May 4 - Esther 6-11

¹The king passed that night without sleep, and so he ordered the histories and chronicles of former times to be brought to him. And when they were reading them before him²they came to that place where it had been written, how Mordecai had reported the treachery of Bigthan and Teresh the eunuchs, who desired to cut the throat of king Artaxerxes³When the king had heard this, he said, "What honor and reward has Mordecai been given for this fidelity?" His servants and ministers said to him, "He has received no compensation at all.⁴And immediately the king said, "Who is in the atrium?" For, you see, Haman was entering the inner atrium of the king’s house to suggest to the king that he should order Mordecai to be hanged on the gallows, which had been prepared for him⁵The servants answered, "Haman is standing in the atrium." And the king said, "Let him enter.⁶And when he had entered, he said to him, "What ought to be done for the man whom the king wishes to honor?" But Haman, thinking in his heart and supposing that the king would honor no one else but himself⁷answered, "The man whom the king wishes to honor⁸ought to be clothed with the king’s apparel, and be set upon the horse that the king rides, and receive the royal crown upon his head⁹And let the first of the king’s rulers and sovereigns hold his horse, and, as they advance through the street of the city, proclaim before him and say, ‘Thus shall he be honored, whom the king decides to honor.’ ¹⁰And the king said to him, "Hurry, take the robe and the horse, and do as you have said to Mordecai the Jew, who sits in front of the gate of the palace. Be careful not to omit any of those things which you have mentioned.¹¹And so Haman took the robe and the horse, and arraying Mordecai in the street of the city, and setting him on the horse, he went before him and cried out, "He is worthy of this honor, whom the king has decided to honor.¹²And Mordecai returned to the palace door. And Haman hurried to go to his house, mourning and hiding his head¹³And he explained to Zeresh his wife and to his friends all that had happened to him. And the wise men, whom he held in counsel, and his wife, answered him, "If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is from the offspring of the Jews, you will not be able to withstand him, but you will fall in his sight.¹⁴As they were still speaking, the king’s eunuchs arrived and compelled him to go quickly to the feast, which the queen had prepared

Chapter 7

¹And so the king and Haman entered to drink with the queen²And the king said to her again on the second day, after he was warmed with wine, "What is your request, Esther, so that it may be given to you? And what do you want done? Even if you ask for half of my kingdom, you will obtain it.³She answered him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, O king, and if it pleases you, spare my soul, I ask you, and spare my people, I beg you⁴For I and my people have been handed over to be crushed, to be slain, and to perish. And if we were only being sold as servants and slaves, the evil might be tolerable, and I would have mourned in silence. But now our enemy is one whose cruelty overflows upon the king.⁵And king Artaxerxes answered and said, "Who is this, and of what power, that he would dare to do these things?⁶And Esther said, "This is our most wicked enemy and foe: Haman!" Hearing this, Haman was suddenly dumbfounded, unable to bear the faces of the king and the queen⁷But the king, being angry, rose up and, from the place of the feast, entered into the arboretum of the garden. Haman likewise rose up to entreat Esther the queen for his soul, for he understood that evil was prepared for him by the king⁸When the king returned from the arboretum of the garden and entered into the place of the feast, he found Haman collapsed on the couch on which Esther lay, and he said, "And now he wishes to oppress the queen, in my presence, in my house!" The word had not yet gone out of the king’s mouth, and immediately they covered his face⁹And Harbona, one of the eunuchs who stood in ministry to the king, said, "Behold the wood, which he had prepared for Mordecai, who spoke up on behalf of the king, stands in Haman’s house, having a height of fifty cubits." The king said to him, "Hang him from it.¹⁰And so Haman was hanged on the gallows, which he had prepared for Mordecai, and the king’s anger was quieted

