Esther 8:1–8

Esther Saves the Jews

¹On that day King Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman, ^athe adversary of the Jews, to Queen Esther; and Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told ^bwhat he was to her.

^2aAnd the king removed his signet ring, which he had taken away from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

³Then Esther spoke again to the king, fell at his feet, wept, and implored him to ¹repeal the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite and his scheme which he had devised against the Jews.

^4aAnd the king extended the golden scepter to Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king.

⁵Then she said, “^aIf it seems good to the king, and if I have found favor before him and the matter seems proper to the king and I am good in his eyes, let it be written to turn back the ^bletters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to cause the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces to perish.

⁶“For ^ahow can I endure to see the calamity which will befall my people, and how can I endure to see the perishing of my kinsmen?”

The King’s Decree Avenges the Jews

⁷So King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, ^aI have given the house of Haman to Esther, and him they have hanged on the ¹gallows because he had sent forth his hand against the Jews.

⁸“Now you write to the Jews, according to what is good in your eyes, in the king’s name, and ^aseal it with the king’s signet ring; for a written decree which is written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s signet ring ^bmay not be turned back.”