Esther

Chapter 1

1 And it came to pass after these words in the days of Artaxerxes, this Artaxerxes ruled over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India

2 in those very days, when King Artaxerxes was seated on his throne in the city of Susa,

3 in the third year of his reign, he made a feast for his friends and for the other nations and for the nobles of the Persians and Medes and for the rulers of the satraps.

4 And after these things, after he had shown them the wealth of his kingdom and the glory of the gladness of his wealth for a hundred and eighty days,

5 when the days of the wedding feast were fulfilled, the king made a drinking party for the nations found in the city for six days in the court of the house of the king,

6 adorned with fine linen and cotton stretched on cords of fine linen and purple on blocks of gold and silver on pillars of marble and stone; couches of gold and silver on a pavement of emerald stone and of mother-of-pearl and of marble stone, and transparent coverlets variously embroidered with flowers, round about roses full-blown;

7 cups of gold and silver, and a small cup of anthracite set forth from thirty thousand talents; much wine and sweet, which the king himself drank.

8 And this drinking party was not according to the established law, but thus the king wished, and he commanded the stewards to do his will and that of the men.

9 And Queen Astin made a drinking party for the women in the royal palace, where King Artaxerxes was.

10 And on the seventh day, the king being merry, said to Haman and Bazan and Tharra and Boraze and Zatholtha and Abataza and Tharaba, the seven eunuchs who were the servants of King Artaxerxes,

11 to bring the queen before him, to crown her as queen and to place the diadem upon her and to show her to all the rulers and to the nations her beauty, because she was beautiful.

12 And Queen Astin did not heed him to come with the eunuchs. And the king was grieved and became angry,

13 and said to his friends, “According to these things Astin has spoken; do therefore make a law and a judgment concerning this.”

14 And Arkesaios and Sarsathaios and Malese-ar, the rulers of the Persians and Medes who were near the king, the first who sat beside the king, came to him

15 and reported to him according to the laws how it was necessary to deal with Queen Astin, because she had not done what was commanded by the king through the eunuchs.

16 And Muchaios said to the king and the rulers, “Not the king alone has Queen Astin wronged, but also all the rulers and the leaders of the king,

17 since she spoke against King Artaxerxes;

18 so today the remaining sovereign ladies of the rulers of the Persians and Medes, having heard what was said to the king by her, will dare likewise to dishonor their husbands.

19 If therefore it seems good to the king, let him issue a royal decree, and let it be written according to the laws of the Medes and Persians; and let it not be otherwise observed, nor let the queen come in anymore to him, and let the king give her kingdom to a woman better than she.

20 And let the law of the king be proclaimed, whatever he makes, throughout his kingdom, and so all the women will place honor upon their husbands, from poor to rich.”

21 And the word pleased the king and the rulers, and the king did as Muchaios had spoken;

22 and he sent throughout all the kingdom, province by province, according to their word, so that there might be fear among them in their houses.

Chapter 2

1And after these words the king's anger abated, and he no longer remembered Vashti, recalling what she had said and how he had condemned her.

2And the king's servants said, "Let there be sought for the king undefiled girls, beautiful in appearance;

3and let the king appoint village officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, and let them select virgin girls, beautiful in appearance, for Susa the city, for the women's quarters, and let them be handed over to the king's eunuch, the keeper of the women, and let cosmetics and the rest of their care be given them;

4and the woman who pleases the king shall reign in place of Vashti." And the matter pleased the king, and he did so.

5And there was a Jewish man in Susa the city, and his name was Mordecai, the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin,

6who was a captive from Jerusalem, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had taken captive.

7And he had a foster child, the daughter of Aminadab, his father's brother, and her name was Esther; and when her parents died, he brought her up for himself as a wife; and the girl was beautiful in appearance.

8And when the king's command was heard, many girls were gathered to Susa the city under the charge of Gai, and Esther was brought to Gai the keeper of the women.

9And the girl pleased him and found favor before him, and he hastened to give her the cosmetics and her portion and the seven girls appointed to her from the royal house, and he treated her and her maids well in the women's quarters.

10And Esther did not disclose her people or her homeland, for Mordecai had commanded her not to tell.

11And every day Mordecai walked about the women's court, watching what would happen to Esther.

12Now this was the time for a girl to go in to the king, when she had completed twelve months; for thus the days of their treatment are fulfilled: six months being anointed with oil of myrrh, and six months with spices and the cosmetics of women,

13and then she goes in to the king; and whatever she asks, he will give to her to go in with her from the women's quarters to the palace.

