Esther 8

8On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews’ enemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for Esther had told ^awhat he was unto her. ²And the king took off ^bhis ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman. ³And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his feet, ^†and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman the ^cAgagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews. ⁴Then ^dthe king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther arose, and stood before the king, ⁵And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and the thing ^eseem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters ^†devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the ^cAgagite, ^||which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king’s provinces: ⁶For how can I ^†endure to see ^fthe evil that shall ^gcome unto my people? or how can I ^†endure to see the destruction of my kindred? ⁷Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, Behold, ^hI have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews. ⁸Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, ⁱin the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring: for the writing which is written in the king’s name, and sealed with the king’s ring, ^kmay no man reverse. ^9lThen were the king’s scribes called at that time in the third month, that is, the month ^mSivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the ⁿlieutenants, and the ^odeputies and rulers of the provinces which are from ^pIndia unto Ethiopia, ^pan hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province ^qaccording to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language. ^10rAnd he wrote ⁱin the king Ahasuerus’ name, and sealed it with the king’s ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on ^smules, ^tcamels, and young dromedaries: ^11rWherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and ^uto take the spoil of them for a prey, ^12xUpon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar. ^13yThe copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was ^†published unto all people, and that the Jews should be ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. ¹⁴So the posts that rode upon ^smules and ^tcamels went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king’s commandment. And the decree was given at Shushan the palace. ¹⁵And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king ^zin royal apparel of ^||blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of ^afine linen and ^bpurple: and ^cthe city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. ¹⁶The Jews had ^dlight, and gladness, and joy, and honour. ¹⁷And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and ^ea good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews; for ^fthe fear of the Jews fell upon them.