King James Version › Esther › 3

Esther

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1 Af­ter these things did king Aha­suerus pro­mote Haman the son of Hamme­datha the Agagite, and ad­vanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. 2 And all the king's ser­vants, that were in the king's gate, bowed, and rev­er­enced Haman: for the king had so com­mand­ed con­cern­ing him. But Morde­cai bowed not, nor did him rev­er­ence. 3 Then the king's ser­vants, which were in the king's gate, said unto Morde­cai, Why trans­gress­est thou the king's com­mand­ment? 4 Now it came to pass, when they spake dai­ly unto him, and he hear­kened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's mat­ters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. 5 And when Haman saw that Morde­cai bowed not, nor did him rev­er­ence, then was Haman full of wrath. 6 And he thought scorn to lay hands on Morde­cai alone; for they had shewed him the peo­ple of Morde­cai: where­fore Haman sought to de­stroy all the Jews that were through­out the whole king­dom of Aha­suerus, even the peo­ple of Morde­cai. 7 In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Aha­suerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, be­fore Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar. 8 And Haman said unto king Aha­suerus, There is a cer­tain peo­ple scat­tered abroad and dis­persed among the peo­ple in all the provinces of thy king­dom; and their laws are di­verse from all peo­ple; nei­ther keep they the king's laws: there­fore it is not for the king's prof­it to suf­fer them. 9 If it please the king, let it be writ­ten that they may be de­stroyed: and I will pay ten thou­sand tal­ents of sil­ver to the hands of those that have the charge of the busi­ness, to bring it into the king's trea­suries. 10 And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hamme­datha the Agagite, the Jews' en­e­my. 11 And the king said unto Haman, The sil­ver is giv­en to thee, the peo­ple al­so, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee. 12 Then were the king's scribes called on the thir­teenth day of the first month, and there was writ­ten ac­cord­ing to all that Haman had com­mand­ed unto the king's lieu­tenants, and to the gov­er­nors that were over ev­ery province, and to the rulers of ev­ery peo­ple of ev­ery province ac­cord­ing to the writ­ing there­of, and to ev­ery peo­ple af­ter their lan­guage; in the name of king Aha­suerus was it writ­ten, and sealed with the king's ring. 13 And the let­ters were sent by posts into all the king's provinces, to de­stroy, to kill, and to cause to per­ish, all Jews, both young and old, lit­tle chil­dren and wom­en, in one day, even upon the thir­teenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and ­to take the spoil of them for a prey. 14 The copy of the writ­ing for a com­mand­ment to be giv­en in ev­ery province was pub­lished unto all peo­ple, that they should be ready against that day. 15 The posts went out, be­ing has­tened by the king's com­mand­ment, and the de­cree was giv­en in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city Shushan was per­plexed.