After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the
son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all
the officials who were with him. And all the king's servants who
were at the king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for
the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai did not bow
down or pay homage. Then the king's servants who were at the king's
gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress the king's command?”
And when they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to
them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai's words
would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew. And when Haman
saw that Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was
filled with fury. But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone.
So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman
sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout
the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.
In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth
year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur (that is, they cast lots)
before Haman day after day; and they cast it month after month till
the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. Then Haman said to
King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered abroad and
dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom.
Their laws are different from those of every other people, and they
do not keep the king's laws, so that it is not to the king's profit
to tolerate them. If it please the king, let it be decreed that
they be destroyed, and I will pay 10,000 talents of silver into the
hands of those who have charge of the king's business, that they
may put it into the king's treasuries.” So the king took his signet
ring from his hand and gave it to Haman the Agagite, the son of
Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews. And the king said to Haman, “The
money is given to you, the people also, to do with them as it seems
good to you.”
Then the king's scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of
the first month, and an edict, according to all that Haman
commanded, was written to the king's satraps and to the governors
over all the provinces and to the officials of all the peoples, to
every province in its own script and every people in its own
language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed
with the king's signet ring. Letters were sent by couriers to all
the king's provinces with instruction to destroy, to kill, and to
annihilate all Jews, young and old, women and children, in one day,
the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of
Adar, and to plunder their goods. A copy of the document was to be
issued as a decree in every province by proclamation to all the
peoples to be ready for that day. The couriers went out hurriedly
by order of the king, and the decree was issued in Susa the
citadel. And the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of
Susa was thrown into confusion.
