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ESTHER 2:5

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I In the second year of the reign of the great King Ahasuerus, h on the first day of Nisan, a dream' came to Mordecai son of Jail', son of Shimei, son of Kish,

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W he n thi s period was o ver , for seven da ys t he king ga ve a banquet for a ll th e pe ople living in th e citadel of Susa, to high and lo w a like, in the enclosure adjo ini ng the kin g' s palace.• There were wh ite a nd viol et hangings fa stened with cords o f fine linen and purple th read to silve r rin gs o n ma rbl e co lum ns, co uches of gol d and silve r on a pa vement of po r phy ry , marbl e. mothe r-of-pear! and pr ec io us stones. • F o r d rinking there wer e go lde n curs of va rio us design and t he ro ya l wine in plenty according to the king' s bount y, • By roya l co mma nd, however, drinki ng was not obligatory, t he king ha vin g instructed the officials o f his household to treat each g uest acco rd ing to his ow n wishe s.

The affa ir of Vashti Queen Vas hti," too, had given a ba nq uet for t he wom en in t he ro ya l pa lace of K ing A has ue rus . -O n t he seve n th da y, whe n t hc kin g was mer ry wi th wine , Dn 5:1-4 he co m ma nde d Mc h uman, Bizt ha, Harbon a , Bigt ha , A bag t ha , Zct ha r a nd Ca rkas , the se ven e un uchs in a tte ndance o n t he pe rso n o f Ki ng A has ue rus, 11 to b ring Q ueen Vasht i be fore the king c row ned with he r royal diadem, in o rde r to d isplay he r bea ut y to t he peop le and thc a d mi nistr a to rs, fo r she was ve ry 12 beaut iful. • But Q uee n Vas hti ref used to co me a t thc king' s co m ma nd del ivered 13 by th e eun uchs. T he k ing was very a ng ry a t thi s a nd his rage grew ho t. -He then co nsu lted the wise me n who were ve rsed in the la w," since it was th e practice 14 to re fer matter s affec ting t he kin g to expe rt la wyers a nd ju rists. • He su m mo ned Cars he na , She tha r, Ad rna t ha , T a rs hish, Me res, Marse na a nd Mc m uca n, t he seve n ad m inist rato rs o f Pers ia a nd Me d ia who had pr ivileged access to t he roya l 15 prese nce' a nd occ upied th e lead ing position s in the kingdom .• 'Acc o rd ing to Jaw,' he sa id ' wha t is to be d o ne to Q uee n Vas hti for not o bey ing the co m ma nd of K ing Ahas uer us de live red by t he eu n uc hs'! ' -I n th e pre sence o f t he king an d of the adm inist ra to rs Me m uca n answered , 'Vasht i ha s wronged not o nly t he king, but als o a ll t he admi nistrators a nd nat ion s inha biti ng t he provinces of King 17 Ahasu er us.• The Quee n' s co nduct will soo n beco me known to a ll t he wo me n and encourage them in a co ntem pt uo us att itude towa rds t heir husba nds, since they will say , "K ing A has ue rus ordered Q ueen Vas hti to appear be fore him a nd i x she d id not come" . -The wives of all th e Pe rsia n a nd Med ia n a d m inist ra to rs will hear of the Queen' s a nsw er be fo re the day is o ut, a nd will sta rt tal kin g to t he king's ad mi nistra to rs in t he sa me wa y ; t ha t will mea n co nte m pt a nd an ger 19 a ll ro und . • If it is the k ing' s pleasure, let h im issu e a ro yal ed ict, to be irrevocah ly 3: 12 ;S:5.8 incorpo rated into t he la ws of t he Pers ia ns a nd Medes ,.' to t he effect that Vas hti On 6:9 .IO, is neve r to appear aga in be fo re Ki ng A hasuc rus, a nd let t he kin g co nfer her roya l 13,16 20 dig nity on a wo rt h ier wo ma n. • Let th is edict issu ed by the king be p ro cla imed througho ut t he length and bre adt h of his rea lm, an d a ll t he wo men will hencefort h bo w to the a ut hority of their husba nds, bo t h hig h a nd low a like.' T his speec h pleased t he king and t he admini strat or s a nd t he king did a s 21 " M em uca n adv ised . • He se nt lett er s to a ll th e pr o vinces of th e kingd om, to ea ch On 3:.l ; 6 :26 prov ince in its ow n sc ript a nd to eac h natio n in its ow n lan gua ge, en surin g t ha t eve ry hu sband sho uld be master in his o wn ho use.

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I NTROD UCTORY Mordecai's dream"

EST H E R

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of the tribe of Benjamin, 'a Jew living at Susa and holding high office at the royal }b court. -He was one of the capt ives whom Nebuchadnezzar, k ing of Babylon, had ~c deported f rom Jerusalem with Jeconiah, k ing of Judah," This was his dream. There were cries and noise, thunder and earthquakes, and }d disorder over the whole earth. • Then two great dragons came fo rward, each ready ~c for the f ray, and set up a great roar. •At the sound of them every nation made ready V to wage war against the nation of the j ust. •A day ofdark ness and gloom, ofaffliction ~. and distress, oppression and great disturbance 0/1 earth! •The righteous nation was &h thrown into consternation at the fear of the evils awaiting them, and prepared for death, crying out to God. • Then from their cry, as f rom a lilt Ie spring, there grew l;, a great river, a flood of water. 'Light came as the sun rose, and the humble l~ were raised up and devoured the mighty . On awakening fro m this dream and vision of God's designs, Mordecai thought )~ deeply on the matte r, try ing his best all day to discover what its meaning might be. A plot aga inst the king 1m Lodging at court with Bigthan and Tereshr t wo of the king ": eunuchs who '1: 1 guarded the palace, «Mordeca i got wind of their intentions and uncovered their }'l plot. Learning that they were preparing to assassinate King Ahasuerus, he warned the k ing against them. •The k ing gave orders for the two eunuchs to be tortured ; }o they confessed and were executed. • The king then had these events recorded in his ~p Chronicles, while Mordecai himself also wrote an account 0/ them. • The ki ng then JQ appointed Mordecai to an office at court and rewarded him with presents. • But ~r Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, who enjoyed high favour with the king , determined to injure Mordecai in revenge for the king' s two eunuchs.

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I. AHASUERUS A ND VASHTI Ahasuerus' banquet

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it was in the da ys of A has uerus, t he Ahasueru s who se emp ire stre tc hed from India to Et hiopia a nd co mprised on e hu nd red a nd twen ty-seven prov inces . In th ose d ays, whe n K ing A has ue rus was si tti ng on h is roya l t hrone in th e ci ta de l o f Susa, - in th e th ird yea r of his re ign , he gave a banq uet a t his cou rt for a ll his ad m inistrato rs and minist er s, ch iefs of t he army! of Persia a nd Media, nobles a nd governors of pro vince s.• T hus he d ispla yed t he riches and s ple ndo ur of his em pire and t he pomp a nd glory of his ma jesty ; the festi vitie s went o n for a lo ng ti me , a hund red a nd eighty da ys

