written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s ring” (v. 12). Further, all possibility of misunderstanding is preempted by the multiple translations and scripts. Finally, no province is too far-flung for the king’s couriers. No one is to escape. Young and old, women and children are specified, and the attackers are given express permission to plunder. Haman is nothing if not efficient. Yet there is a hint that he is even more sinister than we imagined. In his original proposal to
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