Ester 4:2

4:2 But he went no further than the king’s gate, for no one was permitted to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth.

Ester 9:11

9:11 On that same day the number of those killed in Susa the citadel was brought to the king’s attention.

Ester 1:1

The King Throws a Lavish Party

1:1 ¹ The following events happened ²  in the days of Ahasuerus. ³  (I am referring to ⁴  that Ahasuerus who used to rule over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces ⁵  extending all the way from India to Ethiopia. ⁶ )

Ester 1:12

1:12 But Queen Vashti refused ⁷  to come at the king’s bidding ⁸  conveyed through the eunuchs. Then the king became extremely angry, and his rage consumed ⁹  him.

Ester 1:15

1:15 The king asked, ¹⁰  “By law, ¹¹  what should be done to Queen Vashti in light of the fact that she has not obeyed the instructions of King Ahasuerus conveyed through the eunuchs?”

Ester 9:25

9:25 But when the matter came to the king’s attention, the king ¹²  gave written orders that Haman’s ¹³  evil intentions that he had devised against the Jews should fall on his own head. He and his sons were hanged on the gallows.

Ester 4:3

4:3 Throughout each and every province where the king’s edict and law were announced ¹⁴  there was considerable ¹⁵  mourning among the Jews, along with fasting, weeping, and sorrow. ¹⁶  Sackcloth and ashes were characteristic ¹⁷  of many.

Ester 1:5

1:5 When those days ¹⁸  were completed, the king then provided a seven-day ¹⁹  banquet for all the people who were present ²⁰  in Susa the citadel, for those of highest standing to the most lowly. ²¹  It was held in the court located in the garden of the royal palace.

Ester 8:17

8:17 Throughout every province and throughout every city where the king’s edict and his law arrived, the Jews experienced happiness and joy, banquets and holidays. Many of the resident peoples ²²  pretended ²³  to be Jews, because the fear of the Jews had overcome them. ²⁴ 

Ester 4:14

4:14 “Don’t imagine that because you are part of the king’s household you will be the one Jew ²⁵  who will escape. If you keep quiet at this time, liberation and protection for the Jews will appear ²⁶  from another source, ²⁷  while you and your father’s household perish. It may very well be ²⁸  that you have achieved royal status ²⁹  for such a time as this!”

Ester 8:9

8:9 The king’s scribes were quickly ³⁰  summoned – in the third month (that is, the month of Sivan), on the twenty-third day. ³¹  They wrote out ³²  everything that Mordecai instructed to the Jews and to the satraps and the governors and the officials of the provinces all the way from India to Ethiopia ³³  – a hundred and twenty-seven provinces in all – to each province in its own script and to each people in their own language, and to the Jews according to their own script and their own language.

Ester 3:13

3:13 Letters were sent by the runners to all the king’s provinces stating that ³⁴  they should destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews, from youth to elderly, both women and children, ³⁵  on a particular day, namely the thirteenth day ³⁶  of the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar), and to loot and plunder their possessions.

Ester 6:14

6:14 While they were still speaking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived. They quickly brought Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

Ester 9:4

9:4 Mordecai was of high rank ³⁷  in the king’s palace, and word about him was spreading throughout all the provinces. His influence ³⁸  continued to become greater and greater.

Ester 4:12

4:12 When Esther’s reply ³⁹  was conveyed to Mordecai,

Ester 9:28

9:28 These days were to be remembered and to be celebrated in every generation and in every family, every province, and every city. The Jews were not to fail to observe these days of Purim; the remembrance of them was not to cease among their descendants.

Ester 4:15

4:15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:

Ester 4:9-10

4:9 So Hathach returned and related Mordecai’s instructions ⁴⁰  to Esther.

4:10 Then Esther replied to Hathach with instructions for Mordecai:

Ester 1:4

1:4 He displayed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor of his majestic greatness for a lengthy period of time ⁴¹  – a hundred and eighty days, to be exact! ⁴² 

Ester 5:6

5:6 While at the banquet of wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your request? It shall be given to you. What is your petition? Ask for as much as half the kingdom, ⁴³  and it shall be done!”

Ester 7:2

7:2 On the second day of the banquet of wine the king asked Esther, “What is your request, Queen Esther? It shall be granted to you. And what is your petition? Ask up to half the kingdom, and it shall be done!”

Ester 2:22

2:22 When Mordecai learned of the conspiracy, ⁴⁴  he informed Queen Esther, ⁴⁵  and Esther told the king in Mordecai’s behalf. ⁴⁶ 

Ester 5:3

5:3 The king said to her, “What is on your mind, ⁴⁷  Queen Esther? What is your request? Even as much as half the kingdom will be given to you!”

