Mentoring (4) - Mordecai and Esther – June
25, 2023
This is lesson four in our series
entitled, “Mentoring Investing in Others.”
Our focus scripture is Esther 2:5-7
and 4:8-17.
Encourage others
to follow GOD’S leadership – no matter the cost.
There is a
saying, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” The real question is
“In whom do we place our trust?” When our trust is in GOD, then HE leads and
directs our path.
When we invest in others, we may see
immediate results or we may not see any fruit for a long time. We must trust
that in due time, there will be a harvest. GOD is interested in a changed
heart/life.
So far, in our series we have
considered several different relationships:
Jethro and Moses – Father-in-Law and
Son-in-Law both men of GOD. Jethro was led to the ONE TRUE GOD, I AM, through
Moses
Moses and Joshua – Leader and friend –
Joshua was young enough to be mentored by Moses and take over the leadership
position when GOD called Moses to Heaven.
Eli and Samuel – Eli the Priest and
Samuel raised by Eli. Eli invested in Samuel on how to be the right kind of
Priest and not to make the mistakes he had made as Priest.
GOD had placed Mordecai and Esther in
unique positions to carry out activities that would preserve HIS chosen people,
the Israelites, is this week’s study. Being a mentor does not come without risk
and trust in the LORD. But GOD preserves HIS chosen.
I have copied the complete Book of
Esther for us to follow the details of GOD’S leadership in leading those
important to the preservation of GOD’S chosen. There are lots of moving
parts/people that need to be moved before they come together into victory. Only
GOD can bring such a complex issue to completion!
Vashti (The then
current Queen) Angers the King
Esther - Chapter 1:1-22:
1: These events took
place during the days of Ahasuerus (or Xerxes, who ruled from 486 to 464 BC), who
ruled 127 provinces from India to Cush/Kush. 2 In
those days King Ahasuerus reigned from his royal throne in the fortress
at Susa. (The winter capital of the Persian empire - located in what we
know today as southwest Iran) 3 He
held a feast in the third year of his reign for all his officials and staff,
the army of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the officials from the provinces. 4 He
displayed the glorious wealth of his kingdom and the magnificent splendor of
his greatness for a total of 180 days.
5 At the end of this time, the king held a week-long
banquet in the garden courtyard of the royal palace for all the
people, from the greatest to the least, who were present in the fortress
of Susa. 6 White and blue linen hangings were
fastened with fine white and purple linen cords to silver rods on marble[a] columns. Gold
and silver couches were arranged on a mosaic pavement of red feldspar,[b] marble,
mother-of-pearl, and precious stones.
7 Drinks were served in an array of gold goblets, each with a
different design. Royal wine flowed freely, according to the king’s bounty. 8 The
drinking was according to royal decree: “There are no restrictions.” The king
had ordered every wine steward in his household to serve whatever each person
wanted. 9 Queen Vashti also gave a feast
for the women of King Ahasuerus’s palace.
10 On the seventh day, when the king was feeling good
from the wine, Ahasuerus commanded Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha,
Abagtha, Zethar, and Carkas—the seven eunuchs who personally served
him— 11 to
bring Queen Vashti before him with her royal crown. He wanted to
show off her beauty to the people and the officials, because she was very
beautiful. 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the
king’s command that was delivered by his eunuchs. The king became furious and
his anger burned within him.
What was such a big
deal with Vashti coming before the King’s invited Guests? The King wanted her
to appear before them - Jewish lore has it for her to appear Naked wearing only
her Royal Crown. But also a female would not dare refuse a male or especially
the request of the King. Vashti was insulted and she refused, OH MY!!! Trouble
in the fortress of Susa! But a woman has to do what a woman has to do! Enough
is enough! The text does NOT confirm this but it is better understood against
the backdrop of Jewish Tradition.
The King had a major
problem on his hands – public rebellion by the women in all of the King’s
provinces! This was very serious and it potentially impacted all the males in
the kingdom and all other kingdoms. This was serious and required immediate
action.
