New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Esther 9
1
The king's order had to be carried out on the 13th day of the 12th month. That was the month of Adar. On that day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to win the battle over them. But now everything had changed. The Jews had gained the advantage over those who hated them.
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2
The Jews gathered together in their cities. They gathered in all of the territories King Xerxes ruled over. They came together to attack those who were trying to destroy them. No one could stand up against them. The people from all of the other nations were afraid of them.
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3
All of the nobles in the territories helped the Jews. So did the royal officials, the governors and the king's officers. That's because they were so afraid of Mordecai.
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Kingdom
Ezra 8:36
4
He was well known in the palace. His fame spread all through the territories. So he became more and more important.
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5
The Jews struck down all of their enemies with swords. They killed them and destroyed them. They did what they pleased to those who hated them.
6
The Jews killed 500 men. They destroyed them in the safest place in Susa.
10
They were the ten sons of Haman. He was the son of Hammedatha. Haman had been the enemy of the Jews. They didn't take anything that belonged to their enemies.
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11
A report was brought to the king that same day. He was told how many men had been killed in the safest place in Susa.
12
He said to Queen Esther, "The Jews have killed 500 men. They destroyed them in the safest place in Susa. They also killed the ten sons of Haman there. What have they done in the rest of my territories? Now what do you want? I'll give it to you. What do you want me to do for you? I'll do that too."
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13
"If it pleases you," Esther answered, "let the Jews in Susa carry out today's order tomorrow also. Stick poles through the dead bodies of Haman's ten sons. Set them up where everyone can see them."
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14
So the king commanded that it be done. An order was sent out in Susa. And the king's men did to the bodies of Haman's sons everything they were told to do.
15
The Jews in Susa came together on the 14th day of the month of Adar. They put 300 men to death in Susa. But they didn't take anything that belonged to those men.
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16
During that time, the rest of the Jews also gathered together. They lived in the king's territories. They came together to fight for their lives. They didn't want their enemies to bother them anymore. They wanted to get some peace and rest. So they killed 75,000 of their enemies. But they didn't take anything that belonged to them.
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17
It happened on the 13th of Adar. On the 14th day they rested. They made it a day to celebrate with great joy. And they enjoyed good food.
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18
But the Jews in Susa had gathered together on the 13th and 14th. Then on the 15th they rested. They made it a day to celebrate with great joy. And they enjoyed good food.
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Parallel theme
Esther 9:21
19
That's why Jews who live out in the villages celebrate on the 14th of Adar. They celebrate that day with great joy. And they enjoy good food. They also give presents to each other on that day.
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20
Mordecai wrote down those events. He sent letters to all of the Jews all through the territories of King Xerxes. It didn't matter whether the Jews lived nearby or far away.
21
Mordecai told them to celebrate the 14th and 15th days of the month of Adar. He wanted them to do it every year.
22
Mordecai told the Jews to celebrate the time when they got rest from their enemies. That was the month when their sadness was turned into joy. It was when their sobbing turned into a day for celebrating. He wrote the letters to celebrate those days as times of joy. He wanted the people to enjoy good food. He told them to give presents of food to one another. He also wanted them to give gifts to those who were poor.
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23
So the Jews agreed to continue the celebrating they had started. They kept doing what Mordecai had written to them.
24
Haman was the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite. He had been the enemy of all of the Jews. He had planned to destroy them. He had cast the lot to destroy them completely. The lot was also called pur.
25
But the king had found out about Haman's evil plan. So the king had sent out written orders. He had ordered that the evil plan Haman had made against the Jews should come back on his own head. He had also commanded that Haman and his sons should be put to death. Poles should be stuck through their dead bodies. Then they should be set up where everyone could see them.
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Parallel theme
Psalm 7:16
26
The days the Jews were celebrating were called Purim. Purim comes from the word pur. Pur means "lot." Now the Jews celebrate those two days every year. They do it because of everything that was written in Mordecai's letter. They also do it because of what they had seen and what had happened to them.
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Parallel theme
Esther 9:20
27
So they established it as a regular practice. They decided they would always observe those two days of the year. They would celebrate in the required way. And they would celebrate at the appointed time. They and their children after them and everyone who joined them would always observe those days.