Ester 9:26

9:26 For this reason these days are known as Purim, after the name of pur.

Ester 5:1

Esther Appeals to the King for Help

5:1 It so happened that on the third day Esther put on her royal attire and stood in the inner court of the palace, ⁴⁸  opposite the king’s quarters. ⁴⁹  The king was sitting on his royal throne in the palace, opposite the entrance. ⁵⁰ 

Ester 5:10

5:10 But Haman restrained himself and went on to his home.

He then sent for his friends to join him, ⁵¹  along with his wife Zeresh.

Ester 8:12

8:12 This was to take place on a certain day throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus – namely, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar).

Ester 2:15

2:15 When it became the turn of Esther daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai (who had raised her as if she were his own daughter ⁵² ) to go to the king, she did not request anything except what Hegai the king’s eunuch, who was overseer of the women, had recommended. Yet Esther met with the approval of all who saw her.

Ester 6:10

6:10 The king then said to Haman, “Go quickly! Take the clothing and the horse, just as you have described, and do as you just indicated to Mordecai the Jew who sits at the king’s gate. Don’t neglect ⁵³  a single thing of all that you have said.”

Ester 1:20

1:20 And let the king’s decision which he will enact be disseminated ⁵⁴  throughout all his kingdom, vast though it is. ⁵⁵  Then all the women will give honor to their husbands, from the most prominent to the lowly.”

Ester 2:20

2:20 Esther was still not divulging her lineage or her people, ⁵⁶  just as Mordecai had instructed her. ⁵⁷  Esther continued to do whatever Mordecai said, just as she had done when he was raising her.

Ester 4:13

4:13 he ⁵⁸  said to take back this answer to Esther:

Ester 5:8

5:8 If I have found favor in the king’s sight and if the king is inclined ⁵⁹  to grant my request and perform my petition, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet that I will prepare for them. At that time ⁶⁰  I will do as the king wishes. ⁶¹ 

Ester 2:12

2:12 At the end of the twelve months that were required for the women, ⁶²  when the turn of each young woman arrived to go to King Ahasuerus – for in this way they had to fulfill their time of cosmetic treatment: six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with perfume and various ointments used by women –

Ester 1:10

Queen Vashti is Removed from Her Royal Position

1:10 On the seventh day, as King Ahasuerus was feeling the effects of the wine, ⁶³  he ordered Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who attended him, ⁶⁴ 

Ester 3:7

3:7 In the first month (that is, the month of Nisan), in the twelfth year ⁶⁵  of King Ahasuerus’ reign, pur ⁶⁶  (that is, the lot) was cast before Haman in order to determine a day and a month. ⁶⁷  It turned out to be the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar). ⁶⁸ 

Ester 4:8

4:8 He also gave him a written copy of the law that had been disseminated ⁶⁹  in Susa for their destruction so that he could show it to Esther and talk to her about it. He also gave instructions that she should go to the king to implore him and petition him on behalf of her people.

Ester 5:9

Haman Expresses His Hatred of Mordecai

5:9 Now Haman went forth that day pleased and very much encouraged. ⁷⁰  But when Haman saw Mordecai at the king’s gate, and he did not rise nor tremble in his presence, ⁷¹  Haman was filled with rage toward Mordecai.

Ester 8:11

8:11 The king thereby allowed the Jews who were in every city to assemble and to stand up for themselves – to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any army of whatever people or province that should become their adversaries, including their women and children, ⁷²  and to confiscate their property.

Ester 9:1

The Jews Prevail over Their Enemies

9:1 In the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar), on its thirteenth day, the edict of the king and his law were to be executed. It was on this day that the enemies of the Jews had supposed that they would gain power over them. But contrary to expectations, the Jews gained power over their enemies.

Ester 9:19

9:19 This is why the Jews who are in the rural country – those who live in rural cities – set aside the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a holiday for happiness, banqueting, holiday, and sending gifts to one another.

Ester 9:24

9:24 For Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had devised plans against the Jews to destroy them. He had cast pur (that is, the lot) in order to afflict and destroy them.

Ester 4:11

4:11 “All the servants of the king and the people of the king’s provinces know that there is only one law applicable ⁷³  to any man or woman who comes uninvited to the king in the inner court – that person will be put to death, unless the king extends to him the gold scepter, permitting him to be spared. ⁷⁴  Now I have not been invited to come to the king for some thirty days!”

Ester 4:17

4:17 So Mordecai set out to do everything that Esther had instructed him.

