Est 9 | NASB2020 | STEP | Now in the twelfth month (that is, the month Adar ), on the thirteenth day , when the king’s command and edict were to be put into effect , on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, it turned out to the contrary so that the Jews themselves gained mastery over those who hated them.

Esther 9

The Jews Destroy Their Enemies

1 Now ^ain the twelfth month (that is, the month Adar), on ^bthe thirteenth ^{▼▼Lit day in it}day, ^dwhen the king’s command and edict were to be put into effect, on the day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, it turned out to the contrary so that the Jews themselves gained mastery over those who hated them. 2 ^eThe Jews assembled in their cities throughout the provinces of King Ahasuerus to ^{▼▼Lit put out a hand against}attack those who sought ^{▼▼Lit their harm}to harm them; and no one could stand against them, ^hbecause the dread of them had fallen on all the peoples. 3 Even all the officials of the provinces, ⁱthe satraps, the governors, and those who were doing the king’s business were supporting the Jews, because the dread of Mordecai had fallen on them. 4 For Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and the news about him spread throughout the provinces; for the man Mordecai ^jbecame greater and greater. 5 So ^kthe Jews struck all their enemies with ^{▼▼Lit the stroke of the}the sword, killing and destroying; and they did as they pleased to those who hated them. 6 At the citadel in Susa the Jews killed and eliminated five hundred men, 7 and they killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha, 10 ^mthe ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Jews’ enemy; but ⁿthey did not lay their hands on the plunder.

11 On that day the number of those who were killed at the citadel in Susa ^{▼▼Lit came before}was reported to the king. 12 And the king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and eliminated five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman at the citadel in Susa. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces! ^pNow what is your request? It shall also be granted you. And what is your further wish? It shall also be done.” 13 Then Esther said, “If it pleases the king, ^qlet tomorrow also be granted to the Jews who are in Susa to do according to the edict of today; and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the wooden gallows.” 14 So the king commanded that it was to be done so; and an edict was issued in Susa, and Haman’s ten sons were hanged. 15 The Jews who were in Susa assembled also on the fourteenth day of the month Adar and killed ^rthree hundred men in Susa, but ^sthey did not lay their hands on the plunder.

16 Now ^tthe rest of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces ^uassembled, to defend their lives and ^{▼▼Lit have rest from}rid themselves of their enemies, and to kill seventy-five thousand of those who hated them; but they did not lay their hands on the plunder. 17 This was done on ^wthe thirteenth day of the month Adar, and ^xon the fourteenth ^{▼▼Lit in it}day they rested and made it a day of feasting and rejoicing.

18 But the Jews who were in Susa ^zassembled on the thirteenth and ^aathe fourteenth ^{▼▼Lit in it}of the same month, and they rested on the fifteenth ^{▼▼Lit in it}day and made it a day of feasting and rejoicing. 19 Therefore the Jews of the rural areas, who live in ^adthe rural towns, make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a ^{▼▼Lit rejoicing and feasting and a good day and sending
,} ^afholiday for rejoicing and feasting and ^agsending portions of food to one another.

The Feast of Purim Instituted

20 Then Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21 obliging them to celebrate the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day ^{▼▼Lit in it}of the same month, annually, 22 because on those days the Jews ^{▼▼Lit had rest from}rid themselves of their enemies, and it was a month which was ^ajturned for them from grief into joy, and from mourning into a ^{▼▼Lit good day}holiday; that they were to make them days of feasting and rejoicing, and ^alsending portions of food to one another, and gifts to the poor.

23 So the Jews undertook what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them. 24 For Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the adversary of all the Jews, had schemed against the Jews to eliminate them, and ^amhad cast Pur, that is the lot, to disturb them and eliminate them. 25 But ^anwhen it came ^{▼▼Lit before the king, he}to the king’s attention, he commanded by letter ^apthat his wicked scheme which he had devised against the Jews ^aqwas to return on his own head, and that he and his sons were to be hanged on the wooden gallows. 26 Therefore they called these days Purim after the name of ^{▼▼Akkadian for lot}Pur. ^{▼▼Lit Therefore because of all the words}And ^atbecause of the instructions in this letter, both what they had seen in this regard and what had happened to them, 27 the Jews established and ^{▼▼Lit received}made a custom for themselves, their ^{▼▼Lit seed}descendants, and for ^awall those who allied themselves with them, so that ^{▼▼Lit it would not pass away}they would not fail ^ayto celebrate these two days according to their ^{▼▼Lit writing}regulation and according to their appointed time annually. 28 So these days were to be remembered and celebrated throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and these days of Purim were not to ^{▼▼Lit pass from the midst of}be neglected by the Jews, or their memory ^{▼▼Lit end}fade from their ^{▼▼Lit seed}descendants.

29 Then Queen Esther, ^bddaughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm ^bethis second letter about Purim. 30 He sent letters to all the Jews, ^bfto the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, namely, words of peace and truth, 31 to establish these days of Purim at their appointed times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established for them, and just as they had established for themselves and for their ^{▼▼Lit seed}descendants, with ^{▼▼Lit words}instructions ^bifor their times of fasting and their mourning. 32 The command of Esther established these ^{▼▼Lit words}customs for ^bkPurim, and it was written in the book.