The King’s Decree
13 The king consulted the wise men who understood the times,[c] for it was his
normal procedure to confer with experts in law and justice. 14 The
most trusted ones[d] were Carshena,
Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan. They were the seven
officials of Persia and Media who had personal access to the
king and occupied the highest positions in the kingdom. 15 The
king asked, “According to the law, what should be done with Queen Vashti, since
she refused to obey King Ahasuerus’s command that was delivered by the
eunuchs?”
16 Memucan said in the presence of the king and his
officials, “Queen Vashti has wronged not only the king, but all the officials
and the peoples who are in every one of King Ahasuerus’s provinces. 17 For the queen’s action
will become public knowledge to all the women and cause them to despise their
husbands and say, ‘King Ahasuerus ordered Queen Vashti brought before him, but
she did not come.’ 18 Before this day is over, the noble
women of Persia and Media who hear about the queen’s act will say the same
thing to all the king’s officials, resulting in more contempt and fury.
This was a problem
that had to be dealt with quickly. Manhood was at stake! Plus all 127 Provinces
had high level representatives attending this well known event.
19 “If it meets the king’s approval, he should personally
issue a royal decree. Let it be recorded in the laws of the Persians and
the Medes, so that it cannot be revoked: Vashti is not to enter King
Ahasuerus’s presence, and her royal position is to be given to another woman
who is more worthy than she. 20 The decree
the king issues will be heard throughout his vast kingdom, so all women
will honor their husbands, from the greatest to the least.”
21 The king and his counselors approved the proposal, and
he followed Memucan’s advice. 22 He sent letters to
all the royal provinces, to each province in its own script and to each ethnic
group in its own language, that every man should be master of his
own house and speak in the language of his own people.
Let’s read Esther
2:1-7:
2:1: Sometime later, when King Ahasuerus’s rage had cooled down, he
remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what was decided against her. 2 The
king’s personal attendants suggested, “Let a search be made for beautiful young
virgins for the king. 3 Let the king appoint
commissioners in each province of his kingdom, so that they may gather all
the beautiful young virgins to the harem at the fortress of Susa. Put them
under the supervision of Hegai, the king’s eunuch, keeper of the
women, and give them the required beauty treatments. 4 Then
the young woman who pleases the king will become queen instead of
Vashti.” This suggestion pleased the king, and he did accordingly.
5 In the fortress of Susa, there was a Jewish man named
Mordecai son of Jair, son of Shimei, son of Kish, a Benjaminite. 6 Kish[a] had been taken
into exile from Jerusalem with the other captives when King Nebuchadnezzar of
Babylon took King Jeconiah of Judah into exile. 7 Mordecai
was the legal guardian of his cousin[b] Hadassah (that is, Esther), because she had no father or
mother. The young woman
had a beautiful figure and was extremely good-looking. When her father and
mother died, Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter.
Let’s read Esther 2:8 When the king’s command and edict became public knowledge and when
many young women were gathered at the fortress of Susa under Hegai’s
supervision, Esther was taken to the palace, into the supervision of Hegai,
keeper of the women. 9 The young woman pleased him
and gained his favor so that he accelerated the process of the beauty
treatments and the special diet that she received. He assigned seven
hand-picked female servants to her from the palace and transferred her and her
servants to the harem’s best quarters.
10 Esther did not reveal her ethnicity or her family
background, because Mordecai had ordered her not to make them known. 11 Every
day Mordecai took a walk-in front of the harem’s courtyard to learn how Esther
was doing and to see what was happening to her.
12 During the year before each young woman’s turn to go
to King Ahasuerus, the harem regulation required her to receive beauty
treatments with oil of myrrh for six months and then with perfumes and
cosmetics for another six months. 13 When the young
woman would go to the king, she was given whatever she requested to take with
her from the harem to the palace. 14 She would go
in the evening, and in the morning, she would return to a second harem under
the supervision of the king’s eunuch Shaashgaz, keeper of the
concubines. She never went to the king again, unless he desired her and
summoned her by name.