14In the evening she goes in, and toward day she returns to the second women's quarters, where Gai the king's eunuch, the keeper of the women, is, and she no longer goes in to the king unless she is called by name.

15And when the time was fulfilled for Esther, the daughter of Aminadab, the brother of Mordecai's father, to go in to the king, she neglected nothing that the eunuch, the keeper of the women, had commanded her; for Esther found favor with all who saw her.

16And Esther went in to Artaxerxes the king in the twelfth month, which is Adar, in the seventh year of his reign.

17And the king fell in love with Esther, and she found favor beyond all the virgins, and he placed on her the queen's crown.

18And the king made a banquet for all his friends and his forces for seven days, and he celebrated the marriage of Esther highly, and granted a remission to those under his kingdom.

19And Mordecai served in the court.

20But Esther did not disclose her homeland; for so Mordecai had commanded her, to fear God and to do his commandments, just as when she was with him; and Esther did not change her way of life.

21And the two eunuchs of the king, the chief bodyguards, were grieved because Mordecai was promoted, and they sought to kill Artaxerxes the king.

22And the matter was made known to Mordecai, and he informed Esther, and she disclosed to the king the details of the plot.

23 And the king examined the two eunuchs and hanged them; and the king commanded that a record be entered in the royal library as a memorial concerning the loyalty of Mordecai, with commendation.

Chapter 3

1 After these things King Artaxerxes honored Haman, son of Hamadathes, the Bougaean, and exalted him, and he had the first seat among all his friends.

2 And all those in the court did obeisance to him, for so the king had commanded it to be done; but Mordecai did not do obeisance to him.

3 And those in the king's court said to Mordecai, "Mordecai, why do you disobey the things spoken by the king?"

4 Day after day they spoke to him, and he did not listen to them; and they informed Haman that Mordecai was setting himself against the king's words; and Mordecai had made known to them that he was a Jew.

5 And when Haman learned that Mordecai did not do obeisance to him, he was enraged exceedingly,

6 and he plotted to destroy all the Jews under the kingdom of Artaxerxes.

7 And he made a decree in the twelfth year of the reign of Artaxerxes, and he cast lots, day by day and month by month, so as to destroy in one day the race of Mordecai; and the lot fell on the fourteenth of the month, which is Adar.

8 And he spoke to King Artaxerxes, saying, "There is a nation scattered among the nations in all your kingdom, and their laws are different from those of all the nations, and they disobey the laws of the king, and it is not profitable for the king to let them alone.

9 If it seems good to the king, let him decree to destroy them, and I will pay into the king's treasury ten thousand talents of silver."

10 And the king, taking off his ring, gave it into Haman's hand to seal the things written against the Jews.

11 And the king said to Haman, "Keep the silver, and do with the nation as you wish."

12 And the king's scribes were summoned in the first month, on the thirteenth day, and they wrote, as Haman commanded, to the generals and the governors in every province from India to Ethiopia, to the hundred and twenty-seven provinces, and to the rulers of the nations, in their own language, in the name of King Artaxerxes.

13 And it was sent by couriers throughout the kingdom of Artaxerxes, to destroy the race of the Jews in one day of the twelfth month, which is Adar, and to plunder their possessions.

13a And this is the copy of the letter: "The great King Artaxerxes writes these things to the rulers and governors of the hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia, who are subject to him:

13b Ruling over many nations and holding sway over the whole world, I resolved, not being uplifted by the arrogance of power, but always conducting affairs with equity and gentleness, to make the lives of my subjects at all times untroubled, and, providing a kingdom civilized and passable to its farthest borders, to restore the peace desired by all men.

13c But when I inquired of my counselors how this might be brought to completion, Haman—who among us excels in prudence, and has been proven in unchanging goodwill and steadfast fidelity, and has obtained the second place of honor in the kingdom

13d pointed out to us that there is mingled among all the tribes throughout the world a certain hostile people, opposed in their laws to every nation, continually setting aside the ordinances of the kings, so that the government blamelessly directed by us cannot be established.

13e Having understood, then, that this nation stands utterly alone in opposition to all mankind at all times, following a strange and different way of life by their laws, and, ill-disposed to our interests, accomplishing the worst evils, and so that the kingdom may not attain stability:

13f we have therefore commanded that those indicated to you in the writings of Haman, who is set over affairs and is a second father to us, be all destroyed root and branch, with their wives and children, by the swords of their enemies, without any pity or sparing, on the fourteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar, of the present year,

13g so that those who of old and now are hostile, going down violently to Hades in one day, may in time to come render our affairs stable and untroubled to the end."

