Esther 9
1 Now in the
twelfth month, that is, the
month Adar, on the
thirteenth day of the same, when the
king's commandment and his
decree drew
near to be put in
execution, in the
day that the
enemies of the
Jews hoped to have
power over them, (though it was
turned to the contrary, that the
Jews had
rule over them that
hated them;)
2 The
Jews gathered themselves
together in their
cities throughout all the
provinces of the
king Ahasuerus, to
lay hand on such as
sought their
hurt: and no
man could
withstand them; for the
fear of them
fell upon all
people. 3 And all the
rulers of the
provinces, and the
lieutenants, and the
deputies, and
officers of the
king, helped the
Jews; because the
fear of
Mordecai fell upon them.
4 For
Mordecai was
great in the
king's house, and his
fame went
out throughout all the
provinces: for this
man Mordecai waxed greater and
greater. 5 Thus the
Jews smote all their
enemies with the
stroke of the
sword, and
slaughter, and
destruction, and
did what they
would unto those that
hated them.
6 And in
Shushan the
palace the
Jews slew and
destroyed five hundred men. 7 And
Parshandatha, and
Dalphon, and
Aspatha, 8 And
Poratha, and
Adalia, and
Aridatha, 9 And
Parmashta, and
Arisai, and
Aridai, and
Vajezatha, 10 The
ten sons of
Haman the
son of
Hammedatha, the
enemy of the
Jews, slew they; but on the
spoil laid they not their
hand. 11 On that
day the
number of those that were
slain in
Shushan the
palace was
brought before the
king. 12 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; what 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.
13 Then
said Esther, If it
please the
king, let 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 upon the
gallows. 14 And the
king commanded it so to be
done: and the
decree was
given at
Shushan; and they
hanged Haman's ten sons. 15 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. 16 But the
other Jews that were in the
king's provinces gathered themselves
together, and
stood for their
lives, and had
rest from their
enemies, and
slew of their
foes seventy and
five thousand, but they
laid not their
hands on the
prey, 17 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. 18 But the
Jews that were at
Shushan assembled
together on 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. 19 Therefore the
Jews of the
villages, that
dwelt in the
unwalled towns, made the
fourteenth day of the
month Adar a day of
gladness and
feasting, and a
good day, and of
sending portions one to
another. 20 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, 21 To
stablish this among them, that they should
keep the
fourteenth day of the
month Adar, and the
fifteenth day of the same,
yearly,
22 As 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
good day: that they should
make them
days of
feasting and
joy, and of
sending portions one to
another, and
gifts to the
poor. 23 And the
Jews undertook to
do as they had
begun, and as
Mordecai had
written unto them;
24 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
lot, to
consume them, and to
destroy them;
25 But when Esther
came before the
king, he
commanded by
letters that his
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. 26 Wherefore they
called these
days Purim after the
name of
Pur. Therefore for all the
words of this
letter, and of that which they had
seen concerning this
matter, and which had
come unto them,
27 The
Jews ordained, and
took upon them, and upon their
seed, and upon all such as
joined themselves unto them, so as it should not
fail, that they would
keep these
two days according to their
writing, and according to their appointed
time every
year;
28 And that these
days should be
remembered and
kept throughout every
generation, every
family, every
province, and every
city; and that these
days of
Purim should not
fail from
among the
Jews, nor the
memorial of them
perish from their
seed. 29 Then
Esther the
queen, the
daughter of
Abihail, and
Mordecai the
Jew, wrote with all
authority, to
confirm this
second letter of
Purim. 30 And he
sent the
letters unto all the
Jews, to the
hundred twenty and
seven provinces of the
kingdom of
Ahasuerus, with
words of
peace and
truth, 31 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 for
themselves and for their
seed, the
matters of the
fastings and their
cry. 32 And the
decree of
Esther confirmed these
matters of
Purim; and it was
written in the
book.