8
Esther Saves the Jews
1On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the ⚓enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told ⚓how he was related to her.
2So the king took off ⚓his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman.
3Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet, and implored him with tears to counteract the evil of Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had devised against the Jews.
4And ⚓the king held out the golden scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king,
5and said, “If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight and the thing seems right to the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to revoke the ⚓letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to annihilate the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces.
6For how can I endure to see ⚓the evil that will come to my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my countrymen?”
7Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, “Indeed, ⚓I have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows because he tried to lay his hand on the Jews.
8You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews, as you please, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s signet ring; for whatever is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring ⚓no one can revoke.”
9⚓So the king’s scribes were called at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day; and it was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews, the satraps, the governors, and the princes of the provinces ⚓from India to Ethiopia, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces in all, to every province ⚓in its own script, to every people in their own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language.
10⚓And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, sealed it with the king’s signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on horseback, riding on royal horses bred from swift steeds.
11By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to ⚓gather together and protect their lives—to ⚓destroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions,
12⚓on one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.
13⚓A copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province and published for all people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.
14The couriers who rode on royal horses went out, hastened and pressed on by the king’s command. And the decree was issued in Shushan the citadel.
15So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and ⚓the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.
16The Jews had ⚓light and gladness, joy and honor.
17And in every province and city, wherever the king’s command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast ⚓and a holiday. Then many of the people of the land ⚓became Jews, because ⚓fear of the Jews fell upon them.
8
猶太人的反擊
1那日，亞哈隨魯王把猶太人的仇敵哈曼的家產賜給以斯帖王后。末底改也來到王面前，因為以斯帖已經告訴王，末底改跟她是甚麼關係。
2王摘下自己的戒指，就是從哈曼取回的，給了末底改。以斯帖派末底改管理哈曼的家產。
3以斯帖又在王面前求情，俯伏在他腳前，流淚哀求他阻止亞甲人哈曼害猶太人的惡謀。
4王向以斯帖伸出金杖，以斯帖就起來，站在王面前，
5說：「王若以為好，我若在王面前蒙恩，王若認為合宜，我若在王眼前得喜悅，請王下諭旨，廢除亞甲人哈米大他的兒子哈曼設謀，要殺滅王各省的猶太人所頒的詔書。
6我何忍見我本族的人受害？何忍見我同宗的人被滅呢？」
7亞哈隨魯王對以斯帖王后和猶太人末底改說：「因為哈曼要下手害猶太人，看哪，我已把他的家產賜給以斯帖，也把哈曼掛在木架上了。
8你們可以照你們看為好的，奉王的名寫諭旨給猶太人，用王的戒指蓋印；因為奉王的名所寫、用王的戒指蓋印的諭旨是不能廢除的。」
9三月，就是西彎月二十三日，當時王的一些書記受召而來，按着末底改所吩咐的，用各省的文字、各族的語言，以及猶太人的文字語言寫諭旨，傳給那從印度直到古實一百二十七省的猶太人，以及總督、省長和領袖。
10末底改奉亞哈隨魯王的名寫諭旨，用王的戒指蓋印，交給信差們騎上御用的王室快馬去頒佈。
11-12王准各城各鎮的猶太人在一日之內，在十二月，就是亞達月的十三日聚集，在亞哈隨魯王的各省保護自己的性命，剪除，殺戮，滅絕那要攻擊猶太人的各省各族所有的軍隊，以及他們的妻子兒女，奪取他們的財產為掠物。
13這諭旨的抄本以敕令的方式在各省頒佈，通知各族，使猶太人預備等候那日，好在仇敵身上報仇。
14於是騎御用快馬的信差奉王命催促，急忙起行；敕令傳遍了書珊城堡。
15末底改穿着藍色白色的朝服，頭戴大金冠冕，又穿紫色細麻布的外袍，從王面前出來；書珊城充滿了歡樂的呼聲。
16猶太人有光榮，歡喜快樂，得享尊貴。
17王的諭旨和敕令所到的各省各城，猶太人都歡喜快樂，擺設宴席，以那日為吉日。國中許多民族的人因懼怕猶太人，就自稱為猶太人。