Additions to Esther 3:14

14 This is a copy of the decree: "King Xerxes the Great sends the following decree to the governors of his 127 provinces, from India to Ethiopia, and to their subordinate officials:

Additions to Esther 3:14 In-Context

12 So on the thirteenth day of the first month, Haman called the king's secretaries and dictated a proclamation to be translated into every language in the empire and to be sent to all the rulers and governors. It was issued in the name of King Xerxes and sent to all the 127 provinces, which stretched from India to Ethiopia.

13 Runners took this proclamation to every province of the empire. It contained the instructions that on a single day in the twelfth month, the month of Adar, all Jews were to be killed and their belongings confiscated.

14 This is a copy of the decree: "King Xerxes the Great sends the following decree to the governors of his 127 provinces, from India to Ethiopia, and to their subordinate officials:

15 "After I became ruler of many nations and master of the whole world, I resolved that my subjects should always live at peace. I wanted this, not because of pride in my power but because I was always reasonable and governed my subjects with kindness. I determined to renew the peace that everyone longs for and to do what was necessary to create a civilized kingdom, safe for travel from one border to another.

16 "I asked my advisers how to accomplish this goal, and Haman made a suggestion. He is distinguished among us as a man of great wisdom, and at all times he has demonstrated his concern for the welfare of the kingdom. Because of his unfailing loyalty, he has been raised to the second highest position in the empire.

Footnotes

• [a]. [Chapter B 1-7 corresponds to chapter 13.1-7 in a number of English translations.]
• [b]. [Greek] Ethiopia: [Ethiopia is the name given in Graeco-Roman times to the extensive territory south of the First Cataract of the Nile River. Cush was the ancient (Hebrew) name of this region which included within its borders most of modern Sudan and some of present-day Ethiopia (Abyssinia).]