14 And copies of the letters were posted in every province, and all the nations were commanded to be ready for that day. 15 And the matter was hastened also in Susa; and the king and Haman drank together, but the city was in confusion.

Chapter 4

1 Now Mordecai, learning what was being carried out, tore his garments and put on sackcloth and sprinkled himself with ashes, and rushing out through the open square of the city he cried with a loud voice, "A nation that has done no wrong is being destroyed!"

2 And he came as far as the king's gate and stood there; for it was not lawful for him to enter the court wearing sackcloth and ashes.

3 And in every province where the letters were published, there was crying and lamentation and great mourning among the Jews; they spread sackcloth and ashes for themselves.

4 And the queen's maids and eunuchs came in and told her, and she was troubled when she heard what had happened, and she sent to clothe Mordecai and to take away his sackcloth, but he would not consent.

5 So Esther summoned Hachratheus, her eunuch, who attended her, and sent him to learn from Mordecai the exact truth.

7 And Mordecai showed him what had happened, and the promise which Haman had made to the king of ten thousand talents for the treasury, in order to destroy the Jews;

8 and he gave him the copy of what had been posted in Susa for their destruction, to show to Esther, and he told him to charge her to go in and entreat the king and to plead with him for the people, "remembering the days of your lowly estate, how you were brought up by my hand, because Haman, who is second to the king, has spoken against us for our death. Call upon the Lord and speak to the king concerning us, and deliver us from death."

9 So Hachratheus went in and told her all these words.

10 And Esther said to Hachratheus, "Go to Mordecai and say:

11 'All the nations of the kingdom know that any man or woman who goes in to the king, into the inner court, uncalled, has no deliverance; only the one to whom the king holds out the golden scepter shall be saved. And I have not been called to go in to the king these thirty days.'"

12 And Hachratheus reported to Mordecai all the words of Esther.

13 And Mordecai said to Hachratheus, "Go and say to her, 'Esther, do not say to yourself that you alone in the kingdom will be saved out of all the Jews.

14 For if you disregard this at this time, help and protection will come to the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have come to the throne for such a time as this?'"

15 And Esther sent back the one who had come to her, to Mordecai, saying,

16 "Go and gather the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me; do not eat or drink for three days, night and day; and I also and my maids will go without food. And then I will go in to the king contrary to the law, even if I must perish."

17 So Mordecai went and did all that Esther had commanded him,

17a and he besought the Lord, remembering all the works of the Lord, and said:

17b "O Lord, Lord, King who rules over all, for all things are in your power, and there is no one who can oppose you when you will to save Israel;

17c for you made heaven and earth and every wonderful thing under heaven, and you are Lord of all, and there is none who can withstand you, the Lord.

17d You know all things; you know, O Lord, that it was not in insolence nor in pride nor in love of glory that I did this, refusing to bow down to the proud Haman, for I would have been willing to kiss the soles of his feet for the salvation of Israel;

17e but I did this so that I might not set the glory of a man above the glory of God, and I will bow down to no one except you, my Lord, and I will not do these things in pride.

17f And now, O Lord God, King, God of Abraham, spare your people, for they look upon us for destruction, and they have desired to destroy the inheritance that has been yours from the beginning.

17g Do not overlook your portion, which you redeemed for yourself out of the land of Egypt.

17h Hear my prayer, and be merciful to your allotted inheritance, and turn our mourning into feasting, that we may live and sing praise to your name, O Lord; and do not destroy the mouth of those who praise you."

17i And all Israel cried out with all their might, for death was before their eyes.

17k And Queen Esther fled to the Lord, seized with the anguish of death; and taking off the garments of her glory she put on garments of distress and mourning, and instead of proud perfumes she covered her head with ashes and dung, and she humbled her body greatly, and every place of her joyful adornment she filled with her tangled hair; and she besought the Lord God of Israel and said:

17l "My Lord, our King, you alone are God; help me, who am alone and have no helper but you, for my danger is in my hand.

17m I have heard from my birth, in the tribe of my family, that you, O Lord, took Israel out of all the nations, and our fathers out of all their ancestors, for an everlasting inheritance, and that you did for them all that you promised.

