New American Standard Bible 1995

Esther 9:19-32

19Therefore the Jews of the rural areas, who live in 1the rural towns, make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a 2 3holiday for rejoicing and feasting and 4sending portions of food to one another.

20Then Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21obliging them to celebrate the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day 5of the same month, annually, 22because on those days the Jews 6rid themselves of their enemies, and it was a month which was 7turned for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a 8holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and rejoicing and 9sending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor.

23Thus the Jews undertook what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them. 24For Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the adversary of all the Jews, had schemed against the Jews to destroy them and 10had cast Pur, that is the lot, to disturb them and destroy them. 25But 11when it came 12to the king’s attention, he commanded by letter 13that his wicked scheme which he had 14devised against the Jews, 15should return on his own head and that he and his sons should be hanged on the 16gallows. 26Therefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. 17And 18because of the instructions in this letter, both what they had seen in this regard and what had happened to them, 27the Jews established and 19made a custom for themselves and for their 20descendants and for 21all those who allied themselves with them, so that 22they would not fail 23to celebrate these two days according to their 24regulation and according to their appointed time annually. 28So these days were to be remembered and celebrated throughout every generation, every family, every province and every city; and these days of Purim were not to 25fail from among the Jews, or their memory 26fade from their 27descendants.

29Then Queen Esther, 28daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm 29this second letter about Purim. 30He sent letters to all the Jews, 30to the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, namely, words of peace and truth, 31to establish these days of Purim at their appointed times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established for them, and just as they had established for themselves and for their 31descendants with 32instructions 33for their times of fasting and their lamentations. 32The command of Esther established these 34customs for 35Purim, and it was written in the book.

Read all of Esther 9

Notes

1. Esther 9:19 Deut 3:5; Zech 2:4 ↩
2. Esther 9:19 Lit rejoicing and feasting and a good day and sending ↩
3. Esther 9:19 Esth 9:22 ↩
4. Esther 9:19 Neh 8:10 ↩
5. Esther 9:21 Lit in it ↩
6. Esther 9:22 Lit had rest from ↩
7. Esther 9:22 Ps 30:11 ↩
8. Esther 9:22 Lit good day ↩
9. Esther 9:22 Neh 8:12 ↩
10. Esther 9:24 Esth 3:7 ↩
11. Esther 9:25 Esth 7:4-10 ↩
12. Esther 9:25 Lit before the king, he ↩
13. Esther 9:25 Esth 3:6-15 ↩
14. Esther 9:25 Lit schemed ↩
15. Esther 9:25 Ps 7:16 ↩
16. Esther 9:25 Lit tree ↩
17. Esther 9:26 Lit Therefore because of all the words ↩
18. Esther 9:26 Esth 9:20 ↩
19. Esther 9:27 Lit received ↩
20. Esther 9:27 Lit seed ↩
21. Esther 9:27 Esth 8:17 ↩
22. Esther 9:27 Lit it should not pass away ↩
23. Esther 9:27 Esth 9:20, 21 ↩
24. Esther 9:27 Lit writing ↩
25. Esther 9:28 Lit pass away ↩
26. Esther 9:28 Lit end ↩
27. Esther 9:28 Lit seed ↩
28. Esther 9:29 Esth 2:15 ↩
29. Esther 9:29 Esth 9:20, 21 ↩
30. Esther 9:30 Esth 1:1 ↩
31. Esther 9:31 Lit seed ↩
32. Esther 9:31 Lit words ↩
33. Esther 9:31 Esth 4:3 ↩
34. Esther 9:32 Lit words ↩
35. Esther 9:32 Esth 9:26 ↩

Notes

Commentaries on Esther 9