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28
The days should be remembered and celebrated. They should be remembered by every family for all time to come. They should be celebrated in every territory and in every city. The Jews should never stop celebrating the days of Purim. Their children after them should always remember those days.
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29
So Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, wrote a second letter. She wrote it together with the Jew Mordecai. They wanted to give their full authority to this second letter about Purim.
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30
Mordecai sent letters to all of the Jews in the 127 territories of the kingdom of Xerxes. The letters had messages of kindness and hope in them.
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31
The letters established the days of Purim at their appointed times. They spoke about what the Jew Mordecai and Queen Esther had ordered the people to do. Everything should be done in keeping with the directions the Jews had set up for themselves and their children after them. The directions applied to their times of fasting and sadness.
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32
Esther's order established the rules about Purim. It was written down in the records.
Summary of Esther 9
Esther Chapter 9 describes the fulfillment of the Jews' deliverance and the establishment of the festival of Purim. The chapter begins on the very day that Haman's original decree had designated for the destruction of the Jews—the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar. The original decree still exists because Persian law does not allow it simply to be cancelled. However, Mordecai's second decree has changed the situation completely. The Jews now have legal authority to gather together and defend themselves.
When the appointed day arrives, the enemies of the Jews expect to have the advantage because of Haman's original order. Instead, the opposite happens. The Jews gain the upper hand, while government officials support them because Mordecai has become powerful and widely respected. The political situation has completely reversed. Earlier, Haman had been the most influential official in the empire. Now Mordecai occupies that position.
The Jews defend themselves throughout the empire against those who seek to attack them. The text records large numbers of enemy deaths, including 500 men in Susa and another 300 on the following day in the capital. Throughout the other provinces, the text records 75,000 people killed. Importantly, the chapter repeatedly states that the Jews did not take the property of their enemies as plunder. This detail emphasizes that their purpose was not financial gain but survival and defense against the people who were attempting to carry out Haman's decree.
The account then focuses on Haman's ten sons, all of whom are killed. Their deaths demonstrate the complete collapse of Haman's household and the reversal of his plan. Haman had intended to eliminate Mordecai and the Jewish people, but his own family is destroyed instead.
After the first day of fighting, King Ahasuerus asks Esther whether she has another request. Esther asks that the Jews in Susa be allowed one additional day to defend themselves and that Haman's sons be publicly displayed. The request is granted. On the second day, another 300 enemies are killed in Susa.
The Jews outside Susa celebrate on the fourteenth day of Adar, while the Jews of Susa celebrate on the fifteenth, because the fighting in the capital lasted an additional day. These days become days of feasting, joy, celebration, and generosity.
Mordecai then formally records the events and establishes an annual celebration. The Jews are instructed to celebrate the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar every year. They are to feast, rejoice, exchange gifts, and give gifts to the poor.
The name of the festival comes from Pur, the lot that Haman had cast to determine when the Jews would be attacked. Haman believed that the lot had helped him choose the perfect date for their destruction. Instead, the date became the date of their deliverance. The name Purim therefore carries the memory of the dramatic reversal.
One of the most important themes in the chapter is the transformation of sorrow into joy. Earlier, the Jewish people were fasting, crying, wearing sackcloth, and expecting death. Now they are celebrating, feasting, giving gifts, and helping the poor. Their mourning has been transformed into a permanent annual celebration.
The chapter also emphasizes the importance of remembering history. Mordecai does not want the Jews to simply survive the crisis and forget it. He wants future generations to remember how close their people came to destruction and how dramatically their situation changed.
Esther's role is also significant. She is no longer simply the young woman who became queen. She is now an active leader who, together with Mordecai, formally establishes the remembrance of the deliverance. The closing verses show that her authority and influence have become recognized throughout the empire.
Historically, the events are generally placed around 474 BC, during the reign of Xerxes I. The Persian Empire is described as having 127 provinces, stretching across a vast geographical area. The story presents Jewish communities living throughout this empire and receiving the news of their deliverance through official letters.