15 Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle of Mordecai who
had adopted her as his own daughter. When her turn came to go to the king, she
did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the king’s eunuch, keeper of the
women, suggested. Esther gained favor in the eyes of everyone who saw her.
16 She was taken to King Ahasuerus in the palace in the
tenth month, the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign. 17 The
king loved Esther more than all the other women. She won more favor and
approval from him than did any of the other virgins. He placed the royal crown
on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti. 18 The
king held a great banquet for all his officials and staff. It was Esther’s
banquet. He freed his provinces from tax payments and gave gifts worthy of the
king’s bounty.
Mordecai Saves the King
19 When the virgins were gathered a second time, Mordecai was
sitting at the King’s Gate. 20 Esther still did not
reveal her family background or her ethnicity, as Mordecai had directed. She
obeyed Mordecai’s orders, as she always had while he raised her.
21 During those days while Mordecai was sitting at the
King’s Gate, Bigthan and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the
entrance, became infuriated and planned to assassinate[c] King Ahasuerus. 22 When
Mordecai learned of the plot, he reported it to Queen Esther, and she told the
king on Mordecai’s behalf. 23 When the report was
investigated and verified, both men were hanged on the gallows. This event
was recorded in the Historical Record in the king’s presence.
Let’s read Esther
3:1-15:
Haman’s Plan to Kill
the Jews
3:1 After all this took place, King Ahasuerus honored Haman, son of
Hammedatha the Agagite. He promoted him in rank and gave him a higher
position than all the other officials. 2 The entire
royal staff at the King’s Gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman,
because the king had commanded this to be done for him. But Mordecai would not
bow down or pay homage. 3 The members of the royal
staff at the King’s Gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s
command?” 4 When they had warned him day after
day and he still would not listen to them, they told Haman in order to see
if Mordecai’s actions would be tolerated, since he had told them he was a Jew.
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing down or
paying him homage, he was filled with rage. 6 And
when he learned of Mordecai’s ethnic identity, it seemed repugnant to Haman to
do away with[a] Mordecai alone.
He planned to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout
Ahasuerus’s kingdom.
7 In the first month, the month of Nisan, in King Ahasuerus’s
twelfth year, the pur—that is, the lot—was cast before Haman for each day
in each month, and it fell on the twelfth month, the month Adar. 8 Then
Haman informed King Ahasuerus, “There is one ethnic group, scattered throughout
the peoples in every province of your kingdom, keeping themselves
separate. Their laws are different from everyone else’s and they do not obey
the king’s laws. It is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate
them. 9 If the king approves, let an order be drawn
up authorizing their destruction, and I will pay 375 tons of silver to[b] the officials
for deposit in the royal treasury.”
10 The king removed his signet ring from his hand
and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. 11 Then the king told
Haman, “The money and people are given to you to do with as you see fit.”
12 The royal scribes were summoned on the thirteenth
day of the first month, and the order was written exactly as Haman commanded.
It was intended for the royal satraps, the governors of each of the
provinces, and the officials of each ethnic group and written for each province
in its own script and to each ethnic group in its own language. It was
written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the royal signet
ring. 13 Letters were sent by couriers to each
of the royal provinces telling the officials to destroy, kill, and annihilate
all the Jewish people—young and old, women and children—and plunder their
possessions on a single day, the thirteenth day of Adar, the twelfth
month.[c]
14 A copy of the text, issued as law throughout every
province, was distributed to all the peoples so that they might get ready for
that day. 15 The couriers left, spurred on by royal
command, and the law was issued in the fortress of Susa. The king and
Haman sat down to drink, while the city of Susa was in confusion.
