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 ¹  – a hundred and eighty days, to be exact! ² 

Ester 9:22

9:22 as the time when the Jews gave themselves rest from their enemies – the month when their trouble was turned to happiness and their mourning to a holiday. These were to be days of banqueting, happiness, sending gifts to one another, and providing for the poor.

Ester 9:17

9:17 All of this happened on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. They then rested on the fourteenth day and made it a day for banqueting and happiness.

Ester 2:11

2:11 And day after day Mordecai used to walk back and forth in front of the court of the harem in order to learn how Esther was doing ³  and what might happen to her.

Ester 9:18

The Origins of the Feast of Purim

9:18 But the Jews who were in Susa assembled on the thirteenth and fourteenth days, and rested on the fifteenth, making it a day for banqueting and happiness.

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 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 3:14

3:14 A copy of this edict was to be presented as law throughout every province; it was to be made known to all the inhabitants, ⁴  so that they would be prepared for this day.

Ester 1:5

1:5 When those days ⁵  were completed, the king then provided a seven-day ⁶  banquet for all the people who were present ⁷  in Susa the citadel, for those of highest standing to the most lowly. ⁸  It was held in the court located in the garden of the royal palace.

Ester 3:4

3:4 And after they had spoken to him day after day ⁹  without his paying any attention to them, they informed Haman to see whether this attitude on Mordecai’s part would be permitted. ¹⁰  Furthermore, he had disclosed to them that he was a Jew. ¹¹ 

Ester 9:26

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

Ester 5:4

5:4 Esther replied, “If the king is so inclined, ¹²  let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”

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 2:14

2:14 In the evening she went, and in the morning she returned to a separate part ¹³  of the harem, to the authority of Shaashgaz the king’s eunuch who was overseeing the concubines. She would not go back to the king unless the king was pleased with her ¹⁴  and she was requested by name.

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 8:1

The King Acts to Protect the Jews

8:1 On that same day King Ahasuerus gave the estate ¹⁵  of Haman, that adversary of the Jews, to Queen Esther. Now Mordecai had come before the king, for Esther had revealed how he was related to her.

Ester 9:13

9:13 Esther replied, “If the king is so inclined, let the Jews who are in Susa be permitted to act tomorrow also according to today’s law, and let them hang the ten sons of Haman on the gallows.”

Ester 1:18

1:18 And this very day the noble ladies of Persia and Media who have heard the matter concerning the queen will respond in the same way to all the royal officials, and there will be more than enough contempt and anger!

Ester 8:12-13

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). 8:13 A copy of the edict was to be presented as law throughout each and every province and made known to all peoples, so that the Jews might be prepared on that ¹⁶  day to avenge themselves from their enemies.

Ester 9:31

9:31 to establish these days of Purim in their proper times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established, and just as they had established both for themselves and their descendants, matters pertaining to fasting and lamentation.

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, ¹⁷  he ordered Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Carcas, the seven eunuchs who attended him, ¹⁸ 

Ester 9:27

9:27 Therefore, because of the account found in this letter and what they had faced in this regard and what had happened to them, the Jews established as binding on themselves, their descendants, and all who joined their company that they should observe these two days without fail, just as written and at the appropriate time on an annual basis.

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 5:9

Haman Expresses His Hatred of Mordecai

5:9 Now Haman went forth that day pleased and very much encouraged. ¹⁹  But when Haman saw Mordecai at the king’s gate, and he did not rise nor tremble in his presence, ²⁰  Haman was filled with rage toward Mordecai.

Ester 4:16

4:16 “Go, assemble all the Jews who are found in Susa and fast in my behalf. Don’t eat and don’t drink for three days, night or day. My female attendants and I ²¹  will also fast in the same way. Afterward I will go to the king, even though it violates the law. ²²  If I perish, I perish!”

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 ²³  pretended ²⁴  to be Jews, because the fear of the Jews had overcome them. ²⁵ 

Ester 2:18

2:18 Then the king prepared a large banquet for all his officials and his servants – it was actually Esther’s banquet. He also set aside a holiday for the provinces, and he provided for offerings at the king’s expense. ²⁶ 

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 ²⁷  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. ²⁸  Now I have not been invited to come to the king for some thirty days!”

Ester 3:13

3:13 Letters were sent by the runners to all the king’s provinces stating that ²⁹  they should destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews, from youth to elderly, both women and children, ³⁰  on a particular day, namely the thirteenth day ³¹  of the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar), and to loot and plunder their possessions.

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, ³²  opposite the king’s quarters. ³³  The king was sitting on his royal throne in the palace, opposite the entrance. ³⁴ 

Ester 9:21

9:21 to have them observe the fourteenth and the fifteenth day of the month of Adar each year

Ester 3:7

3:7 In the first month (that is, the month of Nisan), in the twelfth year ³⁵  of King Ahasuerus’ reign, pur ³⁶  (that is, the lot) was cast before Haman in order to determine a day and a month. ³⁷  It turned out to be the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar). ³⁸ 

Ester 9:15

9:15 The Jews who were in Susa then assembled on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar, and they killed three hundred men in Susa. But they did not confiscate their property.

