The Jews Destroy Their Enemies

1In the twolueth moneth, that is the moneth Adar, vpon the thyrtenth daye, which the kinges worde and comaundement had appoynted, that it shulde be done, eue vpon ye same daie yt the enemies shulde haue destroyed the Iewes to haue oppressed them, it turned contrary wise, euen yt the Iewes shulde subdue their enemies. 2Then gathered the Iewes together in their cities within all ye londes of kynge Ahasuerus, to laye honde on soch as wolde do the euell, & no man coulde withstonde them: for ye feare of the was come ouer all people. 3And all the rulers in the londes, and prynces and Debities, and officers of the kinge promoted the Iewes: for the feare of Mardocheus came vpo the. 4For Mardocheus was greate in the kynges house, & the reporte of him was noised in all lodes, how he increased & grewe. 5Thus the Iewes smote all their enemies with a sore slaughter, and slewe and destroyed, & dyd after their wyll vnto soch as were their aduersaries. 6And at ye castell of Susan slewe the Iewes and destroied fyue hudreth men: 7& slewe Parsandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, 8Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, 9Parmastha Arissai, Aridai, Vaiesatha, 10the ten sonnes of Aman ye sonne of Amadathi ye enemie of the Iewes: but on his goodes they layed no handes.

Haman’s Sons Hanged

11At the same tyme was the kynge certified of the nombre of those that were slaine at the castell of Susan.

12And the kynge sayde vnto quene Hester: The Iewes haue slayne and destroyed fyue hudreth men at ye castell of Susan, and the ten sonnes of Ama: What shal they do in the other londes of ye kynge? What is thy peticion, that it maye be geuen the? & what requirest thou more to be done? 13Hester sayde: Yf it please the kynge, let him suffre the Iewes tomorow also to do acordinge vnto this dayes commaundement, that they maye hange Amans ten sonnes vpo ye tre. 14And the kynge charged to do so, and the commaundement was deuysed at Susan, & Amans ten sonnes were hanged. 15And the Iewes gathered the selues together at Susan, vpon the fourtenth daye of the moneth Adar, and slewe thre hundreth men at Susan, but on their goodes they laied no hades.

16As for the other Iewes in the kyuges lodes, they came together, & stode for their lyues, & gatt rest fro their enemies: and slewe of their enemies fyue and seuentye thousande, howbeit they layed no hondes on their goodes. 17This was done on the thirteth daie of the moneth Adar, and on the fourtenth daye of the same moneth rested they, which (daye) they ordeyned to be a daye of feastinge and gladnesse.

The Feast of Purim Instituted

18But the Iewes at Susan were come together both on the thyrtenth daye and on the fourtenth, and on the fyftenth daye they rested, and the same daye ordeyned they to be a daye of feastinge & gladnes. 19Therfore the Iewes that dwelt in the vyllages and vnwalled townes, ordeyned ye fourtenth daye of the moneth Adar, to be a daye of feastinge and gladnes, and one sent giftes vnto another.

20And Mardocheus wrote these actes, and sent the writinges vnto all the Iewes yt were in all ye londes of kynge Ahasuerus, both nye and farre, 21that they shulde yearly receaue and holde the fourtenth and fiftenth daie of the moneth Adar, 22as the daies wherin ye Iewes came to rest from their enemies, & as a moneth wherin their payne was turned to ioye, and their sorowe in to prosperite: that they shulde obserue the same as dayes of wealth and gladnes, and one to sende giftes vnto another, & to distribute vnto the poore.

23And the Iewes receaued it that they had begonne to do, and that Mardocheus wrote vnto them: 24how that Aman the sonne of Amadathai all ye Iewes enemye, had deuysed to destroye all the Iewes, and caused the lot to be cast for to put them in feare, and to brynge them to naughte: 25and how Hester wente and spake to the kynge, that thorow letters his wicked deuyce (which he ymagyned agaynst the Iewes) might be turned vpon his awne heade, and how he and his sonnes were hanged on the tre. 26For the which cause they called this daye Purim after the name of the lot, acordynge to all ye wordes of this wrytinge: and what they the selues had sene, and what had happened vnto them. 27And the Iewes set it vp, and toke it vpon them and their sede, and vpon all soch as ioyned themselues vnto them, that they wolde not mysse to obserue these two dayes yearly, acordynge as they were wrytte and appoynted, 28how yt these dayes are not to be forgotten, but to be kepte of childers children amoge all kynreds in all londes and cities. They are the dayes of Purim, which are not to be ouerslipte amonge the Iewes, and the memoriall of them oughte not to perishe from their sede.

29And quene Hester the daughter of Abihail and Mardocheus the Iewe, wrote with all auctorite, to confirme this seconde wrytinge of Purim, 30and sent the letters vnto all the Iewes in the hundreth and seuen and twentye londes of ye empyre of Ahasuerus, with frendly and faithfull wordes, 31to confirme these dayes of Purim, in their tyme appoynted, acordynges as Mardocheus the Iewe and Hester the quene had ordeined cocernynge them: lyke as they vpon their soule and vpon their sede had cofirmed the actes of the fastinges and of hir coplainte. 32And Hester comaunded to stablish these actes of this Purim, and to wryte them in a boke.