Let’s read Esther
4:1-7:
Mordecai Appeals to Esther
4:1 When Mordecai learned all that had
occurred, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, went
into the middle of the city, and cried loudly and bitterly. 2 He
went only as far as the King’s Gate, since the law prohibited anyone
wearing sackcloth from entering the King’s Gate. 3 There
was great mourning among the Jewish people in every province where the king’s
command and edict reached. They fasted, wept, and lamented, and many lay
in sackcloth and ashes.
4 Esther’s female servants and
her eunuchs came and reported the news to her, and the queen was overcome with
fear. She sent clothes for Mordecai to wear so that he would take off his
sackcloth, but he did not accept them. 5 Esther summoned
Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs who attended her, and dispatched him to
Mordecai to learn what he was doing and why.[a] 6 So Hathach went
out to Mordecai in the city square in front of the King’s Gate. 7 Mordecai
told him everything that had happened as well as the exact amount of money
Haman had promised to pay the royal treasury for the slaughter of the Jews.
Let’s read Esther
4:8-17:
8 Mordecai also gave him a copy of the written decree
issued in Susa ordering their destruction, so that Hathach might show it to
Esther, explain it to her, and command her to approach the king, implore his
favor, and plead with him personally for her people. 9 Hathach
came and repeated Mordecai’s response to Esther.
10 Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to tell
Mordecai, 11 “All the royal officials and the
people of the royal provinces know that one law applies to every man or woman
who approaches the king in the inner courtyard and who has not been
summoned—the death penalty—unless the king extends the gold scepter, allowing
that person to live. I have not been summoned to appear before the
king for the last[b] thirty days.” 12 Esther’s response was
reported to Mordecai.
13 Mordecai told the messenger to reply to Esther, “Don’t
think that you will escape the fate of all the Jews because you are in the
king’s palace. 14 If you keep silent at this time,
relief and deliverance will come to the Jewish people from another
place, but you and your father’s family will be destroyed. Who
knows, perhaps you have come to your royal position for such a time as this.”
WOW!!! Often, when GOD
has something for us to do, it is GOD sized and we must have faith to trust
HIM.
Are you serving in a
position such that you can minister to others? This could be in the church,
socially, on the job, wherever GOD has placed you. GOD has placed you in a
position that gives you opportunity to impact the lives or situations of
others.
FATHER, I ask YOU to
give wisdom, courage and understanding to those YOU have placed in such a
position.
15 Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go
and assemble all the Jews who can be found in Susa and fast for me. Don’t eat
or drink for three days, night or day. I and my female servants will also
fast in the same way. After that, I will go to the king even if it is
against the law. If I perish, I perish.” 17 So
Mordecai went and did everything Esther had commanded him.
Let’s read Esther 5:1-14:
Esther Approaches the King
5:1 On the third day, Esther dressed in her royal
clothing and stood in the inner courtyard of the palace facing it. The
king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal courtroom,[a] facing its
entrance. 2 As soon as the king saw Queen Esther
standing in the courtyard, she gained favor with him. The king extended the
gold scepter in his hand toward Esther, and she approached and touched the tip
of the scepter.
3 “What is it, Queen Esther?” the king asked her.
“Whatever you want, even to half the kingdom, will be given to you.”
4 “If it pleases the king,” Esther replied, “may the
king and Haman come today to the banquet I have prepared for them.”
5 The king said, “Hurry, and get Haman so we can do as
Esther has requested.” So, the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had
prepared.
6 While drinking the[b] wine, the
king asked Esther, “Whatever you ask will be given to you. Whatever you want,
even to half the kingdom, will be done.”
7 Esther answered, “This is my petition and my
request: 8 If I have found favor in the eyes of the
king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and perform my
request, may the king and Haman come to the banquet I will prepare for
them. Tomorrow I will do what the king has asked.”
