Esther 3:7–15

⁷In the first month, that is, the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasurus, he cast pur—that is, the lot—before the presence of Haman for the day and for the month,^d until^e the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar. ⁸And Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and separated among the peoples in all of the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from every other people, and they do not observe^f the laws of the king; it is not appropriate for the king to tolerate them. ⁹If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will pay^g ten thousand talents^h of silver to those who do the job, to bring to the treasury of the king.” ¹⁰So the king removed his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. ¹¹And the king said to Haman, “The money is given to you and to the people to do with it as you see fit.ⁱ

¹²And the king’s secretaries were called in the first month on the thirteenth day, and a decree was issued, according to all that Haman commanded, to the satraps of the king and to the governors who were over all the provinces, and to the officials of all the people, to each province according to its own script and to all people according to their own language; it was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and was sealed with the king’s ring. ¹³Letters were sent by couriers^j to all the provinces of the king to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old,^k women and children, on one day, the thirteenth day of the month, that is Adar, and to plunder their goods. ¹⁴A copy of the edict was presented as law in every province making it known to all the people to be ready for that day. ¹⁵The couriers went out quickly by order of the king, and the law was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink; and the city of Susa was bewildered.^l