17n And now we have sinned before you, and you have delivered us into the hands of our enemies, because we glorified their gods. You are righteous, O Lord.

17o And now they are not satisfied with the bitterness of our slavery, but they have laid their hands upon the hands of their idols, to abolish the decree of your mouth, and to destroy your inheritance, and to stop the mouth of those who praise you, and to quench the glory of your house and your altar,

17p and to open the mouth of the nations for the praises of vain gods, and that a king of flesh should be magnified forever.

17q Do not surrender your scepter, O Lord, to those who are nothing, and let them not laugh at our downfall, but turn their plan against themselves, and make an example of him who began this against us.

17r Remember, O Lord; make yourself known in the time of our affliction, and give me courage, O King of the gods and Master of all dominion.

17s Put eloquent speech in my mouth before the lion, and turn his heart to hatred of the one who fights against us, for his destruction and that of those who are of one mind with him.

17t But deliver us by your hand, and help me, who am alone and have no one but you, O Lord.

17u You have knowledge of all things, and you know that I have hated the glory of the lawless, and I abhor the bed of the uncircumcised and of every foreigner.

17w You know my necessity, that I abhor the sign of my proud position, which is upon my head in the days when I appear in public; I abhor it as a menstruous rag, and I do not wear it in the days of my quiet.

17x And your servant has not eaten at Haman's table, and I have not honored the king's banquet nor drunk the wine of libations;

17y and your servant has had no joy since the day of my change of state until now, except in you, O Lord God of Abraham.

17z O God, whose might is over all, hear the voice of the despairing, and deliver us from the hand of evildoers; and deliver me from my fear."

Chapter 5

1 And it came to pass on the third day, when she had ceased praying, that she took off the garments of her service and clothed herself in her glory.

1a And having become resplendent, after calling upon God, the overseer and savior of all, she took her two maids, and on the one she leaned as if in delicacy, while the other followed, carrying her train;

1b and she was blushing in the height of her beauty, and her face was cheerful, as though lovely, but her heart was constricted with fear.

1c And having passed through all the doors, she stood before the king; and he was seated on the throne of his kingdom, clothed in all the robe of his splendor, all covered with gold and precious stones, and he was exceedingly terrifying.

1d And lifting up his face, inflamed with glory, in the height of his wrath he looked; and the queen fell, and her color changed as she fainted, and she bowed down upon the head of the maid who went before her.

1e And God changed the spirit of the king into gentleness, and in distress he leapt from his throne and took her up in his arms until she recovered, and he comforted her with peaceful words and said to her,

1f "What is it, Esther? I am your brother; take courage. You shall not die, for our decree applies only to the common people. Come near."

2 And lifting the golden scepter, he laid it upon her neck, and he embraced her and said, "Speak to me."

2a And she said to him, "I saw you, my lord, as an angel of God, and my heart was troubled from fear of your glory; for you are wonderful, my lord, and your face is full of graces."

2b But as she was speaking, she fell from faintness; and the king was troubled, and all his attendants sought to comfort her.

3 And the king said, "What do you wish, Esther, and what is your request? Even to half of my kingdom, and it shall be yours."

4 And Esther said, "Today is a special day for me. If it seems good to the king, let him and Haman come to the banquet which I shall prepare today."

5 And the king said, "Hasten Haman here, that we may do as Esther has said." And they both came to the banquet of which Esther had spoken.

6 And at the drinking the king said to Esther, "What is it, Queen Esther? Whatever you request shall be yours."

7 And she said, "My petition and my request:

8 if I have found favor before the king, let the king and Haman come again tomorrow to the banquet which I shall prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do the same."

9 And Haman went out from the king overjoyed and glad; but when Haman saw Mordecai the Jew in the courtyard, he was greatly enraged.

10 And going into his own house, he called his friends and Zosara his wife,

11 and he showed them his wealth and the glory with which the king had invested him, and how he had made him first and leader of the kingdom.

12 And Haman said, "The queen has invited no one to the banquet with the king except me, and for tomorrow also I am invited.

13 But these things do not please me, whenever I see Mordecai the Jew in the courtyard."

14 And Zosara his wife and his friends said to him, "Let a gallows be cut for you, fifty cubits high; and in the morning speak to the king, and let Mordecai be hanged upon the gallows. Then go with the king to the banquet and be merry." And the saying pleased Haman, and the gallows was prepared.

Chapter 6

1 But the Lord took sleep away from the king that night, and he told his teacher to bring in the books of records of the days and read to him.