9 That day Haman left full of joy and in good spirits.[c] But when Haman
saw Mordecai at the King’s Gate, and Mordecai didn’t rise or tremble in fear at
his presence, Haman was filled with rage toward Mordecai. 10 Yet
Haman controlled himself and went home. He sent for his friends and his wife
Zeresh to join him. 11 Then Haman described
for them his glorious wealth and his many sons. He told them all how the king
had honored him and promoted him in rank over the other officials and the royal
staff. 12 “What’s more,” Haman added, “Queen Esther
invited no one but me to join the king at the banquet she had prepared. I am
invited again tomorrow to join her with the king. 13 Still,
none of this satisfies me since I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the King’s
Gate all the time.”
14 His wife Zeresh and all his friends told him, “Have
them build a gallows seventy-five feet[d] tall. Ask
the king in the morning to hang Mordecai on it. Then go to the banquet with the
king and enjoy yourself.” The advice pleased Haman, so he had the gallows
constructed.
Let’s read Esther 6:1-14:
6 That night sleep escaped the king, so he ordered the book
recording daily events to be brought and read to the king. 2 They
found the written report of how Mordecai had informed on Bigthana and Teresh,
two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance, when they planned to
assassinate King Ahasuerus. 3 The king inquired,
“What honor and special recognition have been given to Mordecai for this act?”
The king’s personal
attendants replied, “Nothing has been done for him.”
4 The king asked, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman was
just entering the outer court of the palace to ask the king to hang Mordecai on
the gallows he had prepared for him.
5 The king’s attendants answered him, “Haman is there,
standing in the court.”
“Have him enter,” the
king ordered. 6 Haman entered, and the king asked
him, “What should be done for the man the king wants to honor?”
Haman thought to
himself, “Who is it the king
would want to honor more than me?” 7 Haman told the
king, “For the man the king wants to honor: 8 Have
them bring a royal garment that the king himself has worn and a horse the
king himself has ridden, which has a royal crown on its head. 9 Put
the garment and the horse under the charge of one of the king’s most noble
officials. Have them clothe the man the king wants to honor, parade him on
the horse through the city square, and call out before him, ‘This is what is
done for the man the king wants to honor.’”
10 The king told Haman, “Hurry, and do just as you proposed. Take a garment and a horse
for Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the King’s Gate. Do not leave out
anything you have suggested.”
11 So Haman took the garment and the horse. He clothed
Mordecai and paraded him through the city square, calling out before him, “This
is what is done for the man the king wants to honor.”
12 Then Mordecai returned to the King’s Gate, but
Haman hurried off for home, mournful and with his head covered. 13 Haman told his wife
Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened. His advisers
and his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai is Jewish, and you have
begun to fall before him, you won’t overcome him, because your downfall is
certain.” 14 While they were still speaking with
him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and rushed Haman to the banquet
Esther had prepare.
Let’s read Esther 7:1-10:
7:1 The king and Haman came to feast[a] with Esther the
queen. 2 Once again, on the second day while
drinking wine, the king asked Esther, “Queen Esther, whatever you ask
will be given to you. Whatever you seek, even to half the kingdom, will be
done.”
3 Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor with
you, Your Majesty, and if the king is pleased, spare my life; this
is my request. And spare my people; this is my desire. 4 For
my people and I have been sold to destruction, death, and
annihilation. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I
would have kept silent. Indeed, the trouble wouldn’t be worth burdening the
king.”
5 King Ahasuerus spoke up and asked Queen Esther, “Who
is this, and where is the one who would devise such a scheme?” [b]
6 Esther answered, “The adversary and enemy is this
evil Haman.”
Haman stood
terrified before the king and queen. 7 The king arose in anger and
went from where they were drinking wine to the palace garden.[c] Haman
remained to beg Queen Esther for his life because he realized the king was
planning something terrible for him. 8 Just as the
king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall,[d] Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was
reclining. The king exclaimed, “Would he actually violate the queen while I am
in the house?” As soon as the statement left the king’s mouth, they covered
Haman’s face.
That meant, Haman would
be killed immediately - he was a dead man.
