The Book of Esther

1. Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this was the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia, over one hundred and twenty-seven provinces),
2. in those days the King Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the citadel,  (Neh. 1:1)
3. that in the third year of his reign he made a feast for all his officials and servants - - the powers of Persia and Media, the nobles, and the princes of the provinces being before him -
4. when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the splendour of his excellent majesty for many days, one hundred and eighty days in all.

1. After these things, when the wrath of King Ahasuerus subsided, he remembered Vashti, what she had done, and what had been decreed against her.
2. Then the king's servants who attended him said:  "Let beautiful young virgins be sought for the king;
3. "and let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather all the beautiful young virgins to Shushan the citadel, into the women's quarters, under the custody of Hegai the king's eunuch, custodian of the women.  And let beautiful preparations be given them.
4. "Then let the young woman who pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti."  This thing pleased the king, and he did so.
5. Now in Shushan the citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a Benjamite.
6. Kish had been carried away from Jerusalem with the captives who had been captured with Jeconiah king of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away.
7. And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle's daughter, for she had neither father nor mother.  The young woman was lovely and beautiful.  When her father and mother died, Mordecai took her as his own daughter.  (Esth. 2:15)
21. In those days, while Mordecai sat within the king's gate, two of the king's eunuchs, Bigthan and Teresh, doorkeepers, became furious and sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.  (Esth. 6:2)

1. After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him.  (Esth. 5:11)
2. and all the king's servants who were within the king's gate bowed and paid homage to Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him.  But Mordecai would no bow or pay homage.  (Esth. 2:19;   Esth. 2:21;   Esth. 5:9;   Ps. 15:4)
3. Then the king's servants who were within the king's gte said to Mordecai, "Why do you transgress the king's command?"

1. When Mordecai learned all that had happened, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city.  He cried out with a loud and bitter cry.
   
2. He went as far as the square in front of the king's gate, for no one might enter the king's gate clothed with sackcloth.  (Gen. 50:4)

1. That night the king could not sleep.  So one was commanded to bring the book of the records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.  (Dan. 2:1)
2. And it was found written that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's eunuchs, the doorkeepers who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus.  (Esth. 2:21)

1. So the king and Haman went to dine with Queen Esther.
9. Now Harbonah, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, "Look!  The gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke good on the king's behalf, is standing at the house of Haman."  Then the king said:  "Hang him on it!"  (Esth. 1:10)
10. So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai.  Then the king's wrath subsided.  (Ps. 7:16;   Ps. 94:23;   Prov. 24:16;   Dan 6:24;   Prov. 11:27)

1. On that day

1. Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, the time came for the king's command and his decree to be executed.  On the day that the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, the opposite occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered those who hated them.
   
2. The Jews gathered together in their cities throughout all the provinces of Kin Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm.  And no one could withstand them, because fear of them fell upon all people.
   
23. So the Jews accepted the custom which they had begun, as Mordecai had written to them,
24. because Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of all the jews, had plotted against the Jews to annihilate them, and had cast Pur (that is, the lot), to consume them and destroy them;  (Esth. 3:6-7;   Esth. 9:26)
25. but when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letter that this wicked plot which Haman had devised against the Jews should return on his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gtallows.  (Ps. 7:16)
26. So they called these days Purim, after the name Pur.  Therefore, because of all the words of this letter, what they had seen concerning this matter, and what had happened to them,

1. And King Ahasuerus imposed tribute on the land and on the islands of the sea.
2. Now all the acts of his power and his might,
3. For Mordecai the Jew was second to King Ahasuerus, and was great among the Jews and well received by the multitude of his brethren, seeking the good of his people and speaking peace to all his kindred.  (Neh. 2:10)

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