[1:1]  ¹ sn In the English Bible Esther appears adjacent to Ezra-Nehemiah and with the historical books, but in the Hebrew Bible it is one of five short books (the so-called Megillot) that appear toward the end of the biblical writings. The canonicity of the book was questioned by some in ancient Judaism and early Christianity. It is one of five OT books that were at one time regarded as antilegomena (i.e., books “spoken against”). The problem with Esther was the absence of any direct mention of God. Some questioned whether a book that did not mention God could be considered sacred scripture. Attempts to resolve this by discovering the tetragrammaton (YHWH) encoded in the Hebrew text (e.g., in the initial letters of four consecutive words in the Hebrew text of Esth 5:4) are unconvincing, although they do illustrate how keenly the problem was felt by some. Martin Luther also questioned the canonicity of this book, objecting to certain parts of its content. Although no copy of Esther was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, this does not necessarily mean that the Qumran community did not regard it as canonical. It is possible that the absence of Esther from what has survived at Qumran is merely a coincidence. Although the book does not directly mention God, it would be difficult to read it without sensing the providence of God working in powerful, though at times subtle, ways to rescue his people from danger and possible extermination. The absence of mention of the name of God may be a deliberate part of the literary strategy of the writer.

[1:1]  ² tn Heb “it came about”; KJV, ASV “Now it came to pass.”

[1:1]  ³ tn Where the Hebrew text has “Ahasuerus” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV) in this book the LXX has “Artaxerxes.” The ruler mentioned in the Hebrew text is Xerxes I (ca. 486-465 B.C.), and a number of modern English versions use “Xerxes” (e.g., NIV, NCV, CEV, NLT).

[1:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “in the days of Ahasuerus, that Ahasuerus who used to rule…” The phrase “I am referring to” has been supplied to clarify the force of the third person masculine singular pronoun, which is functioning like a demonstrative pronoun.

[1:1]  ⁵ sn The geographical extent of the Persian empire was vast. The division of Xerxes’ empire into 127 smaller provinces was apparently done for purposes of administrative efficiency.

[1:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “Cush” (so NIV, NCV; KJV “Ethiopia”) referring to the region of the upper Nile in Africa. India and Cush (i.e., Ethiopia) are both mentioned in a tablet taken from the foundation of Xerxes’ palace in Persepolis that describes the extent of this empire. See ANET 316-17.

[1:12]  ⁷ sn Refusal to obey the king was risky even for a queen in the ancient world. It is not clear why Vashti behaved so rashly and put herself in such danger. Apparently she anticipated humiliation of some kind and was unwilling to subject herself to it, in spite of the obvious dangers. There is no justification in the biblical text for an ancient Jewish targumic tradition that the king told her to appear before his guests dressed in nothing but her royal high turban, that is, essentially naked.

[1:12]  ⁸ tn Heb “at the word of the king”; NASB “at the king’s command.”

[1:12]  ⁹ tn Heb “burned in him” (so KJV).

[1:15]  ¹⁰ tn These words are not present in the Hebrew text, but have been supplied in the translation for clarity (cf. NIV, NCV, CEV, NLT, all of which supply similar phrases).

[1:15]  ¹¹ tc The location of the prepositional phrase “according to law” is somewhat unusual in the Hebrew text, but not so much so as to require emendation. Some scholars suggest deleting the phrase as an instance of dittography from the final part of the immediately preceding word in v. 14. Others suggest taking the phrase with the end of v. 14 rather than with v. 15. Both proposals, however, lack adequate justification.

[9:25]  ¹² tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:25]  ¹³ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Haman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[4:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “reached” (so NAB, NLT); KJV, NASB, NIV “came”; TEV “wherever the king’s proclamation was made known.”

[4:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “great” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT); NAB “the Jews went into deep mourning.”

[4:3]  ¹⁶ sn Although prayer is not specifically mentioned here, it is highly unlikely that appeals to God for help were not a part of this reaction to devastating news. As elsewhere in the book of Esther, the writer seems deliberately to keep religious actions in the background.

[4:3]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “were spread to many”; KJV, NIV “many (+ people NLT) lay in sackcloth and ashes.”

[1:5]  ¹⁸ tc The Hebrew text of Esther does not indicate why this elaborate show of wealth and power was undertaken. According to the LXX these were “the days of the wedding” (αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ γάμου, Jai Jhmerai tou gamou), presumably the king’s wedding. However, a number of scholars have called attention to the fact that this celebration takes place just shortly before Xerxes’ invasion of Greece. It is possible that the banquet was a rallying for the up-coming military effort. See Herodotus, Histories 7.8. There is no reason to adopt the longer reading of the LXX here.