9 Harbona, one of the king’s eunuchs, said, “There
is a gallows seventy-five feet[e] tall at Haman’s house that he made for Mordecai, who
gave the report that saved[f] the king.”
The king said, “Hang
him on it.”
10 They hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then
the king’s anger subsided.
Vengeance is MINE says
the LORD!!!
This is one of my
Favorite Biblical events revealing how GOD works to bring about justice. That
is why I copied so many chapters. So, all who read this will see how the LORD
works. Blessings!!!
Now for the rest of
the events:
Esther 8:1-17:
Esther Intervenes for
the Jews
8:1 That same day King Ahasuerus awarded Queen Esther the
estate of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. Mordecai entered the king’s
presence because Esther had revealed her relationship to Mordecai. 2 The
king removed his signet ring he had recovered from Haman and gave it to
Mordecai, and Esther put him in charge of Haman’s estate.
3 Then Esther addressed the king again. She fell at
his feet, wept, and begged him to revoke the evil of Haman the
Agagite and his plot he had devised against the Jews. 4 The
king extended the gold scepter toward Esther, so she got up and stood
before the king.
5 She said, “If it pleases the king and I have found
favor with him, if the matter seems right to the king and I am pleasing in his
eyes, let a royal edict be written. Let it revoke the documents the
scheming Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite wrote to destroy the Jews who are
in all the king’s provinces. 6 For how could I bear
to see the disaster that would come on my people? How could I bear to see
the destruction of my relatives?”
7 King Ahasuerus said to Esther the queen and to
Mordecai the Jew, “Look, I have given Haman’s estate to Esther, and he was
hanged on the gallows because he attacked[a] the Jews. 8 Write
in the king’s name whatever pleases you concerning the Jews, and seal it
with the royal signet ring. A document written in the king’s name and
sealed with the royal signet ring cannot be revoked.”
9 On the twenty-third day of the third month—that is,
the month Sivan—the royal scribes were summoned. Everything was written exactly
as Mordecai commanded for the Jews, to the satraps, the governors,
and the officials of the 127 provinces from India to Cush. The edict was
written for each province in its own script, for each ethnic group in its own
language, and to the Jews in their own script and language.
10 Mordecai wrote in King Ahasuerus’s name and sealed the
edicts with the royal signet ring. He sent the documents by mounted
couriers, who rode fast horses bred in the royal stables.
11 The king’s edict gave the Jews in each and every city
the right to assemble and defend themselves, to destroy, kill, and annihilate
every ethnic and provincial army hostile to them, including women and children,
and to take their possessions as spoils of war. 12 This
would take place on a single day throughout all the provinces of King
Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month Adar.
13 A copy of the text, issued as law throughout every
province, was distributed to all the peoples so the Jews could be ready to
avenge themselves against their enemies on that day. 14 The
couriers rode out in haste on their royal horses at the king’s urgent command.
The law was also issued in the fortress of Susa.
15 Mordecai went from the king’s presence clothed in
royal blue and white, with a great gold crown and a purple robe of fine
linen. The city of Susa shouted and rejoiced, 16 and
the Jews celebrated[b] with gladness, joy, and honor. 17 In every province and
every city where the king’s command and edict reached, gladness and joy took
place among the Jews. There was a celebration and a holiday.[c] And many
of the ethnic groups of the land professed themselves to be Jews because fear
of the Jews had overcome them.
Esther 9:1-32:
Victories of the Jews
9:1 The king’s command and law went into effect on the thirteenth
day of the twelfth month, the month Adar. On the day when the Jews’
enemies had hoped to overpower them, just the opposite happened. The Jews
overpowered those who hated them. 2 In each of King
Ahasuerus’s provinces the Jews assembled in their cities to attack those
who intended to harm them.[a] Not a single
person could withstand them; fear of them fell on every nationality.
3 All the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the
governors, and the royal civil administrators[b] aided the Jews
because they feared Mordecai. 4 For Mordecai
exercised great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the
provinces as he became more and more powerful.