2 And he found the writings written concerning Mordecai, how he had reported to the king concerning the two eunuchs of the king, when they were on guard and sought to lay hands on Artaxerxes.

3 And the king said, "What honor or favor have we done for Mordecai?" And the king's servants said, "You have done nothing for him."

4 And while the king was inquiring about the goodwill of Mordecai, behold, Haman was in the court. And the king said, "Who is in the court?" Now Haman had come in to tell the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared.

5 And the king's servants said, "Behold, Haman is standing in the court." And the king said, "Call him."

6 And the king said to Haman, "What shall I do for the man whom I wish to honor?" And Haman said within himself, "Whom would the king wish to honor but me?"

7 And he said to the king, "For a man whom the king wishes to honor,

8 let the king's servants bring a robe of fine linen, which the king wears, and a horse on which the king rides,

9 and let him give them to one of the king's honored friends, and let him clothe the man whom the king loves, and let him mount him on the horse, and let him proclaim through the street of the city, saying, 'Thus shall it be for every man whom the king honors.'"

10 And the king said to Haman, "Just as you have spoken, so do for Mordecai the Jew, who serves in the court, and let not a word of what you have spoken fall to the ground."

11 So Haman took the robe and the horse, and he clothed Mordecai and mounted him on the horse and went through the street of the city and proclaimed, saying, "Thus shall it be for every man whom the king wishes to honor."

12 And Mordecai returned to the court, but Haman went back to his own home, grieving, with his head covered.

13 And Haman recounted what had happened to him to Zosara his wife and to his friends, and his friends and his wife said to him, "If Mordecai is of the race of the Jews, and you have begun to be humbled before him, you will surely fall; you will not be able to defend yourself against him, because a living God is with him."

14 While they were still speaking, the eunuchs arrived, hurrying Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

Chapter 7

1 And the king and Haman went in to drink with the queen.

2 And the king said to Esther on the second day at the banquet, What is it, Queen Esther, and what is your request and what is your petition? And it shall be granted to you up to half of my kingdom.

3 And answering she said, If I have found favor before the king, let my life be given to my request and my people to my petition;

4 for we have been sold, both I and my people, to destruction and plunder and slavery, we and our children to be male and female servants, and I disobeyed; for the accuser is not worthy of the king's court.

5 And the king said, Who is this, who dared to do this thing?

6 And Esther said, A man, an enemy, this wicked Haman. And Haman was troubled before the king and the queen.

7 And the king rose up from the banquet into the garden; and Haman began to beg the queen, for he saw that he was in trouble.

8 And the king returned from the garden, and Haman had fallen upon the couch begging the queen; and the king said, Will you even assault the woman in my house? And Haman, hearing this, was dismayed in his face.

9 And Bugathan, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, Behold, Haman has also prepared a gallows for Mordecai, who spoke on behalf of the king, and a gallows of fifty cubits has been set up at Haman's house. And the king said, Let him be hanged on it.

10 And Haman was hanged on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai. And then the king's anger abated.

Chapter 8

1 And on that very day King Artaxerxes gave to Esther all that belonged to Haman the slanderer, and Mordecai was summoned by the king, for Esther had made known that he was related to her.

2 And the king took the ring which he had taken away from Haman and gave it to Mordecai, and Esther set Mordecai over all that had been Haman's.

3 And she spoke further to the king, and fell at his feet, and begged him to remove the evil of Haman and all that he had done to the Jews.

4 And the king stretched out the golden scepter to Esther, and Esther arose to stand before the king.

5 And Esther said, "If it seems good to you, and I have found favor, let word be sent to revoke the letters dispatched by Haman, which were written to destroy the Jews who are in your kingdom.

6 For how shall I be able to look upon the affliction of my people, and how shall I be able to be saved in the destruction of my homeland?"

7 And the king said to Esther, "If I have given and freely granted to you all the possessions of Haman, and hanged him upon a tree because he laid his hands upon the Jews, what more do you seek?

8 Write, then, you also, in my name as it seems good to you, and seal it with my ring; for whatever is written at the king's command and sealed with my ring cannot be gainsaid."

9 So the scribes were called in the first month, which is Nisan, on the twenty-third day of the same year, and it was written to the Jews all that he had commanded to the stewards and the rulers of the satraps from India to Ethiopia, to a hundred twenty-seven satrapies, province by province, according to their own language.

