The Jews Destroy Their Enemies

1So in the twelft moneth, which is the moneth Adar, vpon the thirteenth daye of the same, when the Kings commandement and his decree drew neere to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Iewes hoped to haue power ouer them (but it turned contrary: for the Iewes had rule ouer them that hated them) 2The Iewes gathered themselues together into their cities throughout all the prouinces of the King Ahashuerosh, to lay hande on such as sought their hurt, and no man coulde withstande them: for the feare of them fel vpon al people. 3And all the rulers of the prouinces, and the princes and the captaines, and the officers of the King exalted the Iewes: for the feare of Mordecai fell vpon them. 4For Mordecai was great in the kings house, and the report of him went through all the prouinces: for this man Mordecai waxed greater and greater. 5Thus the Iewes smote all their enemies with strokes of the sworde and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they woulde vnto those that hated them. 6And at Shushan the palace slewe the Iewes and destroyed fiue hundreth men, 7And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha, 8And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha, 9And Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vaiezatha, 10The ten sonnes of Haman, ye sonne of Ammedatha, the aduersarie of the Iewes slewe they: but they layd not their hands on the spoyle.

Haman’s Sons Hanged

11On the same day came ye nomber of those that were slayne, vnto the palace of Shushan before the King.

12And the King sayd vnto the Queene Ester, The Iewes haue slayne in Shushan the palace and destroyed fiue hundreth men, & the ten sonnes of Haman: what haue they done in the rest of the Kings prouinces? and what is thy petition, that it may be giuen thee? or what is thy request moreouer, that it may be performed? 13Then sayd Ester, If it please the King, let it be granted also to morow to the Iewes that are in Shushan, to do according vnto this daies decree, that they may hang vpon ye tree Hamans ten sonnes. 14And the King charged to doe so, and the decree was giuen at Shushan, and they hanged Hamans ten sonnes. 15So the Iewes that were in Shushan, assembled themselues vpon the fourteenth day of the moneth Adar, & slew three hundreth men in Shushan, but on the spoyle they layd not their hand.

16And the rest of the Iewes that were in the Kings prouinces assembled themselues, and stood for their liues, and had rest from their enemies, and slewe of them that hated them, seuentie and fiue thousand: but they layd not their hand on the spoyle. 17This they did on the thirteenth day of the moneth Adar, & rested the fourteenth day thereof, and kept it a day of feasting and ioy.

The Feast of Purim Instituted

18But the Iewes that were in Shushan assembled themselues on the thirteenth day, & on the fourteenth therof, & they rested on the fifteenth of the same, and kept it a day of feasting & ioy. 19Therefore the Iewes of the villages that dwelt in the vnwalled townes, kept the foureteenth day of the moneth Adar with ioy and feasting, euen a ioyfull day, and euery one sent presents vnto his neighbour.

20And Mordecai wrote these words, and sent letters vnto all the Iewes that were through all the prouinces of the King Ahashuerosh, both neere and farre, 21Inioyning them that they shoulde keepe the fourteenth day of the moneth Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, euery yeere. 22According to the dayes wherein the Iewes rested from their enemies, and the moneth which was turned vnto them from sorowe to ioy, and from mourning into a ioyfull day, to keepe them the dayes of feasting, and ioy, and to sende presents euery man to his neyghbour, and giftes to the poore.

23And the Iewes promised to do as they had begun, & as Mordecai had written vnto them, 24Because Haman the sonne of Hammedatha the Agagite al the Iewes aduersarie, had imagined against the Iewes, to destroy them, and had cast Pur (that is a lot) to consume and destroy them. 25And when she came before the King, he commanded by letters, Let this wicked deuise (which he imagined against the Iewes) turne vpon his owne head, and let them hang him and his sonnes on the tree. 26Therfore they called these dayes Purim, by the name of Pur, & because of all the wordes of this letter, & of that which they had seene besides this, and of that which had come vnto them. 27The Iewes also ordeined, and promised for them and for their seede, and for all that ioyned vnto them, that they would not faile to obserue those two dayes euery yeere, according to their writing, and according to their season, 28And that these dayes shoulde be remembred, and kept throughout euery generation and euery familie, and euery prouince, and euery citie: euen these daies of Purim should not faile among the Iewes, and the memoriall of them should not perish from their seede.

29And the Queene Ester ye daughter of Abihail & Mordecai the Iew wrote with al authoritie (to cofirme this letter of Purim ye second time) 30And he sent letters vnto al the Iewes to the hundreth and seuen and twentie prouinces of the kingdome of Ahashuerosh, with words of peace and trueth, 31To confirme these dayes of Purim, according to their seasons, as Mordecai the Iewe and Ester the Queene had appointed them, & as they had promised for them selues and for their seede with fasting and prayer. 32And the decree of Ester confirmed these words of Purim, and was written in the booke.