuerus, words of peace and truth BSB BSB: And Mordecai sent letters with words of peace and truth to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Xerxes,
31 ULT to set up these days of Purim at their appointed times according to what Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had set up for them and according to what they had set up concerning their lives and concerning their seed, the matters of the fasts and their outcry. BSB BSB: 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.
32 ULT And the decree of Esther set up these matters of Purim, and it was written in the book. BSB BSB: So Esther’s decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, which were written into the record.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.