Chapter 8

¹On that day king, Artaxerxes gave the house of Haman, the adversary of the Jews, to queen Esther, and Mordecai entered before the king. For Esther had confessed to him that he was her paternal uncle²And the king took the ring, which he had ordered to be taken from Haman, and he handed it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai over her house³Not content with these things, she threw herself down at the king’s feet and wept, and, speaking to him, pleaded that he would give orders that the malice of Haman the Agagite, and his most wicked schemes, which he had contrived against the Jews, would be made ineffective⁴But he, as was the custom, extended the golden scepter with his hand, which was the sign of clemency, and she rose up and stood before him⁵And she said, "If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his eyes, and my request is not seen to be disagreeable to him, I beg you that the former letters of Haman, the traitor and enemy of the Jews, by which he instructed them to be destroyed in all the king’s provinces, may be corrected by new letters⁶For how will I be able to endure the murder and execution of my people?⁷And king Artaxerxes answered Esther the queen and Mordecai the Jew, "I have granted Haman’s house to Esther, and I have ordered him to be fastened to a cross, because he dared to lay hands on the Jews⁸Therefore, write to the Jews, just as it pleases you, in the king’s name, sealing the letters with my ring." For this was the custom, that letters which were sent in the king’s name and were sealed with his ring, no one would dare to contradict⁹Then the scribes and copyists were brought in, (now it was the time of the third month which is called Sivan,) on the twenty-third day of the month, and letters were written, as Mordecai wanted, to the Jews, and to the governors, and procurators, and judges, who presided over the one hundred twenty-seven provinces, from India all the way to Ethiopia: to one province and another, to one people and another, in accordance with their languages and letters, and to the Jews, exactly as they were able to read and hear¹⁰And these letters, which were sent in the king’s name, had been signed with his ring, and were sent by swift couriers who were to rush in every direction, through all the provinces, so as to prevent the former letters with new messages¹¹The king commanded them to bring together the Jews throughout each city, and to instruct them to join together, so as to make a stand for their lives, and to execute and destroy all their enemies, with their wives and children and their entire houses, and to plunder their spoil¹²And one day of retribution was established throughout all the provinces, namely, the thirteenth of the twelfth month Adar¹³And such was the content of the letter, so that it would be made known in all lands and nations, which are subject to the authority of king Artaxerxes, that the Jews have been made ready to be vindicated of their enemies¹⁴And so the swift couriers departed in haste, carrying through the announcement, and the king’s edict was hung up in Susa¹⁵But Mordecai, going forth from the palace and from the king’s presence, shone in royal apparel the color of hyacinth and of the sky, wearing a golden crown on his head, and clothed with a cloak of silk and purple. And all the city rejoiced and was joyful¹⁶But for the Jews, a new light seemed to rise; there was joy, honor, and dancing¹⁷With all the peoples, cities, and provinces, wherever the king’s orders arrived, there was wonderful rejoicing, banquets and feasts, and a solemn holy day, so much so that many of the other nations joined themselves to their religious practices and ceremonies. For a great fear of the name of the Jews had overcome them all

Chapter 9

¹Therefore, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which as we have said before is called Adar, when all the Jews were prepared to be executed and their enemies were greedy for their blood, the situation turned around, and the Jews began to have the upper hand and to vindicate themselves of their adversaries²And they gathered together throughout each city, and town, and place, so as to extend their hands against their enemies and their persecutors. And no one dared to resist them, because their great power had pierced all the peoples³For even the judges of the provinces, and the rulers, and the procurators, and everyone of dignity, who presided over every place and work, extolled the Jews for fear of Mordecai⁴For they knew him to be the leader of the palace and to have much power. Likewise, the fame of his name increased daily and flew everywhere through word of mouth⁵And so the Jews struck their enemies like a great plague and killed them, repaying according to what they had prepared to do to them⁶so much so that even in Susa they executed five hundred men, besides the ten sons of Haman the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews, and their names are these⁷Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspath⁸and Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha⁹and Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vaizatha¹⁰When they had slain them, they were unwilling to touch the spoils of their belongings¹¹And immediately the number of those who had been killed in Susa was reported to the king¹²He said to the queen, "In the city of Susa, the Jews have executed five hundred men, and also the ten sons of Haman. How many executions do you think that they have carried out in all the provinces? What more do you ask, and what do you wish, so that I may order it to be done?¹³And she answered, "If it pleases the king, may power be granted to the Jews, so as to do tomorrow in Susa just as they have done today, and that the ten sons of Haman may be hung up the gallows.¹⁴And the king instructed that it should be so done. And immediately the edict was hung up in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hung up¹⁵On the fourteenth day of the month Adar, the Jews gathered themselves together, and they executed in Susa three hundred men, but they did not seize their belongings from them¹⁶Moreover, throughout all the provinces which were subject to the king’s dominion, the Jews made a stand for their lives, and they executed their enemies and their persecutors, so much so that the number of those who were killed amounted to seventy-five thousand, and yet no one touched any of their belongings¹⁷Now the thirteenth day of the month Adar was the first day with all of the executions, and on the fourteenth day they ceased the killing. This day they established to be sacred, so that in all times hereafter they would be free for feasting, joyfulness, and celebration¹⁸But, as for those who were carrying out the killings in the city of Susa, they turned to killing on the thirteenth and fourteenth day of the same month. But on the fifteenth day they ceased to attack. And for that reason they established that day as sacred, with feasting and with gladness¹⁹But in truth, those Jews who were staying in unwalled towns and villages, appointed the fourteenth day of the month Adar for celebration and gladness, so as to rejoice on that day and send one another portions of their feasts and their meals²⁰And so Mordecai wrote down all these things and sent them, composed in letters, to the Jews who were staying in all the king’s provinces, as much to those in nearby places as to those far away²¹so that they would accept the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the month Adar for holy days, and always, at the return of the year, would celebrate them with sacred esteem²²For on those days, the Jews vindicated themselves of their enemies, and their mourning and sorrow were turned into mirth and joy, so that these would be days of feasting and gladness, in which they would send one another portions of their feasts, and would grant gifts to the poor²³And the Jews accepted as a solemn ritual all the things which they had begun to do at that time, which Mordecai had commanded with letters to be done²⁴For Haman, the son of Hammedatha of Agag lineage, the enemy and adversary of the Jews, had devised evil against them, to kill them and to destroy them. And he had cast Pur, which in our language means the lot²⁵And after this, Esther had entered before the king, begging him that his efforts might be made ineffective by the king’s letters, and that the evil he intended against the Jews might return upon his own head. Finally, both he and his sons were fastened to a cross²⁶And so, from that time, these days are called Purim, that is, of the lots, because Pur, that is, the lot, was cast into the urn. And all things that had been carried out are contained in the volume of this epistle, that is, of this book²⁷And whatever they suffered, and whatever was altered afterwards, the Jews received for themselves and their offspring and for all who were willing to be joined to their religion, so that none would be permitted to transgress the solemnity of these two days, to which the writing testifies, and which certain times require, as the years continually succeed one another²⁸These are the days which no one ever will erase into oblivion, and which every province in the whole world, throughout each generation, shall celebrate. Neither is there any city wherein the days of Purim, that is, of lots, may not be observed by the Jews, and by their posterity, which has been obligated to these ceremonies²⁹And Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, also wrote a second letter, so that with all zealousness this day would be confirmed as customary for future generations³⁰And they sent to all the Jews, who had been stirred up in the one hundred twenty-seven provinces of king Artaxerxes, that they should have peace and receive truth³¹and observe the days of lots, and celebrate them with joy at their proper time, just as Mordecai and Esther had established. And they accepted these to be observed by themselves and by their offspring: fasting, and crying out, and the days of lots³²and all things which are contained in the history of this book, which is called Esther

