Haman is Promoted by Ahasuerus

1Sometime later King Ahasuerus promoted Hammedatha the Agagite’s son Haman, elevating him to a position abovea all the other officials who were with him. 2All the king’s ministersb who were in the king’s gate would kneel and bow down to Haman, because the king had commanded that Hamanc be honored in this way. Mordecai, however, would not kneel and would not bow down.

3The king’s ministersd who were in the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s command?” 4They asked him this day after day, and he would not listen to them, so they told Haman to see whether or not Mordecai would get away with his disobedience,e since he also had told them that he was Jewish. 5When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel and bow down to him, hef flew into a rage. 6Because they had told him who the people of Mordecai were, Hamang found it unacceptableh to killi only Mordecai. So Haman sought to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jewish people, who were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus.

Haman’s Plot against the Jewish People

7In the twelfth year of the reign ofj King Ahasuerus, in the first month (the month Nisan), the pur (that is, the lot) was cast in Haman’s presence to determine the best day and month to carry out his plot.k The lot indicated the twelfth month, the month Adar.l 8Then Haman told King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and divided among the people throughout the provinces of your kingdom. Their laws are different than all the other people, they don’t obey the king’s laws, and it’s not in the king’s best interestm to leave them alone. 9If the king approves, let it be decreedn that they’re to be destroyed, and I’ll measure out 10,000 silver talentso and bring it to the king’s treasury for those who will do the work.”

10The king removed his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Hammedatha the Agagite’s son Haman, the enemy of the Jewish people. 11The king told Haman, “The silver is given to you, along with the people, to do with them as you see fit.”

12The king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and all that Haman commanded was written to the regional authoritiesp of the king, to the governors who were over each province, and to the officials of each people. This orderq was translated in the name of King Ahasuerus into the language of each provincer and bore the seal of the king’s signet ring. 13Letters were sent by couriers to all of the king’s provinces to annihilate, to kill, and to destroy all the Jewish people, both young and old, women and children, and to confiscate their goodss on a single day—the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of Adar. 14A copy of the letter was to be issued as an edict in every province and published to all the people, telling themt to be ready for that day. 15The couriers went out, urged on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in Susa the capital. The king and Haman sat down to drink, while the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.