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d . T he au thor ma ke s free with ch ron oloa v (sec 1 a . Th e C hurc h ha s acc epted th os e passage s in th e G ree k versio n not co n tained in t h e Hcb r. te xt : Intro duct ion); Mordccu i is a co ur t ier {If Ahas ucr us they a re p r in ted her e in it a tlcs . St Jerome put th em in (abo ut 4S0) thou gh ex i led in the re ign o f Jc coniah a n appe ndi x at the end of hi s LaI. ver sio n. IO:4f. We (a b o u t 59Xl. c. The nam e-fo rm s van ' in t hc texts. replace th em in their G ree k ar ra ngement (sec ch . 10 f. ' chief s o f the arm y , co rr. no te c.) wi th th e numbe rin g of the Ra hlfs ed it ion of LXX . u . Vash ti. li ke Esthe r. is unk nown to hist o ry. b . Ahasue rus ( Hc br. A has hw eros h) tra nsc ri bes t he h. 't he law' co r r. Iu llowing RCl:, L UI:. ; "the ti mes ' Persi a n Ksha iars ha . in G reek Xerxes. cr. Ezr 4:6. Here lIe hr. the Greek has Ar taxcrxes. i. I.e . in lhe kin a' s co nfidence. c . Th e G reek text . al o ne in record ing this dre am . j, T he th em e of an ir revoc a ble decree wh ich is o ut lines the stm' Y in adva nc e in enia ma ttc an d. a pocaly p t ic ter m s ( t hc k ey to i t is f o un d in I O:3a- k ), thu s nr omn uv revo ked is com mo n in those books of t he e m pha sis ing th e pa rt p layed by God in subseq ue n t llible show ing Persian influence; Jewis h iro ny he re, no do u bt . events.

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EST HE R

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MORDECAI AND ESTHER

Esther becomes queen Some time af ter th is, when the king's wrath had abated , Ahasuerus rcmern - I bered Vashti , how she had behaved, and t he meas ures taken agains t her. " T he kin g' s courtie rs-in-wa itin g sa id, ' Let beaut iful girls be selected for the kin g. Let the kin g appo int commissioners throug hout the prov inces of his realm to 3 bring all thes e beautiful yo ung virg ins to the citadel of Susa, to the harem un der th e authority of Hegai the kings eunuch , custod ian of the women . Let him provide them with what they need for the ir adorn ment , -a nd let the girl wh o 4 please s the king take Vashti's place as queen.' This advice pleased the k ing a nd he acted on it. Now in the citadel o f Susa there lived a Jew called Mordecai son o f Ja ir, son 5 of Shime l, so n of Kis h, of t he tribe of Benjamin, -who had bee n deported from " Je rusa lem a mon g the captives taken a way with Jeco nia h k ing o f Judah by Ne bucha dne zzar king of Babylon, • He had broug ht up Hadassa h, otherwi se 7 called Esther," his uncle's daughter, who had lost both fa ther and mo ther ; the girl had a good figure and a beaut iful face, a nd on t he deat h of her parents Mordecai had adopted her as his da ughter.' Fo llowing the promulgat ion o f the king's ed ict, a great num ber 01' girls were ~ bro ug ht to the citadel of Susa where they were en trusted to Hcga i. Est her a lso was ta ken to the kings pa lace a nd entrusted to Hcga i, the custodian o f the wo men. •T he girl pleased him a nd wo n his favo ur. Not o nly did he qui c kly <) provide her with a ll she needed for he r dressing room and her meal s, bu t he ga ve her seven special ma id s fro m the king' s household and tran sferred her and her ma ids to thc best part of the harem .• Est her d id not revea l her rac e o r I II kindred , since Mo rdecai had forb idden her to do so.• Mo rdeca i wa lkcd up I I and d own in front of the co urt yard o f th e harem ever y day, to learn how Esther wa s a nd how she wa s bein g trea ted. Each gir l had to appear in tu rn before Ki ng A has ucrus , after a dela y of 12 twelve months fixed by th e reg ulat io ns for the wom en; this p rep arat or y period was occupied a s follows: six months with o il of myrrh, a nd six mon ths with spices a nd lotions commo nly used for femini ne bea uty t reat me nt . • Before goi ng I ) into the king, eac h girl was a llowed to ta ke with her from the har em to the king's pa lace whatever she chose . •She went there in th e even ing, and the foll owin g 14 morn ing retu rned to a not her ha rem entrusted to th e ca re of Shaa shga z. the king' s eun uch, custodian of the concubines. She d id not go to the king a ny more, u nless he was pa rt icula rly pleased with her an d had her summoned by na me. But when it was the tu rn of Esther, t he daughte r o f A biha il whose nephew 15 Mordecai had ad opted her as his ow n da ughter, to go into the king's pre senc e, she d id not a sk for an ything beyond what had been assigned her by Hcgai, the king's eunuch, custod ia n o f the wo men . And Esther soo n won the adm iratio n o f a ll who saw her. -S hc was brou ght to Kin g A has uerus in his roya l pa lace in the 16 tent h month, which is ca lled Tcbeth, in the seve nt h yea r of his reign ; ·a nd the 17 king liked Est her bett er th an a ny of the other wom en ; non e of the o ther girls found so much favou r a nd a pproval with him. So he set the royal diad em on her head an d proclaimed her q ueen instead o f Vashti. T hen the kin g gave a grea t banquet, Esther' s banquet, for a ll his admini str at o rs I S an d min isters, decre ed a hol iday for all the provinces and dist ribut ed la rgesse with roy a l prodigali ty.

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Mordecai and Haman W hen Esther, like th e othe r girl s, had been tra nsferre d to the seco nd ha rem ," 1<) she had not revealed her kin d red or race, in ob edience to the orders of Mordecai , "0 whose inst ru cti on s she contin ued to follow as when she had been und er his ca re."

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At th is time Mordecai was a ttached to the Chancellery! and two malcontents, Bigthan and Teresh, king's eunuchs belo nging to the Guardians of the Thresho ld, 22 plo tted to assassi nate King Ahasuerus. • Mordecai came to hear of this a nd informed Q ueen Esther, who in tu rn, o n Mordecai 's aut hority, to ld the king. 23 The matter was in vestigated and pro ved to be true. The two conspirato rs were sent to the gallows, and the incident was recorded in the Book o f the C hronicles in the presence of the king . 1 Shortly afterwards, King Ahasueru s singled out Haman son of Hammedat ha, from t he land of Agag ,« for promotion . He raised him in rank an d precedence 2 above all his coll eagues, t he other o ffice rs of state, -a nd gave o rders that all the officials employed at the Chancellery were to bow down and prostrate themselves befo re Ha ma n. Mo rdecai refused either to bow or pros tra te himself. " •'W hy do yo u flout the ro ya l command ?' the officials o f the C ha ncellery asked Mordecai. 4 Th ey as ked him th is day a fter da y, but he took no notice o f th em . In the end t hey re po rted the matter to Haman, wishi ng to see whet her Mo rdecai woul d 5 persist in his attitude, si nce he had to ld them he was a Je w. •W hen Ha ma n had seen fo r himself that Mo rdeca i d id no t bow o r prost rate h imself before him, he " was seized with fury. • Hav ing been told wha t race Mo rdeca i belonged to, he cou ld not be content with m urderi ng Mordeca i but made up his min d to wipe ou t a ll the mem bers o f Mordecai's race, the Jews , t hrougho ut t he empire o f Ah a sueru s. 21