10 And it was written by the authority of the king and sealed with his ring, and they sent out the letters by couriers,

11 how he commanded them to use their own laws in every city, both to help themselves and to deal with their adversaries and those opposing them as they wished,

12 on one day throughout all the kingdom of Artaxerxes, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is Adar.

12a The following is a copy of the letter:

12b "The great King Artaxerxes to the rulers of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, a hundred twenty-seven satrapies, and to those loyal to our interests, greeting.

12c Many, being honored ever more frequently with the abundant kindness of their benefactors, have grown too proud, and not only do they seek to harm those subject to us, but, unable to bear their own surfeit, they even undertake to plot against their own benefactors;

12d and not only do they remove gratitude from among men, but, lifted up by the boastings of those inexperienced in goodness, they suppose they will escape the evil-hating justice of the God who always oversees all things.

12e And often persuasion has made many of those set in positions of authority—friends entrusted to manage affairs—partakers in the shedding of innocent blood, and has involved them in irremediable calamities,

12f these men having deceived, by the false reasoning of their malice, the guileless good faith of their rulers.

12g And it is possible to observe, not so much from the more ancient histories which we have handed down—how many things have been impiously accomplished right at your feet through the pestilence of those wielding power unworthily, if you look into it,

12h and to take heed for the time to come, so that we may render the kingdom untroubled, in peace, for all men,

12i making use of changes, and always judging the matters that come before our eyes with a more equitable response.

12k For Haman son of Hamadathos, a Macedonian, truly a stranger to the blood of the Persians and standing far apart from our kindness, having been received as a guest among us,

12l obtained the benevolence which we hold toward every nation, to such a degree that he was proclaimed our father and continued to be reverenced by all as the second person of the royal throne;

12m but, unable to bear his own arrogance, he contrived to deprive us of our rule and our life,

12n and by the intricate deceits of his devices he demanded for destruction Mordecai, our savior and constant benefactor, and Esther, the blameless partner of our kingdom, together with their whole nation.

12o For by these means he thought that, catching us defenseless, he would transfer the dominion of the Persians to the Macedonians.

12p But we find that the Jews, who were consigned to annihilation by this thrice-accursed man, are no evildoers, but govern themselves by most just laws,

12q and are children of the most high, most great, living God, who directs the kingdom for us and for our ancestors in the fairest order.

12r You will therefore do well not to act upon the letters sent by Haman son of Hamadathos, since the very man who wrought these things has been crucified at the gates of Susa with all his household, God who rules over all having speedily rendered to him the judgment he deserved.

12s And having posted a copy of this letter in every place, allow the Jews openly to observe their own customs, and support them, so that on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar, on that same day, they may defend themselves against those who attack them in the time of affliction;

12t for God, who has power over all things, has made this day for them a day of joy instead of the destruction of the chosen race.

12u Therefore you also, among your commemorative festivals, keep it as a notable day with all good cheer, so that both now and hereafter it may be salvation for us and for the well-disposed Persians, but for those who plot against us a memorial of destruction.

12x And every city or country whatsoever which does not act according to these things shall be consumed with wrath by spear and fire; it shall be made not only impassable for men, but also most hateful to beasts and birds for all time."

13 And let copies be posted conspicuously throughout all the kingdom, and let all the Jews be ready for that day to fight against their adversaries.

14 So the horsemen went out with haste to carry out what was said by the king; and the decree was posted also in Susa.

15 And Mordecai went out robed in the royal robe, wearing a golden crown and a diadem of fine purple linen; and when the people of Susa saw him, they rejoiced.

16 And for the Jews there was light and gladness;

17 in every city and country, wherever the decree was posted, wherever the proclamation was posted, there was joy and gladness for the Jews, feasting and gladness, and many of the Gentiles were circumcised and became Jews for fear of the Jews.

Chapter 9

1 For in the twelfth month, on the thirteenth day of the month, which is Adar, the letters written by the king arrived.

2 On that same day those who opposed the Jews perished; for no one resisted, being afraid of them.

3 For the chiefs of the satraps and the princes and the royal scribes honored the Jews; for the fear of Mordecai lay upon them.

4 For the king's decree had gone forth to be proclaimed throughout the whole kingdom.

6 And in the city of Susa the Jews killed five hundred men,

7 including Pharsannestain and Delphon and Phasga

8 and Phardatha and Barea and Sarbacha

9 and Marmasima and Arouphaios and Arsaios and Zabouthaithan,

10 the ten sons of Haman son of Hamadathos the Bougaean, the enemy of the Jews, and they plundered.

