1On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the edict commanded by the king was to be carried out. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but now the tables were turned and the Jews got the upper hand over those who hated them. 2The Jews assembled in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those determined to destroy them. No one could stand against them, because the people of all the other nationalities were afraid of them. 3And all the nobles of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king’s administrators helped the Jews, because fear of Mordecai had seized them. 4Mordecai was prominent in the palace; his reputation spread throughout the provinces, and he became more and more powerful.
5The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them. 6In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men. 7They also killed Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha, 10the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. But they did not lay their hands on the plunder.
11The number of those killed in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king that same day. 12The king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman in the citadel of Susa. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? Now what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? It will also be granted.”
13“If it pleases the king,” Esther answered, “give the Jews in Susa permission to carry out this day’s edict tomorrow also, and let Haman’s ten sons be impaled on poles.”
14So the king commanded that this be done. An edict was issued in Susa, and they impaled the ten sons of Haman. 15The Jews in Susa came together on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they put to death in Susa three hundred men, but they did not lay their hands on the plunder.
16Meanwhile, the remainder of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also assembled to protect themselves and get relief from their enemies. They killed seventy-five thousand of them but did not lay their hands on the plunder. 17This happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.
18The Jews in Susa, however, had assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth, and then on the fifteenth they rested and made it a day of feasting and joy.
19That is why rural Jews—those living in villages—observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other.
Purim Established
20Mordecai recorded these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Xerxes, near and far, 21to have them celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar 22as the time when the Jews got relief from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration. He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
23So the Jews agreed to continue the celebration they had begun, doing what Mordecai had written to them. 24For Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them and had cast the pur (that is, the lot) for their ruin and destruction. 25But when the plot came to the king’s attention,9:25 Or when Esther came before the king he issued written orders that the evil scheme Haman had devised against the Jews should come back onto his own head, and that he and his sons should be impaled on poles. 26(Therefore these days were called Purim, from the word pur.) Because of everything written in this letter and because of what they had seen and what had happened to them, 27the Jews took it on themselves to establish the custom that they and their descendants and all who join them should without fail observe these two days every year, in the way prescribed and at the time appointed. 28These days should be remembered and observed in every generation by every family, and in every province and in every city. And these days of Purim should never fail to be celebrated by the Jews—nor should the memory of these days die out among their descendants.
29So Queen Esther, daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to confirm this second letter concerning Purim. 30And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of Xerxes’ kingdom—words of goodwill and assurance— 31to establish these days of Purim at their designated times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed for them, and as they had established for themselves and their descendants in regard to their times of fasting and lamentation. 32Esther’s decree confirmed these regulations about Purim, and 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？必为你成全。” 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，以记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、世世代代都要记念、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，按他们为自己和后代所规定的，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。
