The Jews defeat their enemies
1It was in the 12th month, the month of Adar, on the 13th day of the month. They told all the people what the king had decided. The enemies of the Jews hoped that they would defeat the Jews on that day, but it did not happen. The Jews attacked those people who hated them and the Jews defeated them. 2The Jews came together in the towns of all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. They attacked those people who wanted them to suffer and no one could stop the Jews because all the people were afraid of them. 3All the officials in the provinces, the officers, the chief_officials and governors, everyone who worked for the king, helped the Jews because they were afraid of Mordecai. 4It was because Mordecai had become a very important man in the palace. The people in all the provinces knew about him and Mordecai became more important.
5The Jews attacked their enemies and killed them all. They did what they wanted with the people who hated them. 6In the city of Susa the Jews killed 500 people. 7-10They also killed the 10 sons of Haman. Their names were Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai and Vaizatha. Haman was the son of Hammedatha. He was an enemy of the Jews. But the Jews did not take anything that belonged to their enemies. 11When they told the king how many people had died in Susa that day, 12he said to Queen Esther: ‘The Jews have killed 500 people here in the city of Susa and the 10 sons of Haman. How many of their enemies did they kill in the other provinces? Is there anything else you want me to do? Just tell me and I will do it for you.’ 13Esther answered: ‘Your_Majesty, if you think it is right, then please tell the Jews in Susa that they may do the same tomorrow as they did today. And please hang the 10 sons of Haman on poles.’
14The king said it was right and they told the people in Susa what he had decided. They hung the bodies of the 10 sons of Haman on poles. 15The Jews in Susa also came together on the 14th day of the month of Adar and they killed another 300 people in Susa. But they did not take the things that belonged to their enemies.
16The Jews in the other provinces of the king also came together to defend themselves. They defeated all their enemies and they killed 75 000 people who hated them. But they did not take anything that belonged to their enemies. 17This happened on the 13th day of the month of Adar. On the 14th day they rested and they decided to celebrate on that day and they were very happy.
The Purim-feast
18The Jews in the city of Susa came together on the 13th and the 14th day of that month and they rested on the 15th day. They decided to celebrate on the 15th day and they were very happy on that day. 19That is why the Jews who live in the towns far from the big cities celebrate the feast on the 14th day. Every year on this day they have a holiday and they send food and gifts to each other.
20Mordecai wrote down everything and he sent letters to the Jews in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. He sent letters to the Jews who were near the city and the Jews who were far away. 21Mordecai told them to celebrate this feast on the 14th and on the 15th day of the month of Adar every year. 22The Jews had to remember that on those 2 days they had defeated their enemies. They also had to remember that this was the month when they would have been sad and would have mourned, but everything had changed so that they could be happy and celebrate. He told them to send gifts and food to each other and to poor people. 23The Jews did what Mordecai had written in his letters and they celebrated the feast every year to remember what had happened. They did not stop doing it.
24They remembered that Haman, son of Hammedatha, a descendant of Agag, was the enemy of the Jews. He had wanted to kill all the Jews and he threw_the_pur, which means he drew_lots to find out which day would be the best to kill the Jews. 25But then Esther had gone to the king and the king had made another law. He had said they must not kill the Jews, but they must kill Haman. Then they had hanged Haman and his sons on poles. 26That is why they named this feast the Purim-feast, because they threw_the_pur, which means they drew_lots. The Jews celebrated the feast on this day because this is what Mordecai had told them in the letters that he had written and because of what had happened to them. 27The Jews decided that they, their descendants and everyone who became a Jew would always celebrate that feast on those days. 28Every generation, every family, the people in every province and in every town would always celebrate on those days. The Jews and their descendants would never forget those days of the Purim-feast.
29Queen Esther, daughter of Abigail, and the Jew Mordecai, wrote a 2nd letter and told all the Jews what they had to do at the Purim-feast. 30Mordecai sent the letters to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of King Ahasuerus. He wrote that he wanted them to be safe and to have peace. 31He also said that the Jews had to celebrate those 2 days of the Purim-feast at the right time as he, Queen Esther and the Jews, themselves, had decided. He said their descendants should also do it and Mordecai told the Jews how they had to fast and mourn. 32Esther decided how they should celebrate the Purim-feast and they wrote it in a book.