5 The Jews put all their enemies to the sword, killing
and destroying them. They did what they pleased to those who hated
them. 6 In the fortress of Susa the Jews
killed and destroyed five hundred men, 7 including
Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8 Poratha, Adalia,
Aridatha, 9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and
Vaizatha. 10 They killed these ten sons of
Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. However, they did not
seize[c] any plunder.
11 On that day the number of people killed in the
fortress of Susa was reported to the king. 12 The
king said to Queen Esther, “In the fortress of Susa the Jews have killed and
destroyed five hundred men, including Haman’s ten sons. What have they done in
the rest of the royal provinces? Whatever you ask will be given to you.
Whatever you seek will also be done.”
13 Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, may the Jews
who are in Susa also have tomorrow to carry out today’s law, and may
the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be hung on the gallows.” 14 The
king gave the orders for this to be done, so a law was announced in Susa, and
they hung the bodies of Haman’s ten sons. 15 The
Jews in Susa assembled again on the fourteenth day of the month of
Adar and killed three hundred men in Susa, but they did not seize any
plunder.
16 The rest of the Jews in the royal provinces assembled,
defended themselves, and gained relief from their enemies. They killed
seventy-five thousand[d] of those who
hated them, but they did not seize any plunder. 17 They
fought on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar and rested on the fourteenth,
and it became a day of feasting and rejoicing.
18 But the Jews in Susa had assembled on the thirteenth
and the fourteenth days of the month. They rested on the fifteenth day of the
month, and it became a day of feasting and rejoicing. 19 This
explains why the rural Jews who live in villages observe the fourteenth day of
the month of Adar as a time of rejoicing and feasting. It is a holiday when
they send gifts to one another.
20 Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters
to all the Jews in all of King Ahasuerus’s provinces, both near and far. 21 He
ordered them to celebrate the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month
of Adar every year 22 because during those days the
Jews gained relief from their enemies. That was the month when their
sorrow was turned into rejoicing and their mourning into a holiday. They
were to be days of feasting, rejoicing, and of sending gifts to one
another and to the poor.
23 So the Jews agreed to continue the practice they had
begun, as Mordecai had written them to do. 24 For
Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted
against the Jews to destroy them. He cast the pur—that is, the lot—to
crush and destroy them. 25 But when the matter was
brought before the king, he commanded by letter that the evil plan Haman
had devised against the Jews return on his own head and that he should be
hanged with his sons on the gallows. 26 For this
reason these days are called Purim, from the word pur. Because of all
the instructions in this letter as well as what they had witnessed and what had
happened to them, 27 the Jews bound themselves,
their descendants, and all who joined with them to a commitment that they
would not fail to celebrate these two days each and every year according to the
written instructions and according to the time appointed. 28 These
days are remembered and celebrated by every generation, family, province, and
city, so that these days of Purim will not lose their significance in Jewish
life[e] and their memory
will not fade from their descendants.
29 Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, along with
Mordecai the Jew, wrote this second letter with full
authority to confirm the letter about Purim. 30 He
sent letters with assurances of peace and security[f] to all the Jews
who were in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, 31 in
order to confirm these days of Purim at their proper time just as Mordecai the
Jew and Esther the queen had established them and just as they had committed
themselves and their descendants to the practices of fasting and lamentation. 32 So
Esther’s command confirmed these customs of Purim, which were then written into
the record.
Esther 10:1-3:
10 King Ahasuerus imposed a tax throughout the
land even to the farthest shores.[a] 2 All of
his powerful and magnificent accomplishments and the detailed account of
Mordecai’s great rank with which the king had honored him, have they not
been written in the Book of the Historical Events of the Kings of Media and
Persia? 3 Mordecai the Jew was second only to King
Ahasuerus. He was famous among the Jews and highly esteemed by many of
his relatives. He continued to pursue prosperity for his people and to
speak for the well-being of all his descendants.
Blessings!!!