Chapter 10

¹Truly, king Artaxerxes made all the land, and all the islands of the sea, tributaries²And his strength and his authority, and the dignity and supremacy with which he exalted Mordecai, have been written in the books of the Medes and the Persians³and how Mordecai of Jewish birth, was second after king Artaxerxes, and great among the Jews, and acceptable to the people of his brethren, seeking the good of his people, and speaking about things which pertained to peace for their descendents. And Mordecai said, "By God have these things been done. I remember a dream that I saw, which signified these same things, and nothing of this whatsoever has failed to occur. The little fountain which grew into a river, and had turned into light and into the sun, and overflowed into many waters, is Esther, whom the king received as wife and whom he preferred to be queen. But the two dragons are I and Haman. The peoples who gathered together are those who had attempted to erase the name of the Jews. And my people is Israel, who cried out to the Lord, and the Lord brought salvation to his people, and he freed us from all evils, and he created great signs and portents among the nations. And he commanded there to be two lots, one for the people of God and the other for all the nations. And both lots arrived at the day appointed before God, even from that past time, for all peoples. And the Lord remembered his people and had mercy on his inheritance. And these days shall be observed in the month of Adar, on the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the same month, with all zealousness and joy, by the people gathered together into one union, throughout all the generations hereafter of the people of Israel". In the fourth year of the reigns of Ptolemy and Cleopatra, Dositheus, who was himself a priest and born of the Levites, and Ptolemy his son, brought this epistle of Purim, which they said was a translation by Lysimachus the son of Ptolemy in Jerusalem⁴And Mordecai said, "By God have these things been done⁵I remember a dream that I saw, which signified these same things, and nothing of this whatsoever has failed to occur⁶The little fountain which grew into a river, and had turned into light and into the sun, and overflowed into many waters, is Esther, whom the king received as wife and whom he preferred to be queen⁷But the two dragons are I and Haman⁸The peoples who gathered together are those who had attempted to erase the name of the Jews⁹And my people is Israel, who cried out to the Lord, and the Lord brought salvation to his people, and he freed us from all evils, and he created great signs and portents among the nations¹⁰And he commanded there to be two lots, one for the people of God and the other for all the nations¹¹And both lots arrived at the day appointed before God, even from that past time, for all peoples¹²And the Lord remembered his people and had mercy on his inheritance¹³And these days shall be observed in the month of Adar, on the fourteenth and fifteenth day of the same month, with all zealousness and joy, by the people gathered together into one union, throughout all the generations hereafter of the people of Israel.

Chapter 11

¹In the fourth year of the reigns of Ptolemy and Cleopatra, Dositheus, who was himself a priest and born of the Levites, and Ptolemy his son, brought this epistle of Purim, which they said was a translation by Lysimachus the son of Ptolemy in Jerusalem²In the second year of the reign of Artaxerxes the great, on the first day of the month of Nisan, Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin³a Jewish man who lived in the city of Susa, a great gentleman, and among the first ones of the king’s court, saw a dream⁴Now he was one of a number of captives, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had carried away from Jerusalem with Jeconiah king of Judah⁵And this was his dream: voices appeared, and confusion, and thunders, and earthquakes, and a disturbance upon the earth⁶And behold, there were two great dragons making preparations against one another for battle⁷And at their cry all peoples rushed forth to fight against the nation of the just⁸And that was a day of darkness and division, of tribulation and anguish, and there was an unnatural dread over the earth⁹And the nation of the just was disturbed, fearing their own evils, and was prepared for death¹⁰And they cried out to God, and from their loud crying, a little fountain grew into a very great river and overflowed into many waters¹¹The light and the sun rose up, and the humble were exalted, and they devoured the illustrious¹²When Mordecai had seen this, and he arose from bed, he was considering what God might want to do, and he kept it fixed in his soul, desiring to know what the dream might signify