Esther 3

CHAPTER 3

Haman Seeks to Destroy the Jews

¹After these things, King Ahasuerus ^amagnified Haman, the son of Hammedatha ^bthe Agagite, and ^cadvanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him.

²And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate were bowing down and prostrating themselves before Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But ^aMordecai would not bow down or prostrate himself.

³So the king’s servants who were at ^athe king’s gate said to Mordecai, “^bWhy do you trespass against the king’s command?”

⁴Now it happened when they had spoken daily to him and he would not listen to them, that they told Haman to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew.

⁵Then Haman saw that ^aMordecai was not bowing down or prostrating himself before him. So Haman was filled with wrath.

⁶But he despised in his eyes to send forth his hand against Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore Haman ^asought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.

⁷In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, ¹Pur, that is the lot, was ^acast before Haman from day to day and from month to month, ²until the twelfth month, that is ^bthe month Adar.

⁸Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and separated among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; ^atheir laws are different from those of all other people, and they do not do the king’s laws, so it is not worth it for the king to let them remain.

⁹“If it seems good to the king, let it be written down that they should perish, and I will pay ¹10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who do this work, to bring into the king’s treasuries.”

¹⁰Then ^athe king removed his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha ^bthe Agagite, ^cthe adversary of the Jews.

¹¹And the king said to Haman, “The silver is ¹yours, and the people also, to do with them according to what is good in your eyes.”

^12aThen the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and it was written just as Haman commanded to ^bthe king’s satraps, to the governors who were over each province, and to the princes of each people, each province according to its script, each people according to its tongue, being written ^cin the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s signet ring.

¹³And letters were sent by the hand of ^acouriers to all the king’s provinces ^bto destroy, to kill, and to cause all the Jews to perish, both young and old, little ones and women, ^cin one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to ^dplunder their spoil.

^14aA copy of that which was written down to be given as law in every province was revealed to all the peoples so that they should be ready for this day.

¹⁵The couriers went out, hastened by the word of the king. And the law was given at the citadel in Susa. Now the king and Haman sat down to drink, but ^athe city of Susa was in confusion.