1
On that
day King Ahasuerus gave the
house of
Haman, the
enemy of the
Jews, to
Queen Esther; and
Mordecai came before the
king, for
Esther had
disclosed what he was to her.
reT.s,a.l vw{rew.v;x]a .$,l,M;h !;t'n a.Wh;h ~w{Y;B ? ~yiYid.Wh.Y;h<03064'> rer{c !'m'h tyeB -t,a h'K.l;M;h ? reT.s,a h'dyiGih -yiK .$,l,M;h yen.pil a'B y;k\D.r'm.W ? H'l -a.Wh h;m
2
The
king took off his
signet ring which he had
taken away from
Haman, and
gave it to
Mordecai. And
Esther set Mordecai over the
house of
Haman.
!'m'hem ryib/[,h r,v]a w{T.[;B;j -t,a .$,l,M;h r;s'Y;w ? y;k\D.r'm -t,a reT.s,a ~,f'T;w y'k\D.r'm.l H'n.TiY;w ? !'m'h tyeB -l;[
3
Then
Esther spoke again to the
king,
fell at his
feet,
wept and
implored him to
avert the
evil scheme of
Haman the
Agagite and his
plot which he had
devised against the
Jews.
l{PiT;w .$,l,M;h yen.pil reB;d.T;w reT.s,a @,sw{T;w ? ryib][;h.l w{l -n,N;x.tiT;w .K.beT;w wy'l.g;r yen.pil ? r,v]a w{T.b;v]x;m tea.w yig'g]a'h !'m'h t;['r -t,a ? ~yid.Wh.Y;h -l;[ b;v'x
4
The
king extended the
golden scepter to
Esther. So
Esther arose and
stood before the
king.
~'q'T;w b'h'Z;h jib.r;v tea reT.s,a.l .$,l,M;h j,vw{Y;w ? .$,l,M;h yen.pil d{m][;T;w reT.s,a
5
Then she
said,
"If it
pleases * the
king and
if I have
found favor before him and the
matter seems
proper to the
king and I am
pleasing in his
sight, let it be
written to
revoke the
letters devised by
Haman, the
son of
Hammedatha the
Agagite,
which he
wrote to
destroy the
Jews who are in
all the
king's provinces.
yita'c'm -mia.w bw{j .$,l,M;h -l;[ -mia r,ma{T;w ? h'bw{j.w .$,l,M;h yen.pil r'b'D;h rev'k.w wy'n'p.l !ex ? ~yir'p.S;h -t,a byiv'h.l bet'KIy wy'nye[.B yin]a ? b;t'K r,v]a yig'g]a'h a't'd.M;h -n,B !'m'h t,b,v]x;m ? tw{nyid.m -l'k.B r,v]a ~yid.Wh.Y;h -t,a deB;a.l ? .$,l,M;h
6
"For
how can I
endure to
see the
calamity which will
befall my
people, and
how can I
endure to
see the
destruction of my
kindred?"
a'c.mIy -r,v]a h'['r'B yityia'r.w l;k.Wa h'k'kyea yiK ? !;d.b'a.B yityia'r.w l;k.Wa h'k'kyea.w yiM;[ -t,a ? yiT.d;lw{m
7
So
King Ahasuerus said to
Queen Esther and to
Mordecai the
Jew,
"Behold, I have
given the
house of
Haman to
Esther, and him they have
hanged on the
gallows because * he had
stretched out his
hands against the
Jews.
y;k\D.r'm.l.W h'K.l;M;h reT.s,a.l v{rew.v;x]a .$,l,M;h r,ma{Y;w ? reT.s,a.l yiT;t'n !'m'h -tyeb heNih yid.Wh.Y;h ? w{d'y x;l'v -r,v]a l;[ #e['h -l;[ .Wl'T w{t{a.w ? ~yiYid.Wh.Y;B
8
"Now you
write to the
Jews as you
see fit, in the
king's name, and
seal it with the
king's signet ring; for a
decree which is
written in the
name of the
king and
sealed with the
king's signet ring may not be
revoked."
~,kyenye[.B bw{J;K ~yid.Wh.Y;h -l;[ .Wb.tiK ~,T;a.w ? b't.k -yiK .$,l,M;h t;[;B;j.B .Wm.tix.w .$,l,M;h ~ev.B ? t;[;B;j.B ~w{T.x;n.w .$,l,M;h -mev.B b'T.kin -r,v]a ? byiv'h.l !yea .$,l,M;h
9
So the
king's scribes were
called at that
time in the
third month (that is, the
month Sivan ), on the
twenty-third * day; and it was
written according to
all that
Mordecai commanded to the
Jews, the
satraps, the
governors and the
princes of the
provinces which extended from
India to
Ethiopia,
127 * * provinces, to
every province according to its
script, and to
every people according to their
language as well as to the
Jews according to their
script and their
language.
