ESTHER Chapter 8 (GNB)
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8:1 That same day
King Xerxes gave Queen Esther all the property of Haman, the enemy of the
Jews. Esther told the king that Mordecai was related to her, and from then on
Mordecai was allowed to enter the king's presence. |
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8:2 The king took
off his ring with his seal on it (which he had taken back from Haman) and
gave it to Mordecai. Esther put Mordecai in charge of Haman's property. |
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8:3 Then Esther
spoke to the king again, throwing herself at his
feet and crying. She begged him to do something to stop the evil plot that
Haman, the descendant of Agag, had made against the
Jews. |
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8:4 The king held
out the gold scepter to her, so she stood up and
said, |
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8:5 "If it
please Your Majesty, and if you care about me and if it seems right to you,
please issue a proclamation to keep Haman's orders from being carried
out---those orders that the son of Hammedatha the
descendant of Agag gave for the destruction of all
the Jews in the empire. |
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8:6 How can I
endure it if this disaster comes on my people, and my own relatives are
killed?" |
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8:7 King Xerxes
then said to Queen Esther and Mordecai, the Jew, "Look, I have hanged
Haman for his plot against the Jews, and I have given Esther his property. |
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8:8 But a
proclamation issued in the king's name and stamped with the royal seal cannot
be revoked. You may, however, write to the Jews whatever you like; and you
may write it in my name and stamp it with the royal seal." |
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8:9 This happened
on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan. Mordecai
called the king's secretaries and dictated letters to the Jews and to the
governors, administrators, and officials of all the 127 provinces from India
to Ethiopia. The letters were written to each province in its own language
and system of writing and to the Jews in their language and system of
writing. |
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8:10 Mordecai had
the letters written in the name of King Xerxes, and he stamped them with the
royal seal. They were delivered by riders mounted on fast horses from the
royal stables. |
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8:11 These letters
explained that the king would allow the Jews in every city to organize for self-defense. If armed men of any nationality in any
province attacked the Jewish men, their children, or their women, the Jews
could fight back and destroy the attackers; they could slaughter them to the
last man and take their possessions. |
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8:12 This decree
was to take effect throughout the Persian Empire on the day set for the
slaughter of the Jews, the thirteenth of Adar, the twelfth month. |
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8:13 It was to be
proclaimed as law and made known to everyone in every province, so that the
Jews would be ready to take revenge on their enemies when that day came. |
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8:14 At the king's
command the riders mounted royal horses and rode off at top speed. The decree
was also made public in Susa, the capital city. |
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8:15 Mordecai left
the palace, wearing royal robes of blue and white, a cloak of fine purple
linen, and a magnificent gold crown. Then the streets of Susa rang with
cheers and joyful shouts. |
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8:16 For the Jews
there was joy and relief, happiness and a sense of victory. |
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8:17 In every city
and province, wherever the king's proclamation was read, the Jews held a
joyful holiday with feasting and happiness. In fact, many other people became
Jews, because they were afraid of them now. |
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