Esther 3:1-9

Haman's Plan to Kill the Jews

1 After all this took place, King Ahasuerus honored Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite. He promoted him in rank and gave him a higher position than all the other officials.
2 The entire royal staff at the King's Gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king had commanded this to be done for him. But Mordecai would not bow down or pay homage.[a]
3 The members of the royal staff at the King's Gate asked Mordecai, "Why are you disobeying the king's command?"
4 When they had warned him day after day and he still would not listen to them, they told Haman to see if Mordecai's actions would be tolerated, since he had told them he was a Jew.
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai was not bowing down or paying him homage,[b] he was filled with rage.
6 And when he learned of Mordecai's ethnic identity, Haman decided not to do away with[c] Mordecai alone. He set out to destroy all of Mordecai's people, the Jews, throughout Ahasuerus' kingdom.
7 In the first month, the month of Nisan,[d] in King Ahasuerus' twelfth year,[e] Pur[f] (that is, the lot) was cast before Haman for each day in each month, and it fell on the twelfth month,[g] the month Adar.[h]
8 Then Haman informed King Ahasuerus, "There is one ethnic group, scattered throughout the peoples in every province of your kingdom, yet living in isolation. Their laws are different from everyone else's, so that they defy the king's laws. It is not in the king's best interest to tolerate them.
9 If the king approves, let an order be drawn up authorizing their destruction, and I will pay 375 tons of silver to[i] the accountants for deposit in the royal treasury."[j]

Footnotes 10

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