1After these things, the king Ahasuerus made great Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and lifted him up, and set his seat above all the princes who were with him.
2And all the king's servants who were in the king's gate were kneeling and bowing down to Haman, for so the king had commanded (tzivvah) concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel and would not bow down.
3And the king's servants who were in the king's gate said to Mordecai: "Why are you transgressing the king's commandment (mitzvah)?"
4And it came to pass, when they spoke to him day by day, and he did not listen to them, that they told Haman, to see whether the words of Mordecai would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew.
5And when Haman saw that Mordecai was not kneeling and bowing down to him, then Haman was filled with fury.
6But it was contemptible in his eyes to lay a hand on Mordecai alone, for they had told him the people of Mordecai; and Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus — the people of Mordecai.
7In the first month — it is the month Nisan — in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast pur — it is the lot — before Haman, from day to day and from month to month, to the twelfth, it is the month Adar.
8And Haman said to the king Ahasuerus: "There is one people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; and their decrees (dat) are diverse from every people, and the king's decrees (dat) they do not do; and for the king there is no profit to leave them be.
9If it is good to the king, let it be written to destroy them; and ten thousand talents of silver I will weigh out into the hands of those who do the work, to bring into the king's treasuries."
10And the king removed his signet ring from upon his hand and gave it to Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.
11And the king said to Haman: "The silver is given to you, and the people, to do with them as is good in your eyes."
12Then the king's scribes were called in the first month, on the thirteenth day in it, and it was written according to all that Haman commanded (tzivvah), to the king's satraps, and to the governors who were over every province, and to the princes of every people, to every province according to its writing, and to every people according to its tongue; in the name of king Ahasuerus it was written and sealed with the king's signet ring.
13And letters were sent by the hand of the runners to all the king's provinces, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish all the Jews, from young to old, little ones and women (ishah), in one day, on the thirteenth of the twelfth month — it is the month Adar — and to plunder their spoil.
14The copy of the writing, to be given as a decree (dat) in every province, was revealed to all the peoples, that they should be ready for that day.
15The runners went forth, hastened by the king's word, and the decree (dat) was given in Susa the citadel; and the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was perplexed.