Esther 8

Modern

Literal

Esther Appeals for the Jews

¹That same day King Xerxes awarded Queen Esther the estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai entered the king’s presence because Esther had revealed his relation to her.

¹On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Esther the queen the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, and Mordecai came before the face of the King, for Esther had declared what he was to her.

²The king removed the signet ring he had recovered from Haman and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai over the estate of Haman.

²And the king removed his signet ring which he had caused to pass from Haman, and he gave it to Mordecai, and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman.

³And once again, Esther addressed the king. She fell at his feet weeping and begged him to revoke the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite, which he had devised against the Jews.

³And Esther added, and she spoke before the face of the king, and she fell down before the face of his feet, and she wept, and she sought favor from him, to make pass away the evil of Haman the Agagite and his plotting which he had plotted against the Jews.

⁴The king extended the gold scepter toward Esther, and she arose and stood before the king.

⁴And the king extended to Esther the golden scepter, and Esther rose, and she stood before the face of the king,

⁵“If it pleases the king,” she said, “and if I have found favor in his sight, and the matter seems proper to the king, and I am pleasing in his sight, may an order be written to revoke the letters that the scheming Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces.

⁵and she said, “If upon the king it is good, and if I have found favor before his face, and if the thing is proper before the face of the king, and I am good in his eyes, let it be written to revoke the letters—the plot of Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite—which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king.

⁶For how could I bear to see the disaster that would befall my people? How could I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?”

⁶For how could I bear when I have looked on the evil that would find my people? And how could I bear when I have looked on the destruction of my kindred?”

The Decree of Xerxes

⁷So King Xerxes said to Esther the Queen and Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, I have given Haman’s estate to Esther, and he was hanged on the gallows because he attacked the Jews.

⁷And King Ahasuerus said to Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, the house of Haman I have given to Esther, and they have hanged him upon the tree, on account that he stretched out his hand against the Jews.

⁸Now you may write in the king’s name as you please regarding the Jews, and seal it with the royal signet ring. For a decree that is written in the name of the king and sealed with the royal signet ring cannot be revoked.”

⁸And may you write concerning the Jews as is good in your eyes in the name of the king, and seal it with the signet ring of the king. For a writing that is written in the name of the king and is sealed with the signet ring of the king, there is no revoking.”

⁹At once the royal scribes were summoned, and on the twenty-third day of the third month (the month of Sivan),^a they recorded all of Mordecai’s orders to the Jews and to the satraps, governors, and princes of the 127 provinces from India to Cush—^bwriting to each province in its own script, to every people in their own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language.

⁹And the scribes of the king were called at that time, in the third month (it is the month of Sivan), on the three and twentieth day in it, and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded to the Jews, and to the satraps, and the governors, and the officials of the provinces that are from India even as far as Cush, seven and twenty and a hundred provinces—province by province according to its writing, and people by people according to its tongue, and to the Jews according to their writing and according to their tongue.

¹⁰Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes and sealed it with the royal signet ring. He sent the documents by mounted couriers riding on swift horses bred from the royal mares.

¹⁰And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and he sealed it with the signet ring of the king, and he sent letters by the hand of the runners on the horses, riders of the royal steeds, sons of the mares,

¹¹By these letters the king permitted the Jews in each and every city the right to assemble and defend themselves, to destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province hostile to them, including women and children, and to plunder their possessions.

¹¹that the king gave to the Jews who were in every city and city, to gather together and to stand for their soul, to destroy, and to kill, and to exterminate all of the strength of the people and province that would assault them, little children and women, and to plunder their spoil,

¹²The single day appointed throughout all the provinces of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar.^a

¹²on a single day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the three and tenth day of the two and tenth month, it is, the month of Adar.

¹³A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued in every province and published to all the people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.

¹³A copy of the writing, to be given as law in every province and province, was revealed to all the peoples, and for the Jews to be ready for this day to avenge themselves from their enemies.

¹⁴The couriers rode out in haste on their royal horses, pressed on by the command of the king. And the edict was also issued in the citadel of Susa.

¹⁴The runners, riding the royal steeds, went forth, being hurried and driven by the word of the king, and the law was given in Susa the citadel.

¹⁵Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal garments of blue and white, with a large gold crown and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.

¹⁵And Mordecai went forth from before the face of the king in a garment of royalty of blue and white, and a great crown of gold, and a robe of fine linen and purple; and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.

¹⁶For the Jews it was a time of light and gladness, of joy and honor.

¹⁶For the Jews there was light and joy and gladness and honor.

¹⁷In every province and every city, wherever the king’s edict and decree reached, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many of the people of the land themselves became Jews, because the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.

¹⁷And in every province and province, and in every city and city, the place to which the word of the king and his law reached, there was joy and gladness for the Jews, a feast and a good day, and many from the people of the land were making themselves Jews, for the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.