1In that day the king Ahasuerus gave to Esther the queen the house of Haman, oppressor of the Jews; and Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her.
2And the king removed his ring, which he had caused to pass over from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.
3And Esther spoke again before the king, and fell before his feet, and wept and implored him to cause to pass away the evil of Haman the Agagite, and his device which he had devised against the Jews.
4And the king held out to Esther the golden scepter; and Esther arose and stood before the king.
5And she said, "If it is good to the king, and if I have found favor before him, and the thing is proper before the king, and I am good in his eyes, let it be written to turn back the letters, the device of Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king;
6for how can I endure and see the evil that will find my people? And how can I endure and see the destruction of my kindred?"
7And the king Ahasuerus said to Esther the queen and to Mordecai the Jew, "Behold, the house of Haman I have given to Esther, and him they have hanged on the tree, because he laid his hand on the Jews.
8And you, write concerning the Jews as is good in your eyes, in the name of the king, and seal it with the ring of the king; for a writing which is written in the name of the king and sealed with the ring of the king there is no turning back."
9And the scribes of the king were called at that time, in the third month, that is the month Sivan, on the twenty-third in it; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded (tzivvah) to the Jews, and to the satraps, and the governors, and the princes of the provinces which are from India even to Cush, a hundred twenty-seven provinces, each province according to its writing, and each people according to its tongue, and to the Jews according to their writing and according to their tongue.
10And he wrote in the name of the king Ahasuerus, and sealed with the ring of the king, and sent letters by the hand of the runners on horses, riders of the steeds, the royal horses, sons of the mares,
11in which the king gave to the Jews who are in every city to gather themselves and to stand for their soul (nephesh), to destroy and to kill and to cause to perish all the force of a people and a province that distress them, little ones and women (ishah), and their spoil for plunder,
12on one day, in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth of the twelfth month, that is the month Adar.
13A copy of the writing, to be given as a decree (dat) in every province, was uncovered to all the peoples, and that the Jews should be ready for this day to avenge themselves on their enemies.
14The runners, riders of the steeds, the royal horses, went out hastened and pressed by the word of the king; and the decree (dat) was given in Shushan the citadel.
15And Mordecai went out from before the king in royal clothing of blue and white, and a great crown of gold, and a robe of fine linen and purple; and the city of Shushan shouted and was glad.
16To the Jews there was light and gladness and joy and honor.
17And in every province and every city, the place where the word of the king and his decree (dat) reached, gladness and joy to the Jews, feasting and a good day; and many from the peoples of the land became Jews, for the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.