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T H E JEWS IN PERIL

The decree of ext ermination against the Jews In the first mo nth, that is the month o f Ni san , of the twelft h yea r of King Ahasuerus, they cast the pur ' (that is, the lot) befo re Ha ma n for the day and the mo nth . The lo t fa lling on t he twelfth 1110nth, whic h is Adar, ·"Hama n said to King A ha suerus, 'T here is a certain unas sim ilated nat ion sca tt ered a mong the ot her nati ons throughout the prov inces of yo ur real m; t heir laws are d ifferent fro m thos e of all the other na tions a nd they ignor e the royal ed icts ;" hence it is not in the king's interests to to lerate them . ·1 1' it please the king to decree their des truction, I a m prepa red to pay ten tho usa nd ta lents of silver to the k ing's receivers, to be credited to the roya l tr easury.' 2 a. T he Heb r. im p lies t hat t he k ing reg rets h is b. T he gestu re 10 itself co u ld not be o b jec tiona b le treat me nt o f Vash ti. T he G ree k an d Rec . Luc . S U ~ j.!cS I for a Jew ; it was the ac t o f respect cus to ma ry in the uuu he ha s for gotten he r. or ienta l co u rt a nd a lso pra c tised in Is rael . cr. I K 1:23 : b. T he na me Es the r is p roba bly o f Babylon ian 2 K 4:37 . e tc . Mo rde cai' s re fusa l is not t herefore a ur i ~ i n (I shtar) l ike Mordecai ' s ( Ma r d u k). t houg h protest o f tldelit v 10 God a nd h is Law . as in Dn 1:8 : cf. a lso Persian st ar eh, 'sta r', Hadassa h is a Hebr. 3: 12 ; 6: 14. but a reac tion of ra c ia l p rid e : the p ra yer na me Cm vrt le ' j. in t he Greek text a ives it a re fia io us s ign ifica nce . c . Greek ha s a t the e nd ' he ha d brough t her up 4:17d-c . 10 be h is Wife' , Pos t-C h ris tia n Je wis h tradit io n ac ce p ts c. A Bubvlonian wo rd . H am an has a lready de cid ed u ris view. m a kin g Es the r th e wife of Mo rdeca i. o n t he pog ro m : he con s ults th e lot s o n ly In lea rn t he d . Text co rrec ted. Hebr. an d Vulg , 'W he n the m o st pr o pi t iou s d a y. T he Greek. com pl ementi ng t he airls we re rea ssembled th e second lim e, Mo rdeca i was Hcbr.. a dds tha t H ama n issued a dec ree in the 121h sillinR at th e Ga te" : G ree k ' M o rdecai was o n d u ty yea r of the ki ng , that he cas t lo ts to e xt irpate the ra ce ur t he pal ac e' (omi u m a th is in v, 21) . o f Mordecai a nd that the 10 1 fe ll o n the 14th of the c. The G ree k. more re ligio us in to ne th a n th e l lc br ., m o nth c al led Allar. re a ds 'E sther had not d isclosed wha t co u ntry s he ca me d. Rcc . Luc . pa rap h rases 'H uma n in hi s jea lou sy from . M ordeca i had b idde n her fear God a nd keep the a mi sh a ke n 10 Ih e co re went red . a nd av erted h is e yes com ma ndments ju st a s s he did wh e n s he was with fro m him . T hen with base hea rt he spo ke evi l to the h im , and Es t he r had n ot ch an ged he r wa y o f life. ' k in't abo ut lsrue l. "There is a race" he sai d "sca tt e red t hro ug ho ut eve ry kin xdo m, a be llicose a nd tr ucule nt f . T he expressio n (li t. ' the kin g's ga te') so me times people w ith its ow n la ws. Bu t o f yo u r law s. 0 k mg, mea ns the bu s iness of ad m in ist ra tio n . some time s th e t hey take no accou nt . for they a re . a s eve ry na tio n bu ildi ngs in whic h this wo r k wa s carr ied forward. k nows . an obs tinate ra ce . T hey def y yo ur orders to th e 3 a. Co unt ry not kn o wn : the na me is tha t of a n r uin of your ho nour." • Am a lek ite k ing co nq ue re d by Sa u l. t S 15:7-9. a nd may c . Com nla tnts of th is k ind agai ns t t he J e ws a re hav e been chose n to e mp has ise the a ntagonis m of fo u nd in sever al .d oc u ments of th e hell enisric per iod . H aman a nd M ordeca i who . like Sa ul. is a Benla min tte c r. 3: l3 a-e . D n 1:H; 3:8- 12 ; Jdt 12:2 ; Ez r 4: 12f ; Ws 2: 14f a nd a desc en d a nt of K is n . and the apoc rvpnut 3 Maccabees .

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ESTHER

The king then took his signet ring off his ha nd and gave it to Haman son of H arnrnedatha, the Agagi te, the persecutor of the Jews .• 'Keep the mo ney,' he said 'a nd you can have the people too ; do what you like with them.' 1: 19 Then on the thirt een th day of the first mo nt h the royal scribes were summoned, Dn 3:4. 7 and cop ies were made of the orders addressed by Haman to the king 's satraps, to the governors ruling each province and to the principal officials of each people, to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language. 9: 10 The edict was signed in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed wit h his ring, and letters were sent by runners to every province of the realm ordering the destruction, sla ughter and annihilation of all Jews, young and old, women and chi ldren, on the o ne day, the thirteenth day of t he twelfth mon th, which is Ad ar, and the seizing of the ir possessions. The text of the letter was as follow s: ' The great King, Ahasucrus, to the governors of the hundred and twenty-seven provinces stretching fro m India to Ethiopia, and to their subordinate district commi ssioners. Jd1 2:5 ' Being placed in authority Ol'er many nations and ruling the whole world, I have D n 3: 31 resolved never to be carried away by the insolence of power, but always to rule with moderation and clemency, so as to assure for my subjects a life el'er free from storms and, offering my kingdom the benefits of civilisation and free transit f rom end to end, to restore that peace which a/l men desire. •In consultat ion with our ad visers as to how this aim is to be effected, we have been informed by one of them, eminent among us fo r prudence and well proved for his unf ailing devotion and unshak eable trustworthiness, and in rank second only to our majesty , Hama n by 3:8 I, w,2: 15 name, «that there is, mingled among all the tribes of the earth a certain ill-disposed people, opposed by its laws to el'ery other nation and continually defy ing the royal ordinances, in such a way as to obstruct that form of government assured by us to the general good. 'Con sidering therefor e that this people, unique of its ki nd, is in complete opposition to all mank ind fro m which it diffe rs by its outlandish system of laws, that it is hostile to our interests and IIUlt it commits the most heinous crimes, to the point of endangering the stability of the realm: I We command that the people designat ed 10 you in the lett ers writ/en by Haman , 8:121 G n 45:8 appointed to watch over our interests and a second fat her to us, are all, including women and children, 10 be destroyed root and branch by the s words of their enemies, without any pity or mercy , on the fourt eenth day of the twelfth month, Adar, of the present year, «so that , these past and present malcontents being in one day forcibly thrown down to Hades, our government may hencefor ward enjoy perpetual stability and peace.' T he text of this decree, to be promulgated as law in each province, was published to t he vario us peoples, so t hat each mig ht be ready for the day afo remen tioned . ·At the king' s command , the runners set out with all speed: the decree was first promulgated in the citadel of Susa. While the king and Haman gave themsel ves up to feastin g a nd drinking, co nsternation reigned in the city of Susa ."