The chapter's repeated emphasis on reversal is central to the entire book. Haman planned destruction, but the Jews survive. Haman's sons are killed, while Mordecai rises to power. Haman's lot becomes the name of a Jewish festival. The day intended for Jewish mourning becomes a day of celebration.
The establishment of Purim ensures that this reversal will not be forgotten. Every year, the Jewish community will remember that what appeared to be an unavoidable disaster was turned into deliverance.
Esther Chapter 9 therefore transforms the story from a crisis into a lasting historical memory. The immediate threat has been defeated, the Jewish people have survived, and a permanent festival is established so that future generations will remember the deliverance, celebrate together, and care for those in need.
When the appointed day arrives, the enemies of the Jews expect to have the advantage because of Haman's original order. Instead, the opposite happens. The Jews gain the upper hand, while government officials support them because Mordecai has become powerful and widely respected. The political situation has completely reversed. Earlier, Haman had been the most influential official in the empire. Now Mordecai occupies that position.
The Jews defend themselves throughout the empire against those who seek to attack them. The text records large numbers of enemy deaths, including 500 men in Susa and another 300 on the following day in the capital. Throughout the other provinces, the text records 75,000 people killed. Importantly, the chapter repeatedly states that the Jews did not take the property of their enemies as plunder. This detail emphasizes that their purpose was not financial gain but survival and defense against the people who were attempting to carry out Haman's decree.
The account then focuses on Haman's ten sons, all of whom are killed. Their deaths demonstrate the complete collapse of Haman's household and the reversal of his plan. Haman had intended to eliminate Mordecai and the Jewish people, but his own family is destroyed instead.
After the first day of fighting, King Ahasuerus asks Esther whether she has another request. Esther asks that the Jews in Susa be allowed one additional day to defend themselves and that Haman's sons be publicly displayed. The request is granted. On the second day, another 300 enemies are killed in Susa.
The Jews outside Susa celebrate on the fourteenth day of Adar, while the Jews of Susa celebrate on the fifteenth, because the fighting in the capital lasted an additional day. These days become days of feasting, joy, celebration, and generosity.
Mordecai then formally records the events and establishes an annual celebration. The Jews are instructed to celebrate the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar every year. They are to feast, rejoice, exchange gifts, and give gifts to the poor.
The name of the festival comes from Pur, the lot that Haman had cast to determine when the Jews would be attacked. Haman believed that the lot had helped him choose the perfect date for their destruction. Instead, the date became the date of their deliverance. The name Purim therefore carries the memory of the dramatic reversal.
One of the most important themes in the chapter is the transformation of sorrow into joy. Earlier, the Jewish people were fasting, crying, wearing sackcloth, and expecting death. Now they are celebrating, feasting, giving gifts, and helping the poor. Their mourning has been transformed into a permanent annual celebration.
The chapter also emphasizes the importance of remembering history. Mordecai does not want the Jews to simply survive the crisis and forget it. He wants future generations to remember how close their people came to destruction and how dramatically their situation changed.
Esther's role is also significant. She is no longer simply the young woman who became queen. She is now an active leader who, together with Mordecai, formally establishes the remembrance of the deliverance. The closing verses show that her authority and influence have become recognized throughout the empire.
Historically, the events are generally placed around 474 BC, during the reign of Xerxes I. The Persian Empire is described as having 127 provinces, stretching across a vast geographical area. The story presents Jewish communities living throughout this empire and receiving the news of their deliverance through official letters.
The chapter's repeated emphasis on reversal is central to the entire book. Haman planned destruction, but the Jews survive. Haman's sons are killed, while Mordecai rises to power. Haman's lot becomes the name of a Jewish festival. The day intended for Jewish mourning becomes a day of celebration.
The establishment of Purim ensures that this reversal will not be forgotten. Every year, the Jewish community will remember that what appeared to be an unavoidable disaster was turned into deliverance.
Esther Chapter 9 therefore transforms the story from a crisis into a lasting historical memory. The immediate threat has been defeated, the Jewish people have survived, and a permanent festival is established so that future generations will remember the deliverance, celebrate together, and care for those in need.