1The king’s order had to be carried out on the 13th day of the 12th month. That was the month of Adar. On that day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to win the battle over them. But now everything had changed. The Jews had gained the advantage over those who hated them. 2The Jews gathered together in their cities. They gathered in all the territories King Xerxes ruled over. They came together to attack those who were trying to destroy them. No one could stand up against them. The people from all the other nations were afraid of them. 3All the nobles in the territories helped the Jews. So did the royal officials, the governors and the king’s officers. That’s because they were so afraid of Mordecai. 4He was well known in the palace. His fame spread all through the territories. So he became more and more important.
5The Jews struck down with swords all their enemies. They killed them and destroyed them. They did what they pleased to those who hated them. 6The Jews killed 500 men. They destroyed them in the fort of Susa. 7They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha. 10They were the ten sons of Haman. He was the son of Hammedatha. Haman had been the enemy of the Jews. They didn’t take anything that belonged to their enemies.
11A report was brought to the king that same day. He was told how many men had been killed in the fort of Susa. 12He said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed 500 men. They destroyed them in the fort of Susa. They also killed the ten sons of Haman there. What have they done in the rest of my territories? Now what do you want? I’ll give it to you. What do you want me to do for you? I’ll do that too.”
13“If it pleases you,” Esther answered, “let the Jews in Susa carry out today’s order tomorrow also. Stick poles through the dead bodies of Haman’s ten sons. Set them up where everyone can see them.”
14So the king commanded that it be done. An order was sent out in Susa. And the king’s men did to the bodies of Haman’s sons everything they were told to do. 15The Jews in Susa came together on the 14th day of the month of Adar. They put 300 men to death in Susa. But they didn’t take anything that belonged to those men.
16During that time, the rest of the Jews also gathered together. They lived in the king’s territories. They came together to fight for their lives. They didn’t want their enemies to bother them anymore. They wanted to get some peace and rest. So they killed 75,000 of their enemies. But they didn’t take anything that belonged to them. 17It happened on the 13th of Adar. On the 14th day they rested. They made it a day to celebrate with great joy. And they enjoyed good food.
18But the Jews in Susa had gathered together on the 13th and 14th. Then on the 15th they rested. They made it a day to celebrate with great joy. And they enjoyed good food.
19That’s why Jews who live out in the villages celebrate on the 14th of Adar. They celebrate that day with great joy. And they enjoy good food. They also give presents to each other on that day.
Purim Is Celebrated
20Mordecai wrote down these events. He sent letters to all the Jews all through the territories of King Xerxes. It didn’t matter whether the Jews lived nearby or far away. 21Mordecai told them to celebrate the 14th and 15th days of the month of Adar. He wanted them to do it every year. 22Mordecai told the Jews to celebrate the time when they got rest from their enemies. That was the month when their sadness was turned into joy. It was when their weeping turned into a day for celebrating. He wrote the letters to celebrate those days as times of joy. He wanted the people to enjoy good food. He told them to give presents of food to one another. He also wanted them to give gifts to people who were poor.
23So the Jews agreed to continue the celebrating they had started. They kept doing what Mordecai had written to them. 24Haman was the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite. He had been the enemy of all the Jews. He had planned to destroy them. He had cast the lot to destroy them completely. The lot was called Pur. 25But the king had found out about Haman’s evil plan. So the king had sent out written orders. He had ordered that Haman’s evil plan against the Jews should happen to him instead. The king also commanded that poles be stuck through the dead bodies of Haman and his sons. Then they should be set up where everyone could see them. 26The days the Jews were celebrating were called Purim. Purim comes from the word Pur. Pur means Lot. Now the Jews celebrate these two days every year. They do it because of everything that was written in Mordecai’s letter. They also do it because of what they had seen and what had happened to them. 27So they established it as a regular practice. They decided they would always observe these two days of the year. They would celebrate in the required way. And they would celebrate at the appointed time. They and their children after them would always observe these days. And so would all who join them. 28The days should be remembered and celebrated. They should be remembered by every family for all time to come. They should be celebrated in every territory and in every city. The Jews should never stop celebrating the days of Purim. Their children after them should always remember these days.