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kin g had a ppointed to wait on her, and or dered him to go to Mordecai and enquire what was the matter and why he was acting in this way. Hathach went o ut to Mo rdecai, who was still in the city square in front of 7 the C hancellery, -a nd Mordecai to ld him what had ha ppened to him personally, a nd also abo ut the sum of mone y which Haman had offered to pay into the K royal trea su ry as compensat ion for the destruct ion of the Jews . • He also gave him a copy of the edict of extermination publ ished in Susa for him to show / 5:1 Esther for her informatio n, with the message that she was to go to the king and K~ imp lore his favour and plead with him for her peop le.• ' Rememb er your humbler circumstances,' he said 'when you were fed by my hand. Since Haman, the second x ~ person in the realm, has petitioned the k ing f or our deaths, «invoke the Lord, speak 10 the ki ng f or us and S(/I'e liS from death f'b I~ Hathach ca me back an d to ld Est her what Mordecai had said;" -and she I I replied with the follo wing message for Mordecai, ·'All th e kin g's serva nts and the people of his pro vinces know that for a man or woman who a pproaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the re is one penalty: death, unless, by pointing his go lden scep tre to wards him, the king grants him his life. And I have no t been summo ned to the king for the last thirt y da ys.' :~ T hese words of Est her were reported to Mordecai, -wh o sent bac k t he following reply, ' Do not suppose that, because you are in the king's palac e, you 14 are going to be the o ne Jew to esca pe, -No ; if you pers ist in remai ning silent at such a time, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another place," but bo th you an d the Ho use of yo ur fath er will peris h. Who knows? Perha ps you have co me to the throne for ju st such a time as this.' :g Where upon Esther sent th is reply to Mordecai , ,'G o and assemble all the Je ws now in Susa a nd fast for me. Do not eat o r d rink day or night for thre e days. Fo r my pa rt, I a nd my maids will keep the same fast, after wh ich I shall 17 go to the king in spite of the law; and if I perish, I perish .' -M o rdecai went away and car ried out Esther 's instr uction s.

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Mordecai' s prayer~3f

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M ordeca i and Esther try to aver t the danger Jd 14 : 12

ES TH ER

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When Mordeca i learned what had happened, he tore his ga rmen ts and put on 4 sackclo th and ash es. Then he went right through the city, wailin g loud and

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bitterl y, - unt il he arr ived in front of the C ha ncellery , which no one clo thed in sac kclo th was allowe d to ente r. •And in every province, no sooner had the royal ed ict been read than am ong t he Jews there was great mo urn ing, fasting, weeping a nd wailing, and many lay on sack cloth and ash es. a Wh en Queen Esther's maid s a nd eunuchs ca me and told her, she was overcome with grief. She sent cloth es fo r Mo rdeca i to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he refused them . -T hen Esther summo ned Hat hach , a eu nuc h whom the

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Then calling to mind all the wonderful works of the Lord, he offered this prayer : 'Lord, Lord, King and Master of all things, everything is subject to your power, and there is no aile who can withstand you in your will to save Israel.

Ex 19:5 2C h2 0:6-7 Jdt 16:14

'Yes, you have made heaven and earth, and all the marvels that are under heaven. You are the Lord of all, and there is none who can resist you, Lord.

2K 19' 15 1, 40:2 1-26

' You k now a/l things; you k now, Lord, you know, that no insolence, arrogance, vainglory prompted me to this, to this ref usal to bow down before proud Haman. f. 10 Yet. La c the Jews now pray . exp res sing sorrow fo r the sins of the nat ion and a ppea ttn g to the faithfulness o f God. 4 a. Sig ns of mo urni ng and repentance. b. Vet. Lat. here has in addition to

the G reek

'R ise! Why do you sit in silence? Since YOU are set Iree. YOU and yo ur Ho use and your rather's Ho use. all your peop le and all you r descendants . Rise! Let us see if we can fight and suffer for o ur own peo ple that

God may sho w mercy o n them . c. Vet. Lat. thus describes Esther's d istress 'As Esther read her brot her's lette r she tore her garments and lamen ted lo udly. She shed many tears. her body trembled and her flesh became weak.' d. The author of the He br. text avo ids using the name of God.

c. The prayers of Mordecai and Esther arc rich in a.T. piety. but they betray an introspective interest and a co ncern w ith self-justificatio n that is not fo und in the old er texts.

Is4 1:10- 16

rll

I

4:17e

ESTHER

64 6

647

I would readily have kissed his feet for the safety of Israel.

3:2

E.3:6

Ps 47:9

0 19:26; 32 :9 1 K 8:51 Jr 10:16

Ps 33:11 J14:2

I1!Hi ~ ; Is 38; 1~·20

17. 14

'A nd now, Lord God, King, God of Abraham, spare your peop le! For men are seeking our ruin and plan to destroy yo ur ancient heritage. Do not overlook yo ur inheritan ce, which y ou redeemed f or yo ur own out of the land of Egypt. Hear my supplication, have mercy on yo ur he ritage, and turn our grief ill/a rejoicing , that we may live 10 hymn your name, Lord. Do not suffer the mouths of those who pra ise you to perish .'

17f

15

17. 16 J7h

J.2: 6 +

4: 17 +

' But then 11'1' sinn ed aga inst you, and you handed us over 10 our enemies for pay ing honour to their gods . Lord you li r e just,

. But e l'en now they are not sat isfied with the bitterness of our slavery: they have put their hands in the hands of their idols ' to abolish the decree that y our own lips have uttered, to blot out your heritage, to stop the mouths of those who praise yo u, to quench your altar and the glory of your Hous e, and instead to open the mouths of the hea then ,

17w

16

17x 17

17y 18

'I'dy Lord, our King, the only one, come 10 my help, for I am alone and have no helper but you and am about to lake my life in my hands.

171 17z

19

4

r

m

la

15:4 5 l7n 6

17n

8

m

Jd1 9: 13

a . T he Hebr. text of Y V . 1 ~ 2 is mu ch shorter. '1 T h ree days later Esther put on he r roy al apparel

a nd p rese nt ed he rse lf in the in ner co u r t o f th e pal ace. which was in front o f the ktnn' s a pa r tments. H e was sca led o n t he ro yal thron e in th e Ro yal H a ll. fa cing t he d oor . 2 No sooner had he seen Qu een Esth er st nnd ln u in t he co u r t t han she

136: 2

Jd l iO:5: 12:2

5

5

Ps 95:3 :

Lv 15: 19-30 Is 64 :5

then appeared, she in voked God who watches o l'er all men and sa ves them . Theil 6 she took two mai ds with her. With a delicat e air she leaned Oil aile, while the ot her accompanied her carrying her train . S he leaned Oil the maid: » arm as though 7 languidly , but in fac t because her body was 100 weak to support her ; the oth er I~ maid follo wed her mistress, lifting her robes which swept the groun d. • Rosy with the full fl ush of her beauty, her face radiate d j oy and lo ve: bUI her heart shra nk 1~ with fear . • Having passed through door afte r door, she fou nd herself in th e

a co venant.

Ol 10: 17

On 1:47 : 11:36

1: 17

Esther presents herself at the palace On the third day ," when she had finished praying, she took off her suppliant's mourning attire and dressed herself in her full splendou r. Radiant as she

f. Rcc. Lu c. ' I have heard (it read) in th e book of my a nces to rs' g . Gestu re of taking oath , possib ly of maki ng

17p 10

9:1

'As f or ourselves, save us by yo ur hand, and come to my help , for I am alone and ha ve no one but you, Lord. You have knowledge of 01/ things, and you know that I hate honours front the godless, that I loath e the bed of the uncircumcised, of any fore igner whate ver. You know I am under constraint, that I loathe the sy mbol of my high position bound round my brow when I appear at court ; I loath e it as if it were a filth y rag and do not wear it on my days of leisure. Your handmaid has not eaten at Hama n's table, nor taken pleasu re in the royal banqu ets, nor drunk the wine of libation s. No r has your handmaid fou nd pleasure fr om the day of her promot ion until 11011' except in you , Lord, God of Abraham. o God, whose stre ngth pre vails o l'er all, listen to the voice of the desperate, save us f rom the hand of the wick ed, and free me from my fea r.'

