Yǐsītièjì 3

1 Zhè shì yǐhòu , Yàhǎsuílǔ wáng táijǔ , Yàjiǎ zú Hǎmǐdàtāde érzi Hǎmàn , shǐ tā gāo shēng , jiào tāde jué wèi chāo guō yǔ tā tóng shì de yīqiè chénzǎi .

2 Zaì zhāo mén de yīqiè chénpú dōu guìbaì Hǎmàn , yīnwei wáng rúcǐ fēnfu . wéidú Mòdǐgǎi bù guì bù baì .

3 Zaì zhāo mén de chénpú wèn Mòdǐgǎi shuō , nǐ wèihé wéibeì wáng de mìnglìng ne .

4 Tāmen tiāntiān quàn tā , tā háishì bù tīng , tāmen jiù gàosu Hǎmàn , yào kàn Mòdǐgǎi de shì zhàn dé zhù zhàn bù zhù , yīn tā yǐjing gàosu tāmen zìjǐ shì Yóudà rén .

5 Hǎmàn jiàn Mòdǐgǎi bù guì bù baì , tā jiù nùqì tián xiōng .

6 Tāmen yǐ jiāng Mòdǐgǎi de bĕn zú gàosu Hǎmàn . tā yǐwéi xià shǒu haì Mòdǐgǎi yī rén shì xiǎoshì , jiù yào mièjué Yàhǎsuílǔ wáng tōng guó suǒyǒude Yóudà rén , jiù shì Mòdǐgǎi de bĕn zú .

7 Yàhǎsuílǔ wáng shí èr nián zhēngyuè , jiù shì ní sǎn yuè , rén zaì Hǎmàn miànqián , àn rì rì yuè yuè chè pǔ Ěr , jiù shì chèqiā , yào déng hé yuè hé rì wèi jí , zé déng le shí èr yuè , jiù shì Yàdá yuè .

8 Hǎmàn duì Yàhǎsuílǔ wáng shuō , yǒu yī zhǒng mín , sǎn jū zaì wáng guó gè shĕng de mín zhōng , tāmende lǜ lì yǔ wàn mín de lǜ lì bù tóng , yĕ bù shǒu wáng de lǜ lì , suǒyǐ róng liú tāmen yǔ wáng wúyì .

9 Wáng ruò yǐwéi mĕi , qǐng xià zhǐyì mièjué tāmen . wǒ jiù juān yī wàn tā lián dé yínzi jiāo gĕi zhǎng guǎn guó tǎng de rén , nà rù wáng de fǔ kù .

10 Yúshì wáng cóng zìjǐ shǒu shang zhāi xià jièzhi , gĕi Yóudà rén de chóudí Yàjiǎ zú Hǎmǐdàtāde érzi Hǎmàn .

11 Wáng duì Hǎmàn shuō , zhè yínzi réng cìgĕi nǐ , zhè mín yĕ jiāo gĕi nǐ , nǐ kĕyǐ suíyì dāi tāmen .

12 Zhēngyuè shí sān rì , jiù zhào le wáng de shū jì lái , zhào zhe Hǎmàn yīqiè suǒ fēnfu de , yòng gè shĕng de wén zì , gè zú de fāngyán , fèng Yàhǎsuílǔ wáng de míng xiĕ zhǐyì , chuán yǔ zǒng dū hé gè shĕng de shĕng zhǎng , bìng gè zú de shǒulǐng . yòu yòng wáng de jièzhi gaì yìn .

13 Jiāo gĕi yì cù chuán dào wáng de gè shĕng , fēnfu jiāng Yóudà rén , wúlùn lǎo shǎo fùnǚ háizi , zaì yī rì zhī jiān , shí èr yuè , jiù shì Yàdá yuè shí sān rì , quán rán jiǎnchú , shā lù mièjué , bìng duó tāmende cái wèi lüè wù .

14 Chāo lù zhè zhǐyì , bān xíng gè shĕng , xuāngào gè zú , shǐ tāmen yùbeì dĕnghòu nà rì .

15 Yì cù fèng wáng méng jímáng qǐ xíng , zhǐyì yĕ chuán biàn Shūshān chéng . wáng tóng Hǎmàn zuò xià yǐn jiǔ , Shūshān chéng de mín què dōu huāng luàn .

Yǐsītièjì 3 Commentary

Chapter 3

Haman seeks to destroy the Jews. (1-6) He obtains a decree against the Jews. (7-15)

Verses 1-6 Mordecai refused to reverence Haman. The religion of a Jew forbade him to give honours to any mortal man which savoured of idolatry, especially to so wicked a man as Haman. By nature all are idolaters; self is our favourite idol, we are pleased to be treated as if every thing were at our disposal. Though religion by no means destroys good manners, but teaches us to render honour to whom honour is due, yet by a citizen of Zion, not only in his heart, but in his eyes, such a vile person as Haman was, is contemned, ( Psalms 15:4 ) . The true believer cannot obey edicts, or conform to fashions, which break the law of God. He must obey God rather than man, and leave the consequences to him. Haman was full of wrath. His device was inspired by that wicked spirit, who has been a murderer from the beginning; whose enmity to Christ and his church, governs all his children.

Verses 7-15 Without some acquaintance with the human heart, and the history of mankind, we should not think that any prince could consent to a dreadful proposal, so hurtful to himself. Let us be thankful for mild and just government. Haman inquires, according to his own superstitions, how to find a lucky day for the designed massacre! God's wisdom serves its own purposes by men's folly. Haman has appealed to the lot, and the lot, by delaying the execution, gives judgment against him. The event explains the doctrine of a particular providence over all the affairs of men, and the care of God over his church. Haman was afraid lest the king's conscience should smite him for what he had done; to prevent which, he kept him drinking. This cursed method many often take to drown convictions, and to harden their own hearts, and the hearts of others, in sin. All appeared in a favourable train to accomplish the project. But though sinners are permitted to proceed to the point they aim at, an unseen but almighty Power turns them back. How vain and contemptible are the strongest assaults against Jehovah! Had Haman obtained his wish, and the Jewish nation perished, what must have become of all the promises? How could the prophecies concerning the great Redeemer of the world have been fulfilled? Thus the everlasting covenant itself must have failed, before this diabolical project could take place.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO ESTHER 3

This chapter gives an account of the promotion of Haman, and of the mortification of him by Mordecai, who refused to bow to him, upon which he vowed revenge on him, and on all his people the Jews, Es 3:1-6, for which purpose, through a false representation of them, he obtained letters of the king, and sent to the deputies of all the provinces to destroy them all on a certain day fixed, Es 3:7-15.