Ester 10:3

10:3 Mordecai the Jew was second only to King Ahasuerus. He was the highest-ranking ³⁹  Jew, and he was admired by his numerous relatives. ⁴⁰  He worked enthusiastically ⁴¹  for the good of his people and was an advocate for the welfare of ⁴²  all his descendants. ⁴³ 

Ester 5:8

5:8 If I have found favor in the king’s sight and if the king is inclined ⁴⁴  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 ⁴⁵  I will do as the king wishes. ⁴⁶ 

Ester 5:12

5:12 Haman said, “Furthermore, Queen Esther invited ⁴⁷  only me to accompany the king to the banquet that she prepared! And also tomorrow I am invited ⁴⁸  along with the king.

Ester 2:12

2:12 At the end of the twelve months that were required for the women, ⁴⁹  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 9:32

9:32 Esther’s command established these matters of Purim, and the matter was officially recorded. ⁵⁰ 

Ester 9:29

9:29 So Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew wrote with full authority to confirm this second ⁵¹  letter about Purim.

Ester 3:12

3:12 So the royal scribes ⁵²  were summoned in the first month, on the thirteenth day of the month. Everything Haman commanded was written to the king’s satraps ⁵³  and governors who were in every province and to the officials of every people, province by province according to its script and people by people according to its language. In the name of King Ahasuerus it was written and sealed with the king’s signet ring.

Ester 8:9

8:9 The king’s scribes were quickly ⁵⁴  summoned – in the third month (that is, the month of Sivan), on the twenty-third day. ⁵⁵  They wrote out ⁵⁶  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 ⁵⁷  – 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 9:5

9:5 The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, bringing death and destruction, and they did as they pleased with their enemies.

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 2:21

2:21 In those days while Mordecai was sitting at the king’s gate, Bigthan ⁵⁸  and Teresh, ⁵⁹  two of the king’s eunuchs who protected the entrance, ⁶⁰  became angry and plotted to assassinate ⁶¹  King Ahasuerus.

Ester 3:3

3:3 Then the servants of the king who were at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you violating the king’s commandment?”

Ester 5:14

5:14 Haman’s ⁶²  wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a gallows seventy-five feet ⁶³  high built, and in the morning tell the king that Mordecai should be hanged on it. Then go with the king to the banquet contented.” ⁶⁴ 

It seemed like a good idea to Haman, so he had the gallows built.

Ester 4:17

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

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

[1:4]  ² 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.”

[2:11]  ³ tn Heb “to know the peace of Esther.”

[3:14]  ⁴ tn Heb “peoples” (so NASB, NRSV).

[1:5]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tc The LXX has ἕξ ({ex, “six”) instead of “seven.” Virtually all English versions follow the reading of the MT here, “seven.”

[1:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “were found.”

[1:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “from the great and unto the small.”

[3:4]  ⁹ sn Mordecai’s position in the service of the king brought him into regular contact with these royal officials. Because of this association the officials would have found ample opportunity to complain of Mordecai’s refusal to honor Haman by bowing down before him.

[3:4]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Will the matters of Mordecai stand?”; NASB “to see whether Mordecai’s reason would stand.”

[3:4]  ¹¹ sn This disclosure of Jewish identity is a reversal of the practice mentioned in 1:10, 20.

[5:4]  ¹² tn Heb “If upon the king it is good”; NASB “If it please the king.”

[2:14]  ¹³ tn Heb “second.” The numerical adjective שֵׁנִי (sheniy, “second”) is difficult here. As a modifier for “house” in v. 14 the word would presumably refer to a second part of the harem, one which was under the supervision of a separate official. But in this case the definite article would be expected before “second” (cf. LXX τὸν δεύτερον, ton deuteron). Some scholars emend the text to שֵׁנִית (shenit, “a second time”), but this does not completely resolve the difficulty since the meaning remains unclear. The translation adopted above follows the LXX and understands the word to refer to a separate group of women in the king’s harem, a group housed apparently in a distinct part of the residence complex.

[2:14]  ¹⁴ tc The LXX does not include the words “was pleased with her.”

[8:1]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “house” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV; also in vv. 2, 7). Cf. TEV “all the property.”

[8:13]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “this” (so NASB); most English versions read “that” here for stylistic reasons.

[1:10]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ 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.”

[5:9]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “happy and good of heart”; NASB “glad and pleased of heart”; NIV “happy and in high spirits.”

[5:9]  ²⁰ tn Heb “tremble from before him”; NIV “nor showed fear in his presence”; TEV “or show any sign of respect as he passed.”

[4:16]  ²¹ tn Heb “I and my female attendants.” The translation reverses the order for stylistic reasons.

[4:16]  ²² tn Heb “which is not according to the law” (so KJV, NASB); NAB “contrary to the law.”

[8:17]  ²³ tn Heb “peoples of the land” (so NASB); NIV “people of other nationalities”; NRSV “peoples of the country.”