14

15

Queen Esther also look refug e with th e Lord in the mortal peril which had n~ overtaken her. She look oft" her sump luaus robes and put on sorrowful mourning. 1 Instead of ex pensive perfu mes she co rn ed her head with ashes and dung. Sh e humbled her body sever ely; and th e form er scenes of her happiness and elegance were IIOW littered with tre sse s lorn from her hair. She besought the Lord God of 1 Israel in these words:

'I have been raught fro m my earliest years, in the bosom of my fam ilyt that you, Lord, chose Israe l out of all the na tion s and our ancestors out of all the people of old tim es to be yo ur heritag« for ever; and that yo u have treated them as you promise d.

l71

17u

l1i 18

.<0:

-::;

' As fo r me , give me courage, King of gods and mas ter of 01/ power . Put persuas ive words into my mouth when I fac e the lion; change his f eeling into hat red for our enemy, that the latter and 01/ lik e him may be brought to their end.

17s 13

17

~ ()

' Do not y ield you r sceptre, Lord, to non-existent beings. Ne ver let men mo ck at our ruin. Turn their designs against themse lves, and ma ke an example of him who leads the attack on us. Remember, Lo rd ; reveal yourself in the time of our distress.

11

12

Esther 's prayer

01 7:6 +

17q

17r

A nd all Israel cried out with all their migh t, for they were f aced with death.

4 :11.1 6

to sing the praise of worthless idols and forever to idolise a king offlesh .

JJ

'But what I did, I did rather than place the glory of a man above the glo ry of God; and I will not bow down to any but to you , Lord ; in so ref using I will not acr in pr ide.

5: I C

ESTHER

WO I1

hi s fa vo ur an d he

he ld o u t the golden sce p tre he h ad in his ha nd to her. Esthe r a pproached a nd to uc hed the end of it. ' V. 3 is the s a me in th e G ree k a nd Heb r.

jill

5: l d

5:6; 7;2; 9: 12 M k 6:23

5:3

ESTHER

648

presence of the king . He was sea ted on the royal throne, dressed in all his robes of state, glitter ing with gold and precious stones-a fo rmidable sight. • Raising l3 his face, afire with majesty, he looked on her, blazing with anger. The queen sank down. She grew fa int and the colour drained from her fac e, and she leaned her head against the maid who accompanied her, • But God changed the king 's heart, li in ducing a milder spirit. He sprang fr om his throne in alarm and took her in his arms until she recovered, comf orting her with soothing words. •' What is the matter, ) ~ Esth er?' he said ' I am your brother. Tak e heart : .1'0 11 will not die: our order 0111.1' J3 applies to ordinary people. Come to me.' - And raising his go lden sceptre he laid L .15 it on her neck , embraced her and said, ' Speak to me'. ·'My lord,' she said ' )'011 7~ looked to me like an angel of God, and my heart was moved with fear of your majesty . For you are a figure of wonder, my lord, and your face is full of / 7 graciousness,' • But as she spoke she fe ll down in a fa int. The k ing was distressed, 7~, ," and all his attendants tried their best to revive her. • ' W hat is the matter, Queen 3 Est her?' the king sa id . 'Tell me what yo u desi re; even if it is ha lf my kingdom , I grant it yo u.' .' Wou ld the k ing be pleased' Esther re plied ' to co me with H ama n today to t he ba nquet I ha ve prep a red for hi m?' •T he ki ng sa id, 'Tell Ha ma n to co me at once, so that Est he r may have her wish ' . So the king and Ha ma n ca me to the ba nq uet tha t Esther ha d p repa red. -As 6 th ey dr ank their wine, th e kin g agai n sai d to Esther, 'Tell me what yo u request; I grant it to yo u. Tell me what you de sire; even if it is hal f my kin gd om , it is yours fo r the asking.' ·'W hat do I desire, wha t do I requ est?' Esther re plied. · ' If I have found favo ur in the king's eyes, and if it is his pleasure to gra nt what I ask and to a gree to my request, let the king a nd Ha ma n come to the o the r banquet I intend to give them tomorrow, a nd the n I will do as th e k ing says.' Ha ma n left fu ll o f joy a nd high spirits th at day ; but when he sa w Morde cai 9 at the C ha nce llery, neither sta nd ing up nor st irr ing a t his a pp roa ch, he felt a gus t of a nger. • He restra ined hims elf, how ever. Retu rni ng home, he sent for 10 h is fr iends a nd Ze res h his wife -and held fo rth to them a bo ut his dazzling wea lth , I I his ma ny child ren, how th e kin g had ra ised him to a po siti on of ho nou r an d promoted him over the head s o f the ki ng's ad ministrato rs a nd min ister s. · 'W ha t 12 is mo re,' he ad de d 'Q ueen Est he r just in vited me and the king- no one else except me - to a banquet she was givin g, a nd bette r sti ll she has invited me a nd the k ing again tomorrow . • But what do I care a bo ut a ll thi s when all the wh ile 13 I see Mo rdeca i the Jew sitt ing there a t the C ha ncellery?' · 'Have a fifty-cub it 14 gallows run up,' Zeresh h is wife an d a ll his fr iends sa id 'a nd in the morn ing ask th e king to have Mo rdeca i han ged o n it. T hen acco m pany th e king to the fea st without a ca re in the worl d !' Del ighted with t his adv ice, Ha ma n had the gall ows erected.

IV. TH E JE WS ' REVENGE

ltl n

1:l m

2:2 1<:!_' 1:1' ) <)o:'): I JII,

The discomfiture of Haman "T hat night , the ki ng co uld not sleep ; he ca lled for the Record Book, the C hro nicles, to be br ou ght a nd read to him. •T hey cont ained an acco u nt o r how Mordecai had den ou nced Bigtha n a nd Tcrcs h, two o f the king's eu nuc hs serv ing as G ua rd ia ns o r the T hresho ld, who had plotted to ass ass ina te king A has uerus . · ' And what honou r a nd d ignit y' the king a sked 'was conferred o n Mo rdecai 1'01' th is'!' ' No th ing ha s bee n do ne 1'0 1' him' t he cour tiers in a ttenda nce rep lied . -T hcn the king sa id , 'W ho is o n d ut y in the a ntech amber? ' Ha ma n ha d at that mo ment ente red the o uter an techa mber of the king's pa lace to ask th e king to ha ve Mo rdecai han ged on the ga llows wh ich he had ju st put up for the pur pose. -S o the k ings court iers repl ied, ' Hama n is wait ing in the ant ec ha m ber' , 'Br ing h im in ' the king sa id, -a nd went o n to as k as soo n as Ha ma n had en ter ed , 'W ha t is th e right way to treat a man who m th e king wishes to honour?' 'W hom '

