New American Standard Bible 2020

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 grief into joy, and from mourning into a 8holiday; that they were to make them days of feasting and rejoicing, and 9sending portions of food to one another, and gifts to the poor.

23So 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 eliminate them, and 10had cast Pur, that is the lot, to disturb them and eliminate them. 25But 11when it came 12to the king’s attention, he commanded by letter 13that his wicked scheme which he had devised against the Jews 14was to return on his own head, and that he and his sons were to be hanged on the wooden gallows. 26Therefore they called these days Purim after the name of 15Pur. 16And 17because of the instructions in this letter, both what they had seen in this regard and what had happened to them, 27the Jews established and 18made a custom for themselves, their 19descendants, and for 20all those who allied themselves with them, so that 21they would not fail 22to celebrate these two days according to their 23regulation 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 24be neglected by the Jews, or their memory 25fade from their 26descendants.

29Then Queen Esther, 27daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm 28this second letter about Purim. 30He sent letters to all the Jews, 29to 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 30descendants, with 31instructions 32for their times of fasting and their mourning. 32The command of Esther established these 33customs for 34Purim, 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 Ps 7:16 ↩
15. Esther 9:26 Akkadian for lot ↩
16. Esther 9:26 Lit Therefore because of all the words ↩
17. Esther 9:26 Esth 9:20 ↩
18. Esther 9:27 Lit received ↩
19. Esther 9:27 Lit seed ↩
20. Esther 9:27 Esth 8:17 ↩
21. Esther 9:27 Lit it would not pass away ↩
22. Esther 9:27 Esth 9:20, 21 ↩
23. Esther 9:27 Lit writing ↩
24. Esther 9:28 Lit pass from the midst of ↩
25. Esther 9:28 Lit end ↩
26. Esther 9:28 Lit seed ↩
27. Esther 9:29 Esth 2:15 ↩
28. Esther 9:29 Esth 9:20, 21 ↩
29. Esther 9:30 Esth 1:1 ↩
30. Esther 9:31 Lit seed ↩
31. Esther 9:31 Lit words ↩
32. Esther 9:31 Esth 4:3 ↩
33. Esther 9:32 Lit words ↩
34. Esther 9:32 Esth 9:26 ↩

Notes

Commentaries on Esther 9