The Jews Destroy Their Enemies

1-2 In his letter, the king had given commands about the thirteenth day of Adar, the twelfth month. And when that day arrived, the Jews completely destroyed their enemies, because those enemies were too afraid to fight back. 3The rulers, the royal officials, and the governors of the provinces were afraid of Mordecai and showed respect for all the Jews. 4-5Mordecai was well known throughout the kingdom because of the letters the king had sent.

6-10The Jews killed 500 men in the city of Susa and took what had belonged to the ones they killed. Haman the son of Hammedatha had been one of the worst enemies of the Jews; his ten sons were among those who were killed. Their names were Pharsannestain, Delphon, Phasga, Pharadatha, Barea, Sarbacha, Marmasima, Aruphaeus, Arsaeus, and Zabutheus.

11That same day, someone reported to the king how many people the Jews had killed in Susa. 12The king said to Esther, "The Jews have killed 500 men in the city of Susa alone. If that many were killed here, what must have happened out in the provinces? Is there anything else you want? Just tell me, and it will be done."

13Esther answered, "Please let the Jews do the same tomorrow as they have done today, and let them hang the bodies of Haman's ten sons."

14The king gave the orders to allow the Jews to fight a second day, and he had the bodies of Haman's sons handed over to the Jews of Susa, so they could hang them. 15Then on the next day, Adar fourteenth, the Jews of the city got together and killed 300 more men, but on this day they did not take anything that had belonged to the ones they killed. 16-17On Adar thirteenth the Jews in the provinces had come together to defend themselves. They killed 15,000 of their enemies but took nothing that belonged to the ones they killed. Then on Adar fourteenth these Jews rested and celebrated their victory.

18On the fourteenth, the Jews in Susa were still defending themselves, and so they celebrated on the fifteenth. 19That's why the Jews who live in small villages or on farms now observe this holiday on Adar fourteenth, while the Jews that live in the large cities observe it on the fifteenth. It is a joyful holiday that they celebrate by sending gifts of food to each other.

The Festival of Purim

20Mordecai wrote a book reporting everything that had happened, and he sent copies of it to the Jews everywhere in the kingdom of Artaxerxes. 21He also sent a letter that said:

Celebrate on both the fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar, 22the days when we Jews defeated our enemies. Remember this month as a time when our sorrow was turned to joy, a time when celebration took the place of grief. Celebrate during the whole month of Adar by having weddings and parties and sending gifts of food to your neighbors and to the poor.

23The Jews welcomed Mordecai's report 24 of how Haman son of Hammedatha, the Macedonian, had fought against them. Mordecai also told how Haman had used small pieces of wood or bone, called lots, to find the best time to destroy them. 25Then he went to the king to ask him to hang Mordecai. But Haman became the victim of his own plot, and he and his sons were all hanged instead. 26-28Mordecai's letter said that the Jews must celebrate for two days because of what had happened to them. And so the Jews made an agreement that they, their descendants, and everyone who accepted their religion in the future would always celebrate these two days to remind themselves of everything that had happened. They would celebrate, no matter what family they belonged to or where they lived.

This time of celebration came to be known as "Purim," which is the name in Hebrew for the lots that Haman had used.

29-30Esther wanted to give her full authority as queen to Mordecai's letter about the Festival of Purim, and she had Mordecai help her write down everything they had done. 31Mordecai and Queen Esther used their own authority to make Purim an official Jewish festival. Then they promised that for as long as they had health and strength, they would both do their best to make sure every Jew celebrated Purim. 32Esther even had a law made, so that the Jews would never forget to celebrate it.