6

ESTHE R

649

I

th ought H aman 'would the king wish to honour, if not me?' -So he replied, ' If the kin g wishes to honour someone, -have roy a l rob es bro ught, which the k ing ha s worn , and a horse which the king ha s ridden , with a royal diadem on ') its head. •T he robes and hor se should be handed to on e of the noblest of th e Gn41 :42f k ing' s officers, a nd he sh oul d array th e man wh om th e kin g wishes t o honou r \ K 1:33 and lead him on horseback th rough the city squ are, procla iming befor e hi m: Dn 5:2l:J I II "This is the way to tr eat a man wh om the king wish es to hon our" .' . ' H u rry ,' the k ing sa id to Hama n ' ta ke th e ro bes and the horse, a nd do everything you hav e ju st sa id to Mordecai th e Je w, who wor ks at th e C ha nce llery. On no acc ount leave a nything out that you hav e ment io ned .' II SO ta king th e robes and the horse, H a ma n a rrayed Mor decai and led him on horseback through th e city square, proclaiming before him : 'This is th e way to 12 treat a ma n whom the k ing wishe s to honou r' . · After this Mordeca i ret urn ed to th e C ha ncellery , whil e Haman went hurryin g home dejected , covering his 1.1 face . • He to ld his wife Zercsh and all his friend s what had jus t happened . His wife Zeresh and his fr iend s said , 'Thanks to Mordeca i, you have just ha d a fa ll ; if he happens to belong to th e Jewish race , you will never recover the u pper ha nd again . Fa r from it ; once having begun , thanks to him yo u will fall an d 7

K

fall again ."

Haman at Esther 's banquet Wh ile they were st ill ta lkin g, the king's eunuchs arrived in a hur ry to esco rt I Hama n to the banquet that Esther had prepared. 7 W hen the king and Ha man were seated at the ban quet with Q ueen Esther -this second day, the kin g aga in said to Esther as they drank the ir wine, 'Tell me wha t you req uest, Queen Esther? 5;3 I grant it to you . Te ll mc what you desire : eve n if it is ha lf my kingdom, it is you rs 3 for the aski ng.' . '11' I ha ve fou nd favo ur in yo ur eyes, 0 king ,' Queen Esther rep lied 'and if it please your majesty, grant me my life-that is what I request ; 4 and t he lives of my peo ple -t ha t is wha t I desire. • For we are doomed , I an d my people, to destruct ion , sla ughter an d a nnihilation; if we had merel y been co nde mned to become slaves and ser vant-g irls, I wo uld have said no thi ng ; but as thin gs a re, it will be beyond th e means of the persecutor to ma ke good th e 3;8-9 5 loss th at th e king is about to susta in.' • K ing A has uerus int errup ted Queen Esther, ' Who is th is man ?' he excla imed. ' Wh ere is he, the sche mer of such an ou trage?' • Esthe r replied, 'The persecutor, th e ene my? W hy, thi s wretc h Haman!' Hama n q uaked with terro r in th e presen ce of the king a nd queen. -I n a rage the k ing rose an d left th e banquet to go into th e palace ga rden; while Ha ma n, rea lising that the king wa s determined on his ruin, st ayed behind to beg Q ueen Esther for his life. K Whe n th e king return ed fr om the pa lace gar den into the banqueting ha ll, he foun d Haman huddled across th e couch where Es ther was reclining. 'What!' the kin g excla imed . 'I s he go ing to rape the que en befo re my eyes in my own pa lace?' T he wor ds were scarcely out of his mouth th an a veil wa s th rown over ') Haman 's face . a • Ha rbo na, o ne of the eunuch s a tte nd ing th e kin g, was present. He sa id, ' How co nve nient! T here is tha t fifty-c ub it ga llows which Ha ma n ran up for Mordeca i, whose re port saved th e king's life. It is all read y at his house.' I II ' Han g him o n it' sa id th e kin g. -So Ha man was han ged o n th e gall ows whic h he ha d erec ted for Mordecai. a nd th e kin g' s wrath subsided.

14

.1

4

I

The royal favour passes to the Je ws T hat sa me day K ing Ahasuer us gave Q ueen Est her the house of Haman, the persecutor of the Jews . Mordeca i was prese nted to the king, Es ther ha ving

8

ex nlic it ty mentio ning G od' s hel p, wh ich the G reek ma kes clear by addi ng 'for the liv in g G o d is with h im ' , 7 a . T ho se condemned to death had th ei r heads b . The He b r. te xt hints at th e out com e without covered .

6 a. In ch. 6 and 7, Rec. Luc. genero ustv pa raphrases all th e passages that fla ne r M or d ecai or be litt le Ha man . 6

8:1

9;1 Pdl; 8 ' 26;27 M. 7;2

~~

- ;:;;

"I

8:2

ESTHER

revealed their mut ual relationsh ip.• The king, who had recovered his signet ring 2 from Haman, took it off and gave it to Mordeca i, while Est her gave Mordecai cha rge of Ha man's house. Es ther again went to speak to the k ing. Sh e fell at his feet , weeping and 3 im plo ring his favour , to frustra te the wicked scheme devised by Ha man the Agagite and his plot against the J ews. -The king he ld ou t the golden scep tre 1:19 to her , whereupon Esther rose a nd stood face to face with him .• ' If such is the 5 king's good pleasure,' she sa id 'and if I have fou nd favour before h im, if my pet itio n seems proper to h im a nd if I myself am pleas ing to his eyes, may he be pleased to issu e a written revocation of the letters wh ich Haman so n of Hamm edatha , the Agag ite, contrived to have wri tt en to procure t he destruction of the Je ws in every province of t he real m , •For how can I lo o k on, while my people (, suffer what is in sto re for them? How can I bear to witness the ex term ina tio n of my race?' Ki ng A hasueru s sa id to Queen Esthe r a nd to Mo rdecai the Jew, ' I for my 7 part have given Esther Hama n's ho use, and have had him han ged on the gallows 1:19 for pla nn ing to destroy the Je ws. •Yo u a re free no w to wri te to the m as yo u judge bes t, in the king's na me, and seal wha t you write wit h the king's sig net ; fo r a n order writ ten in the king 's name a nd sea led with his signe t is irrevocab le. :v The royal scribes were summoned a t on ce-it was the th ird mo nt h, th e mo nth of Sivan, o n t he twen ty-t hird days-s-an d a t M or deca i's d ict ation an order wa s wri tte n to the Je ws, the satraps, go vernors and admini stra to rs of th e provi nces st retchi ng fr om In dia to E thio pia, a hundred and twenty-seven prov inces, to each province in its ow n scr ipt, an d to eac h peo ple in its ow n la ng uage, a nd to the Je ws in their own script a nd la ng uage, -T hese letters, wr itte n in the name 10 of Ki ng A has uerus and sea led wi th the king's sig ne t, were ca rried by co uriers mou nted on horses from the king's ow n stud -fa rms.• In the m the king gra nted I I the Jews, in whatever city they lived , the rig ht to asse mb le in self-defence , wit h permission to destroy, sla ughter a nd anni hilate a ny armed force of any people or province that might attack t hem, toget her wit h the ir women and children, a nd to plunder their possessions, ' with effect from the sa me day thro ug hout th e 12 provi nces of King A hasuerus-the thirteenth day of the twe lft h mont h, wh ich is Adar.

