Esther 9

1 On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar [the glorious month], the king’s command [royal decree, law] and edict [official order] were to be executed [carried out, put into effect]. On this day the enemies [adversaries, haters] of the Jews had hoped [waited, expected] to overpower [dominate, rule over] them, but their plan [scheme, intention] was overturned [reversed, turned around] and the Jews overpowered [gained victory, dominated] those who hated [felt intense dislike for] them. word study 2 In each of the provinces [districts, regions] of King Xerxes [Ahasuerus, the Persian king], the Jews [people of Judah, God’s chosen] assembled [gathered, came together] in their cities [towns, communities] to attack [lay hand on, seek to harm] those who sought [tried to find, wanted to destroy] to harm [do evil, inflict bad] them. No man [person, individual] could withstand [stand against, resist] them, because the fear [dread, terror] of them had fallen [come upon, been placed] upon [on, above] all [every, the whole] peoples [nations, groups of people]. word study 3 And all [every single one] the officials [rulers, leaders] of the provinces [regions, districts], the satraps [high-ranking governors], the governors [leaders of cities], and the king’s [royal, belonging to the monarch] administrators [those who do the king’s business] helped [assisted, supported] the Jews [people of Judah], because [since, for the reason that] the fear [dread, terror] of Mordecai [a brave Israelite leader] had fallen [come upon, been placed] upon [on, above] them. word study 4 For Mordecai [a brave Israelite] exercised great [increasing, abundant] power [authority, influence] in the palace [royal house], and his fame [reputation, report] spread throughout [into all parts of] the provinces [regions, districts] as he became more and more [waxing greater, increasingly] powerful [influential, mighty]. word study 5 The Jews [of Judah, God’s chosen people] put all [every single one] their enemies [those who hated them, adversaries] to the sword [with the stroke of the sword, a cutting instrument], killing [slaughter, violent death] and destroying [causing to perish, ruining] them, and they did [made, carried out] as they pleased [according to their desire, with acceptance] to those who hated [felt intense dislike for] them. word study 6 In the citadel [fortress, palace] of Susa [Shushan, the royal city], the Jews [of Judah, the chosen people] killed [slew, put to death] and destroyed [perished, lost] five [a specific quantity] hundred [a multitude] men [male individuals], word study 7 including [specifically, namely] Parshandatha [a son of Haman], Dalphon [meaning dripping], Aspatha [a son of Haman, one of the ten sons], word study 8 Poratha [son of Haman], Adalia [I shall be drawn up of Jah], Aridatha [the lion of the decree], word study 9 Parmashta [son of Haman, superior one], Arisai [lion of my banners], Aridai [the lion is enough], and Vaizatha [hanged with his father]. word study 10 They killed [slew, put to death] these ten [a decade of] sons of Haman [the enemy, adversary] son of Hammedatha [the father of Haman], the enemy [opponent, adversary] of the Jews [people of Judah], but they did not [refrained from] lay a hand [extend their power, exert their strength] on the plunder [spoils, booty]. word study 11 On that [specific, particular] day [a 24-hour period, a figurative space of time] the number [quantity, total count] of those killed [slain, put to death] in the citadel [fortress, palace] of Susa [Shushan, a place in Persia] was reported [brought before, came before] to the king [ruler, monarch], word study 12 who said to Queen Esther [the brave Jewish woman], “In the citadel [fortress, stronghold] of Susa [Shushan, the royal winter residence] the Jews [people of Judah, God’s chosen] have killed [slain, destroyed] and destroyed [perished, lost] five hundred men, including [namely, specifically] Haman’s [the enemy of the Jews] ten sons [male descendants]. What have they done [accomplished, made] in the rest [remainder, other parts] of the royal provinces [king’s domains, territories]? Now what is your petition [request, prayer]? It will be given [granted, provided] to you. And what further [additional, more] do you request [ask, desire]? It will be fulfilled [done, accomplished].” word study 13 Esther replied, “If [it seems good] it pleases the king [the ruler, the sovereign], may the Jews [the people of