Bible Verses

Esther called Hathach, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to her, and told him to find out why Mordecai acted the way he did.

Queen Esther’s maids and eunuchs informed her about Mordecai. Overcome with grief, she sent clothes for Mordecai to wear instead of his sackcloth, but he refused.

In every province where the king’s edict was read, there was intense mourning among the Jews, fasting and weeping loudly, and many of them lay on sackcloth and ashes.

But he stopped at the king’s gate, since no one in sackcloth was permitted to enter.

The Jews’ Sadness When Mordecai found out what had happened, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and walked through the city crying bitterly and loudly.

The couriers, encouraged by the king’s command, hurried out, and the edict was first announced in Susa. As the king and Haman sat down to drink, the city of Susa was left in confusion.

A copy of the edict to be enacted as law in every province was published so that everyone would be aware and prepared for that day.

These dispatches were sent by couriers to all the royal provinces with the order to kill, destroy, and wipe out all the Jews—young and old, women and children—on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.

On the thirteenth day of the first month, the royal scribes were summoned. As Haman dictated, they wrote orders in the script of each province and the language of each people for the king’s satraps, the governors of every province, and the officials of every people. Written in the name of King Ahasuerus himself and

“Keep the money, and do with these people as you please.”