Esther 9:13-23

13 And Esther said to the king, let it be granted to the Jews so to treat them tomorrow as to hand the ten sons of Aman.

14 And he permitted it to be so done; and he gave up to the Jews of the city the bodies of the sons of Aman to hang.

15 And the Jews assembled in Susa on the fourteenth of Adar, and slew three hundred men, but plundered no property.

16 And the rest of the Jews who were in the kingdom assembled, and helped one another, and obtained rest from their enemies: for they destroyed fifteen thousand of them on the thirteenth of Adar, but took no spoil.

17 And they rested on the fourteenth of the same month, and kept it as a day of rest with joy and gladness.

18 And the Jews in the city Susa assembled also on the fourteenth and rested; and they kept also the fifteenth with joy and gladness.

19 On this account then the Jews dispersed in every foreign land keep the fourteenth of Adar a holy day with joy, sending portions each to his neighbour.

20 And Mardochaeus wrote these things in a book, and sent them to the Jews, as many as were in the kingdom of Artaxerxes, both them that were near and them that were afar off,

21 to establish these joyful days, and to keep the fourteenth and fifteenth of Adar;

22 for on these days the Jews obtained rest from their enemies; and the month, which was Adar, in which a change was made for them, from mourning to joy, and from sorrow to a good day, to spend the whole of it good days of feasting and gladness, sending portions to their friends, and to the poor.

23 And the Jews consented accordingly as Mardochaeus wrote to them,

Esther 9:13-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ESTHER 9

In this chapter we have an account of the Jews gathering together, on the day fixed for their destruction, to defend themselves, which they did in all the provinces, and smote their enemies; Es 9:1-5. In Shushan the palace they slew the ten sons of Haman and five hundred men on that day, Es 9:6-11 and at the request of the queen they were allowed the next day to hang up his sons, when they slew three hundred men more, Es 9:12-15, in the provinces they slew 75,000 and those in one day only, and the following days they kept as a festival, but they in Shushan kept the two days following, Es 9:16-19, and which two days were established by Esther and Mordecai as festivals, to be observed as such in future ages, by the name of the days of Purim, Es 9:20-32.

Footnotes

• [a]. good day.
• [b]. weddings.