11 On that same day the number of those who had perished in Susa was reported to the king.

12 And the king said to Esther, "The Jews have destroyed five hundred men in the city of Susa; and in the surrounding country, how do you suppose they have dealt? What then do you ask further? It shall be yours."

13 And Esther said to the king, "Let it be granted to the Jews to do likewise tomorrow, so as to hang the ten sons of Haman."

14 And he permitted it to be so done, and he handed over to the Jews of the city the bodies of Haman's sons to hang.

15 And the Jews assembled in Susa on the fourteenth of Adar and killed three hundred men, but plundered nothing.

16 And the rest of the Jews who were in the kingdom assembled and helped one another and had rest from their enemies; for they destroyed fifteen thousand of them on the thirteenth of Adar, but plundered nothing.

17 And they rested on the fourteenth of the same month and kept it as a day of rest with joy and gladness.

18 But the Jews in the city of Susa assembled also on the fourteenth and did not rest; and they kept the fifteenth also with joy and gladness.

19 For this reason, then, the Jews scattered in every outlying country keep the fourteenth of Adar as a good day with gladness, each sending portions to his neighbor, while those dwelling in the chief cities keep also the fifteenth day of Adar as a good day of gladness, sending portions to their neighbors.

20 And Mordecai wrote these things in a book and sent it to the Jews, as many as were in the kingdom of Artaxerxes, both near and far,

21 to establish these good days and to keep the fourteenth and the fifteenth of Adar

22 for on these days the Jews had rest from their enemies — and as for the month in which things turned for them (which was Adar) from mourning to joy and from pain to a good day, to keep the whole of it as good days of feasting and gladness, sending portions to their friends and to the poor.

23 And the Jews accepted it, just as Mordecai had written to them,

24 how Haman son of Hamadathos, the Macedonian, made war on them, how he made a decree and cast lots to destroy them,

25 and how he went in to the king, saying to hang Mordecai; but all the evils he undertook to bring upon the Jews came upon himself, and he was hanged, he and his children.

26 For this reason these days were called Phrourai, because of the lots, since in their language they are called Phrourai, because of the words of this letter and all that they had suffered on account of these things and all that had happened to them.

27 And he established it, and the Jews took it upon themselves and upon their offspring and upon those joined to them, that they would by no means do otherwise; and these days were to be a memorial observed generation after generation, in every city and family and country.

28 And these days of Phrourai shall be kept for all time, and their memorial shall never fail from the generations.

29 And Esther the queen, daughter of Aminadab, and Mordecai the Jew wrote all that they had done, as well as the confirmation of the letter of Phrourai.

31 And Mordecai and Esther the queen established it for themselves upon themselves, then also establishing it against their own health, along with their plan;

32 and Esther established it by word forever, and it was written for a memorial.

Chapter 10

1 And the king imposed tribute upon the kingdom, both of the land and of the sea.

2 And his strength and valor, and the wealth and glory of his kingdom, behold, they are written in the book of the kings of the Persians and Medes as a memorial.

3 And Mordecai succeeded King Artaxerxes, and he was great in the kingdom and honored by the Jews; and being beloved, he recounted his manner of life to all his nation.

3a And Mordecai said, "These things have come from God;

3b for I remembered the dream that I saw concerning these matters, for not a word of them has failed.

3c The little spring that became a river, and there was light and sun and much water, Esther is the river, whom the king married and made queen. 3d And the two dragons are I and Haman.

3e And the nations are those gathered together to destroy the name of the Jews.

3f And my nation, this is Israel, those who cried out to God and were saved. And the Lord saved his people, and the Lord delivered us from all these evils, and God performed the signs and the great wonders that have not happened among the nations.

3g For this reason he made two lots, one for the people of God and one for all the nations; 3h and these two lots came to the hour and the time and to the day of judgment before God and among all the nations,

3i and God remembered his people and vindicated his inheritance.

3k And these days shall be for them in the month Adar, on the fourteenth and fifteenth of the same month, with an assembly and joy and gladness before God, throughout the generations forever among his people Israel."

3l In the fourth year of the reign of Ptolemy and Cleopatra, Dositheus, who said he was a priest and a Levite, and Ptolemy his son brought in the foregoing letter of Phrourai, which they said was genuine and had been translated by Lysimachus son of Ptolemy, one of those in Jerusalem.