On that day did the kingAhasuerusgive the house of Haman the Jews’enemyuntoEsther the queen. And Mordecaicamebefore the king; for Esther had toldwhat he was unto her.
And Estherspake yet againbefore the king, and felldown at his feet, and besought him withtears to put away the mischief of Haman the Agagite, and his devicethat he had devisedagainst the Jews.
And said, If it please the king, and if I havefoundfavour in his sight, and the thingseemrightbefore the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the lettersdevised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jewswhich are in all the king’sprovinces:
Then the kingAhasuerussaiduntoEsther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, I havegivenEsther the house of Haman, and him theyhavehangedupon the gallows, because he laid his handupon the Jews.
Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king’sname, and seal it with the king’sring: for the writingwhich is written in the king’sname, and sealedwith the king’sring, may no man reverse.
Thenwere the king’sscribescalled at thattime in the thirdmonth, that is, the monthSivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was writtenaccording to all thatMordecaicommandedunto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinceswhich are fromIndiauntoEthiopia, an hundredtwenty and sevenprovinces, untoeveryprovinceaccording to the writingthereof, and untoeverypeopleaftertheirlanguage, and to the Jewsaccording to theirwriting, and according to theirlanguage.
And he wrote in the kingAhasuerus’name, and sealed it with the king’sring, and sentletters by posts on horseback, and riders on mules, camels, and youngdromedaries:
Wherein the kinggranted the Jewswhichwere in everycity to gatherthemselvestogether, and to stand for theirlife, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and provincethatwouldassaultthem, bothlittleones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey,
The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in everyprovince was publishedunto all people, and that the Jewsshould be readyagainstthat day to avengethemselves on theirenemies.
So the poststhatrodeuponmules and camelswent out, beinghastened and pressed on by the king’scommandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace.
And Mordecaiwent out from the presence of the king in royalapparel of blue and white, and with a greatcrown of gold, and with a garment of finelinen and purple: and the city of Shushanrejoiced and was glad.
And in everyprovince, and in everycity, whithersoever the king’scommandment and his decreecame, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day. And many of the people of the landbecameJews; for the fear of the Jewsfelluponthem.