29So Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, wrote a second letter. She wrote it together with Mordecai the Jew. They wanted to give their full authority to this second letter about Purim. 30Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 territories of the kingdom of Xerxes. The letters had messages of kindness and hope in them. 31The letters established the days of Purim at their appointed times. They spoke about what Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had ordered the people to do. Everything should be done in keeping with the directions the Jews had set up for themselves and their children after them. The directions applied to their times of fasting and sadness. 32Esther’s order established the rules about Purim. It was written down in the records.
犹太人的反击
1十二月，即亚达月十三日，是执行王谕旨的日子。那天，犹太人的仇敌原本想辖制他们，却反而被他们辖制。 2犹太人在亚哈随鲁王的各省各城聚集起来，攻击那些要害他们的人，无人能抵挡他们，因为各族都惧怕他们。 3各省的官员、总督、省长和为王办事的人因惧怕末底改，就都帮助犹太人。 4因为末底改已是王宫要员，他的名声传遍各省，权势日盛。 5犹太人用刀击杀所有敌人，任意消灭恨他们的人。 6犹太人单在书珊城就杀了五百人。 7他们还杀了巴珊大他、达分、亚斯帕他、 8坡拉他、亚大利雅、亚利大他、 9帕玛斯他、亚利赛、亚利代和瓦耶撒他。 10这十人是犹太人的仇敌哈曼的儿子、哈米大他的孙子。但犹太人没有动他们的财物。
11当天，王获悉在书珊城被杀的人数， 12便对以斯帖王后说：“犹太人在书珊城杀了五百人，还杀了哈曼的十个儿子，在其余各省就更不知怎样了！现在你要什么？必赐给你。你还有何要求？必为你成就。” 13以斯帖回答说：“王若愿意，就请恩准书珊城的犹太人明天仍执行今天的谕旨，并把哈曼十个儿子的尸体吊在木架上。” 14王允准了，便在书珊城颁布谕旨，哈曼十个儿子的尸体便被吊了起来。 15亚达月十四日，书珊城的犹太人再次聚集起来，在城中杀了三百人，但没有动他们的财物。
16王其他各省的犹太人也都聚集起来自卫，得以脱离仇敌。他们杀了七万五千个仇敌，但没有动他们的财物。 17这事发生在亚达月十三日。十四日，犹太人休息，并以此日为设宴欢庆的日子。 18但书珊城的犹太人在十三、十四日聚集杀敌，十五日才休息，并以此日为设宴欢庆的日子。 19因此，住在乡村的犹太人都以亚达月十四日为设宴欢庆的节日，并互赠礼物。
普珥节
20末底改把这些事记录下来，写信给亚哈随鲁王国内远近各省的犹太人， 21吩咐他们每年在亚达月十四、十五日守节期， 22设宴欢庆，互赠礼物，周济穷人，以纪念犹太人在此月此日得以脱离仇敌，化忧为乐，转悲为喜。
23犹太人接受了末底改写给他们的信，同意每年庆祝这个节日。 24因为犹太人的仇敌亚甲人哈米大他的儿子哈曼曾经阴谋毁灭犹太人，曾经抽普珥，即抽签，要杀戮、灭绝他们。 25但王知道这阴谋后，便降旨使哈曼谋害犹太人的恶计落到他自己头上，将他及其众子吊在木架上。 26他们借用普珥这个词，称这两天为普珥节。犹太人因这信上的一切话，又因所看见、所经历的事， 27就为自己、自己的后代和归属他们的人定下规矩：每年必按时守这两天为节日，永不废弃。 28各省各城、家家户户、世世代代都要纪念、遵守这节日，使犹太人永不中断过普珥节，他们的后代也不可忘记。
29亚比孩的女儿以斯帖王后和犹太人末底改以全权写第二封信，嘱咐犹太人守这普珥节， 30用和善、真诚的话写信给亚哈随鲁王国一百二十七省的所有犹太人， 31嘱咐他们照犹太人末底改和以斯帖王后的指示，按他们为自己及其后代所规定的，按时守普珥节，禁食哀哭。 32以斯帖的命令确定了普珥节，这命令被记载下来。
