בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא נָתַן הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ לְאֶסְתֵּר הַמַּלְכָּה אֶת־בֵּית הָמָן צֹרֵר הַיְּהוּדִים וּמָרְדֳּכַי בָּא לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ כִּי־הִגִּידָה אֶסְתֵּר מָה הוּא־לָהּ

Once Haman had been hanged, the king decided to bestow further favors upon Esther. On that day, King Ahashverosh gave the house of Haman, adversary of the Jews, to Queen Esther. This gift included the enormous amount of wealth that Haman had accumulated. And Mordekhai came for a personal audience before the king, as Esther had related what he was to her. She presented him as her cousin, who had adopted, raised, and educated her. Ahashverosh was in good spirits now that Haman was gone, and for her part Esther treated him with affection and gratitude. Furthermore, if Ahashverosh was not yet personally familiar with Mordekhai, he was now given the opportunity to meet this loyal subject who had been instrumental in uncovering the assassination plot against him.

וַיָּסַר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת־טַבַּעְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר הֶעֱבִיר מֵהָמָן וַיִּתְּנָהּ לְמָרְדֳּכָי וַתָּשֶׂם אֶסְתֵּר אֶת־מָרְדֳּכַי עַל־בֵּית הָמָן

The king removed his ring that he had taken from Haman, and he gave it to Mordekhai, as a sign of trust. Esther appointed Mordekhai over the house of Haman. She appointed him to be in charge of Haman’s estate.

וַתּוֹסֶף אֶסְתֵּר וַתְּדַבֵּר לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ וַתִּפֹּל לִפְנֵי רַגְלָיו וַתֵּבְךְּ וַתִּתְחַנֶּן־לוֹ לְהַעֲבִיר אֶת־רָעַת הָמָן הָאֲגָגִי וְאֵת מַחֲשַׁבְתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר חָשַׁב עַל־הַיְּהוּדִים

Esther spoke again before the king, fell before his feet, cried, and besought him to repeal the evil of Haman the Agagite and his plot that he had devised against the Jews.

וַיּוֹשֶׁט הַמֶּלֶךְ לְאֶסְתֵּר אֵת שַׁרְבִט הַזָּהָב וַתָּקָם אֶסְתֵּר וַתַּעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ

The king extended to Esther the golden scepter, to signal to the queen, who was lying on the floor at his feet, that she was permitted to rise and speak her mind. And Esther rose and stood before the king.

וַתֹּאמֶר אִם־עַל הַמֶּלֶךְ טוֹב וְאִם־מָצָאתִי חֵן לְפָנָיו וְכָשֵׁר הַדָּבָר לִפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ וְטוֹבָה אֲנִי בְּעֵינָיו יִכָּתֵב לְהָשִׁיב אֶת־הַסְּפָרִים מַחֲשֶׁבֶת הָמָן בֶּן־הַמְּדָתָא הָאֲגָגִי אֲשֶׁר כָּתַב לְאַבֵּד אֶת־הַיְּהוּדִים אֲשֶׁר בְּכָל־מְדִינוֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ

She said, choosing her words carefully in order to arouse all the king’s love and affection for her: If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor before him, and the matter is proper before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to return the scrolls that were sent as part of the plot of Haman son of Hamedata the Agagite that he wrote, to eliminate the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces, and to annul the decree they contain;

כִּי אֵיכָכָה אוּכַל וְרָאִיתִי בָּרָעָה אֲשֶׁר־יִמְצָא אֶת־עַמִּי וְאֵיכָכָה אוּכַל וְרָאִיתִי בְּאָבְדַן מוֹלַדְתִּי

for how can I bear and see the harm that will find my people; and how can I bear and see the elimination of my birthplace? By this stage, Esther no longer had any concerns for herself. She knew that she would be left untouched, but she implored the king not to let her people be harmed as a result of the decree.

וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרֹשׁ לְאֶסְתֵּר הַמַּלְכָּה וּלְמָרְדֳּכַי הַיְּהוּדִי הִנֵּה בֵית־הָמָן נָתַתִּי לְאֶסְתֵּר וְאֹתוֹ תָּלוּ עַל־הָעֵץ עַל אֲשֶׁר־שָׁלַח יָדוֹ בַּיְּהוּדִים

King Ahashverosh said to Queen Esther and to Mordekhai the Jew, who was present: Behold, I gave the house of Haman to Esther, as a gesture of goodwill, and they hanged him on the gibbet because he sought to do violence to the Jews. Once again the king places the blame entirely on Haman while conveniently disregarding his own involvement in the plot against the Jews.

וְאַתֶּם כִּתְבוּ עַל־הַיְּהוּדִים כַּטּוֹב בְּעֵינֵיכֶם בְּשֵׁם הַמֶּלֶךְ וְחִתְמוּ בְּטַבַּעַת הַמֶּלֶךְ כִּי־כְתָב אֲשֶׁר־נִכְתָּב בְּשֵׁם־הַמֶּלֶךְ וְנַחְתּוֹם בְּטַבַּעַת הַמֶּלֶךְ אֵין לְהָשִׁיב

As for you, write concerning the Jews a different missive as is pleasing in your eyes, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s ring, so that the two orders cancel each other out; for a document that is written in the name of the king, and sealed with the ring of the king, may not be revoked. According to the laws of the kingdom, not even the king could nullify his own orders, as once written they were considered to be absolute, divine commands. Consequently, another royal communiqué, formulated in such a manner that it bypasses the previous command and limits its significance, must be written.

וַיִּקָּרְאוּ סֹפְרֵי־הַמֶּלֶךְ בָּעֵת־הַהִיא בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁלִישִׁי הוּא־חֹדֶשׁ סִיוָן בִּשְׁלוֹשָׁה וְעֶשְׂרִים בּוֹ וַיִּכָּתֵב כְּכָל־אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּה מָרְדֳּכַי אֶל־הַיְּהוּדִים וְאֶל הָאֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנִים וְהַפַּחוֹת וְשָׂרֵי הַמְּדִינוֹת אֲשֶׁר מֵהֹדּוּ וְעַד־כּוּשׁ שֶׁבַע וְעֶשְׂרִים וּמֵאָה מְדִינָה מְדִינָה וּמְדִינָה כִּכְתָבָהּ וְעַם וָעָם כִּלְשֹׁנוֹ וְאֶל־הַיְּהוּדִים כִּכְתָבָם וְכִלְשׁוֹנָם

Indeed, the king’s scribes were summoned at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day of it, roughly three months after Haman was hanged; it was written according to everything that Mordekhai commanded concerning the Jews. The missives were sent to the satraps, the governors, and princes of the provinces, which are from India to Kush, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, each and every province according to its script, and each and every people according to its language, and on this occasion even to the Jews according to their script, and according to their language. Since this time Jews were not merely the passive targets of the order but active participants in its implementation, they too received the missives.

וַיִּכְתֹּב בְּשֵׁם הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרֹשׁ וַיַּחְתֹּם בְּטַבַּעַת הַמֶּלֶךְ וַיִּשְׁלַח סְפָרִים בְּיַד הָרָצִים בסוּסִים רֹכְבֵי הָרֶכֶשׁ הָאֲחַשְׁתְּרָנִים בְּנֵי הָרַמָּכִים

He, Mordekhai, wrote in the name of King Ahashverosh, and he sealed the missives with the ring of the king that he had received. He sent scrolls in the hand of the couriers on horses, riders on the finest steeds owned by the king, the mules born to mares.