Judah, God’s chosen] in Susa [the royal city, the capital] also have tomorrow [the next day, the future] to carry out [to fulfill, to execute] today’s [this day’s, the present] edict [law, decree], and may the bodies [the corpses, the remains] of Haman’s [the enemy’s, the adversary’s] ten sons be hanged [executed, put to death] on the gallows [the tree, the wooden pole].” word study 14 So the king [ruler, monarch] commanded [ordered, decreed] that this be done [carried out, executed]. An edict [law, decree, official command] was issued [given, proclaimed] in Susa [Shushan, the royal city], and they hanged [impaled, put to death] the ten [a decade, a group of ten] sons [male descendants, children] of Haman [the enemy of the Jews, a powerful official]. word study 15 On the fourteenth day of the month of Adar [twelfth month of the Hebrew calendar] [meaning ‘glorious’], the Jews [people from the tribe of Judah] in Susa [a place in Persia, also meaning lily] came together [to gather, assemble] again and put to death [to kill, slay with intent] three hundred men [individuals, males] there, but they did not [absence, negation] lay a hand [power, strength, or direction] on the plunder [spoils, booty, or war spoils]. word study 16 The rest [remnant, surviving Jews] of the Jews [people of Judah] in the royal [King’s] provinces [districts, regions] also assembled [gathered together, stood for their lives] to defend themselves [to stand for their soul, to protect their lives] and rid themselves of their enemies [foes, those who hated them]. They killed [slew, put to death] 75,000 [seventy-five thousand, a multitude] who hated [were enemies of, opposed] them, but they did not lay [put forth, send] a hand [power, strength] on the plunder [spoils, booty, prey]. word study 17 This was done on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar [the 12th month, a time of glorious celebration], and on the fourteenth [a day of rest after the slaughter] day they rested [to settle down and remain in one place, to cease from labor], making it a day of feasting [a mishteh, a banquet with drinking and celebration] and joy [gladness and happy occasion]. word study 18 The Jews [of Judah, from the tribe of Judah] in Susa [Shushan, a place in Persia], however, had assembled [gathered together, came together] on the thirteenth [thirteenth day of the month, a day of preparation] and the fourteenth [fourteenth day of the month, a day of confrontation] days of the month. So they rested [to settle down, to remain in one place] on the fifteenth [fifteenth day of the month, a day of celebration] day, making it a day of feasting [a feast, a banquet] and joy [gladness, a happy occasion]. word study 19 This is why [therefore, for this reason] the rural Jews [villagers, those living in unwalled towns], who live [dwell, reside] in the villages [small settlements, countryside], observe [keep, celebrate] the fourteenth day of the month of Adar [the 12th month of the Hebrew calendar] as a day [time, occasion] of joy [gladness, happiness] and feasting [banquet, celebration]. It is a holiday [special day, time of rejoicing] for sending [giving, presenting] gifts [portions, offerings] to one another [each other, neighbors]. word study 20 Mordecai [the brave Israelite] recorded [wrote down, documented] these events [the things that happened, the chronicles] and sent [dispatched, mailed] letters [scrolls, written messages] to all [every single one, the entirety] the Jews [people of Judah, Israelites] in all [every, the whole] the provinces [regions, districts] of King Xerxes [Ahasuerus, the Persian king], both near [close, adjacent] and far [distant, remote], word study 21 to establish [stablish, make firm] among them an annual [yearly, every year] celebration [keep, observe] on the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month [lunar cycle] of Adar [the 12th month, glorious] word study 22 as the days [of victory, of triumph] on which the Jews gained rest [relief, a state of peace] from their enemies [adversaries, foes] and the month [a period of time, a lunar cycle] in which their sorrow [grief, sadness] turned to joy [gladness, happiness] and their mourning [lamentation, grief] into a holiday [a day of celebration, a feast]. He wrote that these were to be days [periods of time, seasons] of feasting [celebration, banquet] and joy [gladness, delight], of sending gifts [presents, offerings] to one another [each other, neighbors] and to the poor [needy, impoverished]. word study 23 So the Jews [of Judah, the chosen people] agreed [undertook, promised] to continue [observe with solemnity] the custom [tradition, practice] they had started [begun, initiated], as Mordecai [the brave Israelite] had written [recorded, commanded] to them [toward them, in their direction]. word study 24 For Haman [the Agagite, a descendant of King Agag] son of Hammedatha, the Agagite [enemy and adversary], the enemy [rival, opposer] of all the Jews, had plotted [devised, imagined evil] against the Jews to destroy [perish, kill] them and had cast the Pur [lot, chance] (that is, the lot) to crush [consume, confuse] and destroy [perish, lose] them. word study 25 But when it came before [into the presence] the king [a royal person], he commanded [gave orders, instructed] by letter [a written document] that the wicked [morally bad] scheme [a plan or device] which Haman had devised [planned or thought out] against the Jews [people from the tribe of Judah] should come back [return or turn back] upon his own head [the chief or leader], and that he and his sons [descendants or offspring] should be hanged [executed by suspension] on the gallows [a tree or wooden plank, a means of execution]. word study 26 Therefore these days [of celebration and remembrance] are called Purim [the festival of lots, a time of deliverance], from the word Pur [the lot]. Because of all the instructions [and words of guidance] in this letter [the written message, a record of events], and because of all they had seen [experienced and witnessed] and experienced [endured and overcome], word study 27 the Jews [ordained, took upon themselves] bound themselves [made a rule] to establish the custom [a tradition, a regulation] that they and their descendants [seed, offspring] and all who join [are joined, become part of] them should not fail [to keep, neglect] to celebrate these two [specific, appointed] days at the appointed time [season, scheduled occasion] each and every year [annually, year after year], according to their regulation [writing, established order]. word study 28 These days [of remembrance and celebration] should be remembered [kept in mind, recalled] and celebrated [observed with joy and gratitude] by every generation [period of time, age], family [clan, tribe], province [region, district], and city [town, community], so that these days of Purim [feast of lots, deliverance] should not fail [cease, come to an end] to be observed [kept, commemorated] among the Jews [people of Judah, Israelites], nor should the memory [remembrance, recollection] of them fade [perish, disappear] from their descendants [offspring, seed]. word study 29 So Queen [ruling monarch] Esther [a brave Jewish woman] daughter [female child] of Abihail [my father is might], along with [in close association] Mordecai [a brave Israelite] the Jew [of Judah, a tribe of Israel], wrote [to record, inscribe] with full [all, complete] authority [power, control] to confirm [establish, validate] this [specific] second [another, additional] letter [written message] concerning [about, regarding] Purim [a feast of deliverance]. word study 30 And Mordecai sent [with authority and urgency] letters [scrolls, written documents] with words [messages, declarations] of peace [shalom, completeness and wellness] and truth [faithfulness, stability] to all [every single one] the Jews [people of Judah, God’s chosen] in the 127 [one hundred twenty-seven, a vast number] provinces [regions, districts] of the kingdom [royal dominion, rule] of Xerxes [Ahasuerus, a powerful king], word study 31 in order to confirm [establish and make firm] these days of Purim [a special feast, a time of celebration and remembrance] at their appointed time [a specific season, a set occasion], just as Mordecai [a brave Israelite leader] the Jew [of the tribe of Judah] and Queen Esther [a brave Jewish woman, a royal ruler] had established [ordained and decreed] them and had committed [pledged and bound] themselves and their descendants [their seed, their offspring] to the times of fasting [abstaining from food, a period of spiritual reflection] and lamentation [a cry of sorrow, a time of mourning]. word study 32 So Esther’s decree [command, or authoritative word] confirmed these [matters, or practices] regulations about Purim [the special feast], which were written [recorded, inscribed, or documented] into the [official, historical, or sacred] record [book, scroll, or chronicle]. word study