Esther

Jewish Vengeance

When the day came for the king’s order to be carried out—the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar, on which the enemies of the Jews had expected to defeat them—the opposite occurred, for it was the Jews who gained the upper hand over those seeking their harm.

In their towns across the provinces of King Ahasuerus, the Jews gathered to stand against those plotting their destruction. But no one dared oppose them, for all the other nations feared them.

In fact, all the officials of the provinces, including the satraps, governors, and the king’s administrators, supported the Jews because they were afraid of Mordecai,

who had become increasingly powerful and prominent not only in the palace but throughout the provinces.

The Jews struck down their enemies, killing them by the sword, doing as they pleased to those who hated them.

In Susa alone, they killed five hundred men.

They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha

Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,

Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha,

the ten sons of Haman, who was Hammedatha’s son and enemy of the Jews. But they made no move to take the spoils.

That same day, the king was informed of the number of those slain in Susa,

who then told Esther: “The Jews have killed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in Susa alone. Imagine what more they have done in the rest of my provinces! But you will once again be granted whatever you ask; whatever you request will be granted.”

Esther replied: “If it pleases the king, let the Jews in Susa be allowed once again tomorrow to carry out today’s edict, and let Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the gallows.”

The king then ordered that this be carried out. The edict was issued in Susa, and Haman’s ten sons were hanged.

On the fourteenth day of Adar, the Jews in Susa gathered once more and killed three hundred men. However, they did not seize any of the spoils.

The other Jews in the king’s provinces also gathered to defend themselves and eliminate their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of their foes but did not take any of the spoils.

Feast of Purim

This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and the Jews rested on the fourteenth, making it a day of feasting and rejoicing.

The Jews in Susa, however, assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth and rested on the fifteenth, making this a day of feasting and rejoicing.

That is why the rural Jews have a different day of rest and celebration: the fourteenth of the month of Adar, on which they send presents to each other.

Mordecai recorded these events and sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far,

directing them to celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth of the month of Adar

as the days when the Jews celebrated the defeat of their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into feasting. They were to observe these as days of celebration and happiness, days for giving food presents to one another and gifts to the poor.

The Jews agreed to observe this celebration annually, as established in Mordecai’s written order.

For Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews, had plotted to destroy them and cast the pur, or lot, for their ruin.

Yet through Esther’s intervention, the king ordered in writing that the wicked plan against the Jews be turned against Haman, whom he ordered to be hanged, along with his sons.

These days, therefore, are called Purim after the word pur. Because of this written order and what they had seen and experienced,

the Jews, along with their descendants and all who would join them, committed to celebrating these two days every year without fail, in the prescribed manner and at the appointed time.

Commemorated and celebrated thus, in every family, province, and city through all generations, these days of Purim were never to fall into disuse among the Jews nor into oblivion among their descendants.

Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, along with the Jew Mordecai, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim.

Letters were sent to all the Jews in the one hundred twenty-seven provinces of Ahasuerus’ kingdom, offering goodwill and reassurance,

encouraging them to observe these days of Purim at the appointed time, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed, and just as the Jews had set for themselves and their descendants, regarding their obligation of fasting and mourning.

Esther’s decree established these Purim practices, and it was recorded in the book.