Pr 13:22 Dn2:48-49

The decree of rehabilitation The text of the lett er was as follows: J J.~I 'The g reat King, Ahasuerus, to the satraps of the hundred and twen ty-seven 12 b p rovinces which stretch fr om Ind ia to Ethiopia, to the provi ncial gove rnors and to all our loy al subjec ts, greeting. 'Many men , repeatedly honoured by the extreme bounty of their benefactors, ?c only grow the more arroga nt , It is not enough for them to seck our subjec ts' 3 injury , but unable as they are to suppor t the weight of their own surfe it they tUI'l1 to scheming against their benefactors themsel ves. • N ot conten t with banishing ~2d gra titude from the human heart, but elated by the plaudits of men unacquainted with goo dness, not withstanding that all is for ever under the eye of God , they vainly expect to escape his j ust ice, so host ile to the wicke d. • Thus it has often 120 happened to thos e placed in authority that, having entrusted friends with the conduct of affa irs and allowed themse lves to be infl uenced by the m , they fi nd themselves sharing with these the guilt of innocent blood and involved ill irreme diable misfort unes, «the upright intentions of rulers having been misle d by f alse argumen ts of ~2r the evilly disposed. • This may be seen without recour se to the history ofearlier times ~2" to which we have referred; you ha ve only to look at what is before you, at the crimes perpetrated by a plague of unworthy officials. • For the f uture we will exe rt our l2h effo rts to assure the tranquillity and peace of the realm for all, «by adopt ing nell' ~2i policies and by always j udging ma tters that are brought to our notice ill the most equitable spirit .

II

9:4

ESTHER

65 l

650 12k

'Thus Haman son of Hammedatha, a Ma cedonian," without a drop of Persian blood and far removed from our goodness, enjoy ed our hospitality «and was treat ed by us with the benevolence which we show to e very nation, even to the extent of being proclaimed our 'f ather' and being accorded universally the prostration of 12m respect as second ill dignity to the roya l thro ne, • But he, unable to kee p within his I] 12 n O W II high rank ; schemed to deprive us of our realm and of our life, • Furthermore, by 13 tortuous wiles and arguments, he would ha ve had liS destroy Mordecai, our savio ur and constant beliefactor , with Esther the blamct ess partn er (if 0111' maj esty, and I 2 l} 14 their whole nation besides . • He thought by these means to leave us without support and so to transfer the Persian emp ire to the M acedonians. ! 2n 'B ut we find that the Jews , mark ed out f ill' annihila tion by this arch-scoundrel, 15 12q 16 are 1101 criminals; they are ill fact governed by the most just of laws. • They are sons of the Most H igh, the great and living God to whom we and our ancestors owe 12 r 17,18 the continuing prosperity of our realm . • You will therefore do well not to act Oil the letters sent by Ha man SOil of Hanunedatha, since their author has been hanged at the ga tes of Sum with his whole household: a well-earned puni shm ent which I ;~ God, the ruler of all things, has speedily inflicted Oil him . •Pili lip copies of this letter ] 0 everyw here, allow the Je ws freedom to observe their OWII customs, and come to their help against anyo ne who ottacks them Oil the day originally chosen for their IJJ maltr eatment, that is the thirteent h day of the twe lfth mont h, which is Adar. -For the all-powerful God has made this day a day ofjoy and 1101 of mill for his chosen I}] people. • Jews , for your par t, among your solemn [cstivals celebrate this as a special day with el'ery k ind of feasting; so that 110W and in the future, for )'OU and for 23 Persians of good will it may conunemorate )'0111' rescue , and f ill' your enemies" may stand as a rem inder (if their ruin. 12v ' E very city and , more generally, e l'er)' country, which does 1I0t fo llow these 24 instruct ions, will be mercilessly devastated with fir e and sword, and made not only inaccessible 10 men but hateful 10 wild animals and even birds f or ever.' The text of this ed ict , to be promulgated as la w in each province , was published 1J to the various peoples, so that the Jew s could be ready on the day stated to 14 avenge themselves on their enemies. -T he cou rier s, mou nted on th e king's ho rses, set out in great haste and urge ncy at the kin g's command, T he ed ict was a lso 15 published in the citadel of Susa , • Mordecai left the royal presence in a prin cely gown of violet and white, with a great go lde n crown a nd a cloak of fine linen 16 an d purple. T he city of Susa shouted for joy. • F or the Jews there was light and ! 1 gladness, joy an d ho no ur. •In every province and in every city, wherever the king's com ma nd a nd decree arrived, there was jo y and gladn ess among the Jew s with fea st ing and hol iday-mak ing. Of t he country's popu lation many became Jews, since now the Jews were fear ed , /()

':' ~

1 ~/

-z

/I

I

2

3 4

The great day of Purim T he king 's command and decree came into force on the thirteenth day of the . twelfth month, Adar, and the day on which the enemies o f the Jews had hoped to crush them produ ced the ve ry o ppo site efTect: th e Jews it was who crushed their enemies. • In their town s through out the pr ovinces of King A hasuerus, the Je ws assemb led to strike at th ose who had pla nn ed to injure th em, No on e resisted them, since the variou s peop les were now a ll afraid of them .• Provincial administrators, satra ps, go vern or s and officers o f the king. a ll supported th e Jew s for fear of Mordec a i. -A nd ind eed Mo rdeca i was a power in the palace, and h is fame was spread ing throu gh a ll the provinces ; Mo rdecai was st eadil y growi ng more powerful.

3:J3f

z

EZ l'2 5-

9:27

O n 3:29

D n 5:7

1:l k

9:27

9

8

a . In

S: 12 c-o,

the

G ree k

tex t exp la ins.

by

Nisan .

O il

th e t went y-third d a y'.

M ord eca i' s wririn e in t he ki n a' s nam e. how t he kin a's

tr ust had been a bu sed whe n the ' irrevoca ble ' dec ree was issued . Rec. Lu c. dwells o n Es ther's part in the

massa cre. b. Greek ' the t hi rd month of tha t year, tha t o f

c, \Vit h G reek . We m igh t expec t 'a Mcd e ', a lludi ng to th e st ruug le for ma stery between Pe rsia ns an d. Medes. d . VaT. 'for us' , 'o ur d eliver a nce ' , 'enemies' .

4:17q ; 8: 1+ G n 22: t 7

11' 11 1

9:5

i Jdt 15:6

3:13:9:15 l d t 15:7.11

5:3

9: 10

Jd t 15:6

Ne8: 10- 12 R v 11: 10

ESTH ER

So the Jews str uck down a ll their enemies with the sword, with result ing 5 slaughter and destruction, and worked thei r will on their opponents.a - In the 6 citadel of Susa alone t he Je ws put five hundred men to death , -notably Parshan - 7 da tha, Da lphon, Aspat ha, -Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, -Pa rmashta, Arisa i, ~ Aridai and Jezatha, -the ten sons of Ha man son of Ha mmedatha, the persecutor 10 of the Je ws. But they took no plunder. The number of those killed in the citadel of Susa was repor ted the same day II to the king, -who said to Queen Esther, ' In the citadel of Susa the Jews have killed 12 five hund red men and also the ten sons of Haman. What must they ha ve done in the other provinces of the rea lm? Tell me what you reque st ; I grant it to yo u. Tell me what else you desire ; it is yours for the aski ng.' -'If such is the king's 13 pleasure ,' Esther replied 'let the Jews of Susa be allowed to enforce today's decree tomorr ow as well. And as for the ten sons of Ha man, let their bodies be han ged on the gallows.' -Whereupon the king order ed t his to be done ; the 14 edict was issued in Susa and the ten sons of Haman were ha nged. -Thus the I S Jews of Susa reassembled on the fourteenth day of the mo nth of Adar and killed three hundred men in the city. But they too k no plunder. The ot her Jews who lived in the king's provinces also assemb led to defend 16 their lives and rid the mselves of their enem ies. They slaughtered seventy-five tho usand b of their opponents. But they took no plunder. -This was on the 17 thi rteenth day of the month of Adar. On the fou rteenth day they rested and made it a day of feasting and gladness. -But for the Jews of Susa, who had 18 assembled on the thirteent h and fou rteent h days, the fifteenth was the day they rested, making that a day or"feast ing and gladness. c -This is why Jewish cou ntry 19 people, those who live in undefended villages, keep the fourtee nth day of the mo nth of Ada r as a day of gladne ss, feasting and holiday-making, and exchange portions with one another, - whereas for those who live in cities the day of rejoicing 19a and exc hanging portions with their neighbours is the fifteenth day of Ada r.

v.