[1:5]  ¹⁹ tc The LXX has ἕξ ({ex, “six”) instead of “seven.” Virtually all English versions follow the reading of the MT here, “seven.”

[1:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “were found.”

[1:5]  ²¹ tn Heb “from the great and unto the small.”

[8:17]  ²² tn Heb “peoples of the land” (so NASB); NIV “people of other nationalities”; NRSV “peoples of the country.”

[8:17]  ²³ tn Heb “were becoming Jews”; NAB “embraced Judaism.” However, the Hitpael stem of the verb is sometimes used of a feigning action rather than a genuine one (see, e.g., 2 Sam 13:5, 6), which is the way the present translation understands the use of the word here (cf. NEB “professed themselves Jews”; NRSV “professed to be Jews”). This is the only occurrence of this verb in the Hebrew Bible, so there are no exact parallels. However, in the context of v. 17 the motivation of their conversion (Heb “the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them”) should not be overlooked. The LXX apparently understood the conversion described here to be genuine, since it adds the words “they were being circumcised and” before “they became Jews.”

[8:17]  ²⁴ tn Heb “had fallen upon them” (so NRSV); NIV “had seized them.”

[4:14]  ²⁵ tn Heb “from all the Jews”; KJV “more than all the Jews”; NIV “you alone of all the Jews.”

[4:14]  ²⁶ tn Heb “stand”; KJV, NASB, NIV, NLT “arise.”

[4:14]  ²⁷ tn Heb “place” (so KJV, NIV, NLT); NRSV “from another quarter.” This is probably an oblique reference to help coming from God. D. J. A. Clines disagrees; in his view a contrast between deliverance by Esther and deliverance by God is inappropriate (Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther [NCBC], 302). But Clines’ suggestion that perhaps the reference is to deliverance by Jewish officials or by armed Jewish revolt is less attractive than seeing this veiled reference as part of the literary strategy of the book, which deliberately keeps God’s providential dealings entirely in the background.

[4:14]  ²⁸ tn Heb “And who knows whether” (so NASB). The question is one of hope, but free of presumption. Cf. Jonah 3:9.

[4:14]  ²⁹ tn Heb “have come to the kingdom”; NRSV “to royal dignity”; NIV “to royal position”; NLT “have been elevated to the palace.”

[8:9]  ³⁰ tn Heb “in that time”; NIV “At once.”

[8:9]  ³¹ sn Cf. 3:12. Two months and ten days have passed since Haman’s edict to wipe out the Jews.

[8:9]  ³² tn Heb “it was written”; this passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

[8:9]  ³³ tn Heb “Cush” (so NIV), referring to the region of the upper Nile in Africa. Cf. KJV and most other English versions “Ethiopia.”

[3:13]  ³⁴ tn The words “stating that” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[3:13]  ³⁵ tn Heb “children and women.” The translation follows contemporary English idiom, which reverses the order.

[3:13]  ³⁶ tc The LXX does not include the words “on the thirteenth day.”

[9:4]  ³⁷ tn Heb “great”; NRSV “powerful”; NIV “prominent”; NCV “very important.”

[9:4]  ³⁸ tn Heb “the man Mordecai” (so NASB, NRSV).

[4:12]  ³⁹ tn Heb “the words of Esther”; TEV, NLT “Esther’s message.”

[4:9]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “the words of Mordecai” (so KJV); NIV, NRSV, CEV “what Mordecai had said”; NLT “with Mordecai’s message.”

[1:4]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “many days” (so KJV, ASV); NASB, NRSV “for many days.”

[1:4]  ⁴² tn The words “to be exact!” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation to bring out the clarifying nuance of the time period mentioned. Cf. KJV “even an hundred and fourscore days.”

[5:6]  ⁴³ sn As much as half the kingdom. Such a statement would no doubt have been understood for the exaggeration that it clearly was. Cf. the similar NT scene recorded in Mark 6:23, where Herod makes a similar promise to the daughter of Herodias. In that case the request was for the head of John the Baptist, which is a lot less than half the kingdom.

[2:22]  ⁴⁴ sn The text of Esther does not disclose exactly how Mordecai learned about the plot against the king’s life. Ancient Jewish traditions state that Mordecai overheard conspiratorial conversation, or that an informant brought this information to him, or that it came to him as a result of divine prompting. These conjectures are all without adequate support from the biblical text. The author simply does not tell the source of Mordecai’s insight into this momentous event.

[2:22]  ⁴⁵ tc The LXX simply reads “Esther” and does not include “the queen.”

[2:22]  ⁴⁶ tc The LXX adds here “the things concerning the plot.”

[2:22]  tn Heb “in the name of Mordecai” (so NRSV); NIV “giving credit to Mordecai.”

