Esther Saves the Jews
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On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, 1the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told 2what he was to her.
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3And the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.
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Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and wept and pleaded with him to avert the evil plan of Haman 4the Agagite and the plot that he had devised against the Jews.
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Esther rose and stood before the king. And she said, "If it please the king, 6and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke 7the letters devised by Haman 8the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king.
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For how can I bear 9to see the calamity that is coming to my people? Or how can I bear to see the destruction of my kindred?"
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Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, "Behold, 10I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows,a because he intended to lay hands on the Jews.
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But you may write as you please with regard to the Jews, in the name of the king, 11and seal it with the king's ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's ring 12cannot be revoked."
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13The king's scribes were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day. And an edict was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded concerning the Jews, to 14the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces 15from India to Ethiopia, provinces, 16to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, and also to the Jews in their script and their language.
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17And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus 18and sealed it with the king's signet ring. Then he sent the letters by mounted couriers riding on 19swift horses that were used in the king's service, bred from the royal stud,
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saying that the king allowed the Jews who were in every city 20to gather and defend their lives, 21to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any armed force of any people or province that might attack them, children and women included, 22and to plunder their goods,
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23on one day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.
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24A copy of what was written was to be issued as a decree in every province, being publicly displayed to all peoples, and the Jews were to be ready on that day to take vengeance on their enemies.
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So the couriers, mounted on their 25swift horses that were used in the king's service, rode out hurriedly, urged by the king's command. And the decree was issued in Susa the citadel.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
(English Standard Version - The Holy Bible Online)