EstherChapter 3

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¹After these things, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite. He raised him to a place above all the other princes who served him. ²All the king's servants at the king's gate bowed down to Haman. They showed him honor because the king had told them to. But Mordecai would not bow down or honor him. ³Then the king's servants at the gate asked Mordecai, "Why do you disobey the king's order?" ⁴Day after day they warned him, but he would not obey. So they told Haman about it. They wanted to see if Haman would let Mordecai get away with it. For Mordecai had told them he was a Jew. ⁵Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or honor him. Then Haman was filled with rage. ⁶Then he found out who Mordecai's people were. So he thought it was too small a thing to hurt only Mordecai. Instead, he planned to wipe out all of Mordecai's people, the Jews. He wanted to destroy them in the whole kingdom of Xerxes. ⁷It was the twelfth year of King Xerxes. In the first month, the month of Nisan, they cast the Pur in front of Haman. (Pur means "the lot.") They did this to choose a day and a month. The lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar. ⁸Then Haman said to King Xerxes, "There is a certain people spread out among the peoples in every province of your kingdom. Their laws are not like anyone else's laws. And they do not obey the king's laws. So it is not good for the king to put up with them. ⁹If it pleases the king, let an order be sent out to destroy them. I will put ten thousand talents of silver into the king's treasury. It will pay the men who do this work."a ¹⁰So the king took his signet ring off his finger. He gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. ¹¹"Keep your money," the king said to Haman. "And the people are yours. Do with them whatever you want." ¹²On the thirteenth day of the first month, the king's scribes were called in. They wrote down every order Haman gave. The orders went to the king's satraps, to the governors of each province, and to the leaders of each people. They were written in the writing of each province and in the language of each people. They were written in the name of King Xerxes. They were sealed with the king's signet ring. ¹³Riders took the letters to all the king's provinces. The letters gave the order to destroy, kill, and wipe out all the Jews. That meant young and old, women and children. It was to be done on one day, the thirteenth day of Adar, the twelfth month. The letters also said to take everything the Jews owned. ¹⁴A copy of the order was to be given out as law in every province. It was to be read to all the people, so they would be ready for that day. ¹⁵The king's order made the riders hurry out. The order was also given in the fortress city of Susa. Then the king and Haman sat down to drink. But the city of Susa was confused and upset.