[5:3]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “What to you?”; NAB, NIV NRSV “What is it, Queen Esther?”

[5:1]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “of the house of the king”; NASB, NRSV “of the king’s palace.”

[5:1]  ⁴⁹ tn Heb “the house of the king”; NASB “the king’s rooms”; NIV, NLT “the king’s hall.” This expression is used twice in this verse. In the first instance, it is apparently the larger palace complex that is in view, whereas in the second instance the expression seems to refer specifically to the quarters from which the king governed.

[5:1]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “the entrance of the house” (so ASV).

[5:10]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “sent and brought.” The expression is probably a hendiadys (a figure of speech in which a single idea is expressed through two words or phrases), in which case the two verbs could be translated simply as “summoned” (so NAB) or “sent for” (NASB).

[2:15]  ⁵² tn Heb “who had taken her to him as a daughter”; NRSV “who had adopted her as his own daughter.”

[6:10]  ⁵³ tn Heb “do not let fall”; NASB “do not fall short.”

[1:20]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “heard”; KJV, NAB, NLT “published”; NIV, NRSV “proclaimed.”

[1:20]  ⁵⁵ tc The phrase “vast though it is” is not included in the LXX, although it is retained by almost all English versions.

[2:20]  ⁵⁶ sn That Esther was able so effectively to conceal her Jewish heritage suggests that she was not consistently observing Jewish dietary and religious requirements. As C. A. Moore observes, “In order for Esther to have concealed her ethnic and religious identity…in the harem, she must have eaten…, dressed, and lived like a Persian rather than an observant Jewess” (Esther [AB], 28.) In this regard her public behavior stands in contrast to that of Daniel, for example.

[2:20]  ⁵⁷ tc The LXX adds the words “to fear God.”

[4:13]  ⁵⁸ tn Heb “Mordecai.” The pronoun (“he”) was used in the translation for stylistic reasons. A repetition of the proper name here is redundant in terms of contemporary English style.

[5:8]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “if upon the king it is good.” Cf. the similar expression in v. 4, which also occurs in 7:3; 8:5; 9:13.

[5:8]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “and tomorrow” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV “and then.”

[5:8]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “I will do according to the word of the king,” i.e., answer the question that he has posed. Cf. NCV “Then I will answer your question about what I want.”

[2:12]  ⁶² tc The LXX does not include the words “that were required for the women.”

[2:12]  tn Heb “to be to her according to the law of the women”; NASB “under the regulations for the women.”

[1:10]  ⁶³ tn Heb “as the heart of the king was good with the wine.” Here the proper name (King Ahasuerus) has been substituted for the title in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:10]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “King Ahasuerus”; here the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun “him” in the translation for stylistic reasons. Cf. similarly NIV, NCV, CEV, NLT “King Xerxes.”

[3:7]  ⁶⁵ sn This year would be ca. 474 b.c. The reference to first month and twelfth month indicate that about a year had elapsed between this determination and the anticipated execution.

[3:7]  ⁶⁶ tn The term פּוּר (pur, “lot”) is an Akkadian loanword; the narrator therefore explains it for his Hebrew readers (“that is, the lot”). It is from the plural form of this word (i.e., Purim) that the festival celebrating the deliverance of the Jews takes its name (cf. 9:24, 26, 28, 31).

[3:7]  ⁶⁷ tc The LXX adds the following words: “in order to destroy in one day the race of Mordecai, and the lot fell on the fourteenth day of the month.” The LXX reading is included by NAB.

[3:7]  tn Heb “from day to day and from month to month” (so KJV, NASB).

[3:7]  ⁶⁸ tn Since v. 7 seems to interrupt the flow of the narrative, many scholars have suggested that it is a late addition to the text. But there is not enough evidence to warrant such a conclusion. Even though its placement is somewhat awkward, the verse supplies to the reader an important piece of chronological information.

[4:8]  ⁶⁹ tn Heb “given” (so KJV); NASB, NRSV, TEV, NLT “issued”; NIV “published”; NAB “promulgated.”

[5:9]  ⁷⁰ tn Heb “happy and good of heart”; NASB “glad and pleased of heart”; NIV “happy and in high spirits.”

[5:9]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “tremble from before him”; NIV “nor showed fear in his presence”; TEV “or show any sign of respect as he passed.”

[8:11]  ⁷² tn Heb “children and women.” As in 3:13, the translation follows contemporary English idiom, which reverses the order.

[4:11]  ⁷³ tn Heb “one is his law”; NASB “he (the king NIV) has but one law”

[4:11]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “and he will live”; KJV, ASV “that he may live”; NIV “and spare his life.”