[8:17]  ²⁴ 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]  ²⁵ tn Heb “had fallen upon them” (so NRSV); NIV “had seized them.”

[2:18]  ²⁶ tc The LXX does not include the words “and he provided for offerings at the king’s expense.”

[4:11]  ²⁷ tn Heb “one is his law”; NASB “he (the king NIV) has but one law”

[4:11]  ²⁸ tn Heb “and he will live”; KJV, ASV “that he may live”; NIV “and spare his life.”

[3:13]  ²⁹ tn The words “stating that” are not in the Hebrew text but have been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[3:13]  ³⁰ tn Heb “children and women.” The translation follows contemporary English idiom, which reverses the order.

[3:13]  ³¹ tc The LXX does not include the words “on the thirteenth day.”

[5:1]  ³² tn Heb “of the house of the king”; NASB, NRSV “of the king’s palace.”

[5:1]  ³³ 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]  ³⁴ tn Heb “the entrance of the house” (so ASV).

[3:7]  ³⁵ 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]  ³⁶ 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]  ³⁷ 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]  ³⁸ 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.

[10:3]  ³⁹ tn Heb “great among the Jews” (so KJV, NASB); NIV “preeminent among the Jews”; NRSV “powerful among the Jews.”

[10:3]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “brothers”; NASB “kinsmen”; NIV “fellow Jews.”

[10:3]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “he was seeking”; NAB “as the promoter of his people’s welfare.”

[10:3]  ⁴² tn Heb “he was speaking peace to”; NRSV “and interceded for the welfare of.”

[10:3]  ⁴³ sn A number of additions to the Book of Esther appear in the apocryphal (or deuterocanonical) writings. These additions supply further information about various scenes described in the canonical book and are interesting in their own right. However, they were never a part of the Hebrew Bible. The placement of this additional material in certain Greek manuscripts of the Book of Esther may be described as follows. At the beginning of Esther there is an account (= chapter 11) of a dream in which Mordecai is warned by God of a coming danger for the Jews. In this account two great dragons, representing Mordecai and Haman, prepare for conflict. But God responds to the prayers of his people, and the crisis is resolved. This account is followed by another one (= chapter 12) in which Mordecai is rewarded for disclosing a plot against the king’s life. After Esth 3:13 there is a copy of a letter from King Artaxerxes authorizing annihilation of the Jews (= chapter 13). After Esth 4:17 the account continues with a prayer of Mordecai (= part of chapter 13), followed by a prayer of Esther (= chapter 14), and an account which provides details about Esther’s appeal to the king in behalf of her people (= chapter 15). After Esth 8:12 there is a copy of a letter from King Artaxerxes in which he denounces Haman and his plot and authorizes his subjects to assist the Jews (= chapter 16). At the end of the book, following Esth 10:3, there is an addition which provides an interpretation to Mordecai’s dream, followed by a brief ascription of genuineness to the entire book (= chapter 11).

[5:8]  ⁴⁴ 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]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “and tomorrow” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV “and then.”

[5:8]  ⁴⁶ 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.”

[5:12]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “caused to come”; KJV “did let no man come in…but myself.”

[5:12]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “called to her”; KJV “invited unto her”; NAB “I am to be her guest.”

[2:12]  ⁴⁹ 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.”

[9:32]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “written in the book” (so NASB); NIV, NLT “written down in the records”; NRSV “recorded in writing.”

[9:29]  ⁵¹ tc The LXX and the Syriac Peshitta omit the word “second.”

[3:12]  ⁵² tn Or “secretaries” (so NIV, NRSV, NLT).

[3:12]  ⁵³ tn Or “princes” (so NLT); CEV “highest officials.”

[8:9]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “in that time”; NIV “At once.”

[8:9]  ⁵⁵ sn Cf. 3:12. Two months and ten days have passed since Haman’s edict to wipe out the Jews.

[8:9]  ⁵⁶ 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]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “Cush” (so NIV), referring to the region of the upper Nile in Africa. Cf. KJV and most other English versions “Ethiopia.”

[2:21]  ⁵⁸ tn This individual is referred to as “Bigthana,” a variant spelling of the name, in Esth 6:2.

[2:21]  ⁵⁹ tc The LXX does not include the names “Bigthan and Teresh” here.

[2:21]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “guarders of the threshold”; NIV “who guarded the doorway.”

[2:21]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “sought to send a hand against”; CEV “decided to kill.”

[5:14]  ⁶² tn Heb “his”; the referent (Haman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:14]  ⁶³ tn Heb “fifty cubits.” Assuming a standard length for the cubit of about 18 inches (45 cm), this would be about seventy-five feet (22.5 meters), which is a surprisingly tall height for the gallows. Perhaps the number assumes the gallows was built on a large supporting platform or a natural hill for visual effect, in which case the structure itself may have been considerably smaller. Cf. NCV “a seventy-five foot platform”; CEV “a tower built about seventy-five feet high.”

[5:14]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “joyful”; NRSV “in good spirits”; TEV “happy.”