v,d{x;B ayih;h -te['B .$,l,M;h -yer.p{s .Wa.r'QiY;w ? ~yir.f,[.w h'vw{l.viB !'wyis v,d{x -a.Wh yivyil.V;h ? ~yid.Wh.Y;h -l,a y;k\D.r'm h\Wic -r,v]a -l'k.K bet'KiY;w w{B ? tw{nyid.M;h yer'f.w tw{x;P;h.w -myin.P.r;D.v;x]a'h l,a.w ? h'aem.W ~yir.f,[.w [;b,v v.WK -d;[.w .WD{hem r,v]a ? ~'['w ~;[.w H'b't.kiK h'nyid.m.W h'nyid.m h'nyid.m ? ~'nw{v.lik.w ~'b't.kiK ~yid.Wh.Y;h -l,a.w w{n{v.liK
10
He
wrote in the
name of
King Ahasuerus, and
sealed it with the
king's signet ring, and
sent letters by
couriers on
horses,
riding on
steeds sired by the
royal stud.
t;[;B;j.B ~{T.x;Y;w v{rew.v;x]a<0325'> .$,l,M;h ~ev.B b{T.kiY;w ? ~yis.WS;B ~yic'r'h d;y.B ~yir'p.s x;l.viY;w .$,l,M;h ? ~yik'M;r'h yen.B ~yin'r.T.v;x]a'h v,k,r'h yeb.k{r
11
In them the
king granted the
Jews who were in
each and
every city the right to
assemble and to
defend their
lives, to
destroy, to
kill and to
annihilate the
entire army of any
people or
province which might
attack them,
including children and
women, and to
plunder their
spoil,
ryi['w -ryi[ -l'k.B r,v]a ~yid.Wh.Y;l .$,l,M;h !;t'n r,v]a ? g{r]h;l.w dyim.v;h.l ~'v.p;n -l;[ d{m][;l.w leh'Qih.l ? ~yir'C;h h'nyid.m.W ~;[ lyex -l'K -t,a deB;a.l.W ? zw{b'l ~'l'l.v.W ~yiv'n.w @;j ~'t{a
12
on
one day in
all the
provinces of
King Ahasuerus, the
thirteenth * day of the
twelfth * month (that is, the
month Adar ).
vw{rew.v;x]a .$,l,M;h tw{nyid.m -l'k.B d'x,a ~w{y.B ? v,d{x -a.Wh r'f'[ -myen.v v,d{x.l r'f'[ h'vw{l.viB ? r'd]a
13
A
copy of the
edict to be
issued as
law in
each and
every province was
published to
all the
peoples, so that the
Jews would be
ready for
this day to
avenge themselves on their
enemies.
h'nyid.m -l'k.B t'D !et'Nih.l b't.K;h !,g,v.t;P ? ~yiYid.Wh.Y;h tw{y.hil.w ~yiM;['h -l'k.l y.Wl'G h'nyid.m.W ? ~,hyeb.y{aem ~eq'Nih.l h,Z;h ~w{Y;l ~yid.Wt][
14
The
couriers,
hastened and
impelled by the
king's command,
went out,
riding on the
royal steeds; and the
decree was
given out at the
citadel in
Susa.
.Wa.c'y ~yin'r.T.v;x]a'h v,k,r'h yeb.k{r ~yic'r'h ? h'n.Tin t'D;h.w .$,l,M;h r;b.diB ~yip.Wx.d.W ~yil'h{b.m ? @ h'ryiB;h !;v.Wv.B
15
Then
Mordecai went out from the
presence of the
king in
royal robes of
blue and
white, with a
large crown of
gold and a
garment of
fine linen and
purple; and the
city of
Susa shouted and
rejoiced.
t.Wk.l;m v.Wb.liB .$,l,M;h yen.piLim a'c'y y;k\D.r'm.W ? .$yir.k;t.w h'lw{d.G b'h'z t,r,j][;w r.Wx'w t,lek.T ? h'xem'f.w h'l]h'c !'v.Wv ryi['h.w !'m'G.r;a.w #.WB
16
For the
Jews there was
light and
gladness and
joy and
honor.
r'qyiw !{f'f.w h'x.mif.w h'rw{a h't.y'h ~yid.Wh.Y;l
17
In
each and
every province and in
each and
every city,
wherever * the
king's commandment and his
decree arrived, there was
gladness and
joy for the
Jews, a
feast and a
holiday *. And
many among the
peoples of the
land became Jews, for the
dread of the
Jews had
fallen on them.
ryi['w ryi[ -l'k.b.W h'nyid.m.W h'nyid.m -l'k.b.W ? h'x.mif ;[yiG;m w{t'd.w .$,l,M;h -r;b.D r,v]a ~w{q.m ? ~yiB;r.w bw{j ~w{y.w h,T.vim ~yid.Wh.Y;l !w{f'f.w ? ~yid.Wh.Y;h -d;x;P l;p'n -yiK ~yid]h;y.tim #,r'a'h yeM;[em ? ~,hyel][