Esther 9:1-6

1On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar,1 the king’s command and edict were to be executed. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but their plan was overturned and the Jews overpowered those who hated them. 2In each of the provinces of King Xerxes, the Jews assembled in their cities to attack those who sought to harm them. No man could withstand them, because the fear of them had fallen upon all peoples.

3And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and the king’s administrators helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai had fallen upon them. 4For Mordecai exercised great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful.

5The Jews put all their enemies to the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did as they pleased to those who hated them. 6In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men,