9: 29

3:7

6:5- 13

8: 12u . 17

653

65 2

THE FEA S T OF PU RIM

The official institution of the feast of Purim Mordecai committed these events to writing. Then he sent letters to all the Jews throughout the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, -e njoi ning them to celebra te the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the mo nth of Ada r every year, -as the days on which the Jews had rid themse lves of their enemies, and the month in which their sorr ow had been turned into gladness, and mournin g into a holiday. He therefore told them to keep these as days of festivity and gladness when they were to exchange po rtions and make gifts to the poor. Once having begun to observe them, the Jews undertook to co ntinue these practices abo ut which Mor deca i had written these words to them, -' Haman so n of Ha mmeda tha, the Agagite, the persecu tor of all the Jews, had plotted their destruction and had cast the pur, tha t is, the lot, for thei r overthrow and ruin . But when he went aga in to the king" to ask him to order the hanging of Mordeca i, the wicked scheme which he had devised against the Jews recoiled on his own head , and both he and his sons were hanged on the gallows. -T hat is why these days were called Purim, from the word pur .' And so, because of what was written in this lett er, because of what they had seen for themselves a nd because of what had ha ppened to them, - the Jews vowed and too k on themselves a nd their desce nda nts and on all who should join them,' to celeb rate these two days witho ut fail, in the mann er prescribed and at the time appointed, year afte r year. T hus commemorated and celebrated from generation to generation, in each family, each province a nd each city, these da ys of Purim shall never be ab rogated amo ng the Jews, nor shall their memor y die out am ong their race. / Oueen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, wrote with full author ity to ratify

30 31

32

20

22

23 14

25

26

17

18

29

10: 31

this second letter, -and sent letter s to all the Jews of the hundred an d twent yseven prov inces of the realm of Ahasuerus in terms of kindness an d friendship enjoin ing them to observe these days of Purim at the appointed time, as Mordecai the Jew had recommended, and in the mann er prescribed for themselves and their descendan ts, with add itiona l ordin an ces for fasts and lamentations. « -The ord inance of Esther fixed this observance of Purim and it was recorded in writi ng.

9:23-26

~-;:: ~

111

Pra ise of Mordecai King Ahasuerus levied tribute from the conti nent and the islands of the 10 Sea. - All his mighty acts 'of power a nd the account of the high honou r to which he ra ised Mor decai, is not all this recorded in the Book of the Annals of the Kings of Med ia an d Persia?" - How ' Mordecai the Jew was next in ran k to King Ahasuerus. He was a man held in respect among the Jews, esteemed by thousands of his broth ers, a man who sought the good of his peop le and cared for the welfare of his entire race.' b 3a And Mordecai said, ' All this is God' s doing. -I remember the dream I had about 10:4 .5 3c 6 these mailers, nothing of which has fail ed to come true: «the little spring that became a river, the light that shone, the sun, the flood of water. Esther is 3 ~ the river-she whom flu> k ing married and made queen, -The two dragons are 3~ Haman and my self - The nations are those that banded together to blot out the 3~ name of Jew. -The single nation, mine, is Israel, those who cried out to God and were saved. Yes, the Lord has saved his people, the Lord has delivered us from all these evils, God has work ed such signs and great wonders as have never happened among the nations. M 'Two destinies he appointed, one f or his own people, one fo r the nations at ~ ? large. •And these t wo destinies were work ed out at the hour and tim e and day laid JJ down by God involving all the nations. «In this way God has remembered his people and vindicated his heritage; «and f or them these days, the fo urteen th and fiftee nth of the month of Adar, are to be days of assembly, of j oy and of gladness before God, through all generations and fo r ever among his people Israel.'

n

3/ U :I

21

E STHE R

Note on the Greek tran slation of the book In the fourth year of the reign of Pto lemy and Cleopatra, Dositheus, who affirmed that he was a priest and Levite, and Ptolemy his son brought the foregoing lett er concerning the Purim . T hey maintained it as being authentic, the transl atio n havi ng been made by Lysirnachus son of Ptolemy, a memb er of the Jerusale m cornm un ity .v

(. Co ni. readmg ; vv , 30-32 nece ssitate adjustmen t 9 a, Th e a cco unt of these ma ssa cre s is unhi srorical (see Introdu ct io n), nor m ust it be taken fo r a eul ogy of. o f th is ve rse. or recommen d a ti o n to . re ve nge. The ve ry ex trav a ga nc e o f th e situat io ns . the w ild ly e xa gge ra ted num ber s a nd g , T hese two u nexpect ed injunctions d oubtless the rh et or ic of t he a ccount bet ray the aut hor's pu rpose . His do m ina nt intentio n is to illu str a te a ve ry fam iliar hav e re fere nce to 4: 16 ; fasting ha s' earned deli verance. bib lica l them e . th e rev ersa l of a s itua tio n to th e advan- F ro m 9:20 onward s, th e te xt a p pears to be a compound ta ge o f t he oppress ed: to do th is he assum es th e ou tlo ok o f d oc um en ts of va ry in g origin . of those who rec o rde d t he war s of Isr a el . th c 'eve for 10 a. T he G ree k as cribes thi s en try to th e kin g. eye' me ntalit y. b . T he last verse in t he H e br . and the conclud ing pa ssa ge of th e G ree k te nd to m a ke t his book more than b . G ree k 'fi ftee n thou san d ' . c. Banquets. which OCCUpy mu ch o f Es t . la ter e ve r ' the Boo k of M ordeca i' ra ther t han ' the Boo k o f become feat ure s o f th e Da y of Pur im . a fea st m o re civil Est he r' , cf. 9:4. H e, the m an enlig ht ened b y God, h as than reli aio us . Rcc. Luc . alo ne me ntions a short th an ks- m anaged th e who le a ffa ir . He is typic all y ' the Jew' , giving. ' A nd all the pe op le c r ied a lo ud and shouted, ju st as Ju dit h will become ' t he J ewe ss' . This commemo r"Be b lessed. 0 Lord . fo r yo u ar e m indful of th e a t ive fest iva l was firs t known as ' the Da y of Mordecai'. 2 M 15:36, covena nt s ma de wit h o u r ancestors! Am e n. " , c. W hat fo llow s in Vu IS. ha s been adjuste d t o the d . Fo llow ing Greek . Hebr. 'But when she (Es the r) we nt in to the k in g. he sa id . . . ' (fo llow in g wor d u n in- order of t he G ree k text (ch. 1 no te a .) . T he re ad e r will find Vuht. 11: 2-12:6 a t th e begin n ing o f th e book ; te lligible) . e. Ev iden tly t he n at io na listi c character of the book Vuls. 13:1-7 a fter 3:13 ; Vuls . 13:8-14:19 af ter 4:17; does not exc lu de a w ider ou tlook; p rose lytes share in Vulg.15:1-J after4:R; VulS. 15 :4 -19 in the note on 5: 1 ; v ois . 16:1· 24 a fter 8:12. th e ce leb ra tions .

1:1"

2M15:1 4