אֲשֶׁר נָתַן הַמֶּלֶךְ לַיְּהוּדִים אֲשֶׁר בְּכָל־עִיר וָעִיר לְהִקָּהֵל וְלַעֲמֹד עַל־נַפְשָׁם לְהַשְׁמִיד וְלַהֲרֹג וּלְאַבֵּד אֶת־כָּל־חֵיל עַם וּמְדִינָה הַצָּרִים אֹתָם טַף וְנָשִׁים וּשְׁלָלָם לָבוֹז

The missives stated that the king had authorized the Jews who were in each and every city to assemble and to defend themselves. Whereas the previous order allowed all those who wished to do so to attack the Jews, under the assumption that the Jews were forbidden to retaliate, here the king permitted them to defend themselves, and even to destroy, to kill, and to eliminate the forces of people and provinces that are hostile to them, children and women, and to plunder their spoils. The Jews were granted royal consent to wage total war against any enemy.

בְּיוֹם אֶחָד בְּכָל־מְדִינוֹת הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ בִּשְׁלוֹשָׁה עָשָׂר לְחֹדֶשׁ שְׁנֵים־עָשָׂר הוּא־חֹדֶשׁ אֲדָר

This order would come into effect on one day, in all the provinces of King Ahashverosh, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, the same date that was previously fixed for their destruction.

פַּתְשֶׁגֶן הַכְּתָב לְהִנָּתֵן דָּת בְּכָל־מְדִינָה וּמְדִינָה גָּלוּי לְכָל־הָעַמִּים וְלִהְיוֹת הַיְּהוּדִים עֲתִידִים לַיּוֹם הַזֶּה לְהִנָּקֵם מֵאֹיְבֵיהֶם

A copy of the document went out to issue the decree in each and every province, publicizing it to all the peoples: For the Jews to be ready for that day, to avenge themselves on their enemies. The same day that had been designated for their destruction would be the day of their salvation.

הָרָצִים רֹכְבֵי הָרֶכֶשׁ הָאֲחַשְׁתְּרָנִים יָצְאוּ מְבֹהָלִים וּדְחוּפִים בִּדְבַר הַמֶּלֶךְ וְהַדָּת נִתְּנָה בְּשׁוּשַׁן הַבִּירָה

The couriers, riders on the finest steeds, went out again urgently and hastily, by edict of the king, in order to disseminate the new order as quickly as possible throughout the kingdom, and the decree was also issued in the Shushan citadel itself.

וּמָרְדֳּכַי יָצָא מִלִּפְנֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ בִּלְבוּשׁ מַלְכוּת תְּכֵלֶת וָחוּר וַעֲטֶרֶת זָהָב גְּדוֹלָה וְתַכְרִיךְ בּוּץ וְאַרְגָּמָן וְהָעִיר שׁוּשָׁן צָהֲלָה וְשָׂמֵחָה

Mordekhai, who had recently been appointed the chief minister, came out from before the king dressed in royal garments made of sky-blue and white woven material, with a great golden crown upon his head, and wrapped in a cloak of fine linen and purple wool, and the Jewish population of the city of Shushan reveled and rejoiced upon seeing that their representative had become the most influential man in the kingdom.

לַיְּהוּדִים הָיְתָה אוֹרָה וְשִׂמְחָה וְשָׂשֹׂן וִיקָר

For the Jews there was light, and joy, and gladness, and honor, as instead of the bloody pogrom that had been planned, in which they were not meant to have any right to self-defense whatsoever, they were now legally permitted to protect themselves and fight their enemies.

וּבְכָל־מְדִינָה וּמְדִינָה וּבְכָל־עִיר וָעִיר מְקוֹם אֲשֶׁר דְּבַר־הַמֶּלֶךְ וְדָתוֹ מַגִּיעַ שִׂמְחָה וְשָׂשׂוֹן לַיְּהוּדִים מִשְׁתֶּה וְיוֹם טוֹב וְרַבִּים מֵעַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ מִתְיַהֲדִים כִּי־נָפַל פַּחַד־הַיְּהוּדִים עֲלֵיהֶם

In each and every province and in each and every city, any place where the king’s edict and his decree reached, there was joy and gladness for the Jews, a banquet and a holiday, and many from the peoples of the land pretended to be Jews, or professed to favor the Jews but without internal conviction, as the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them. The missives alone produced such a great impression that even before the decree was put into practice, the Jews began rejoicing and others became fearful.