1 After these events, King Xerxes honored Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, elevating him and giving him a seat of honor higher than that of all the other nobles.2 All the royal officials at the king's gate knelt down and paid honor to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.3 Then the royal officials at the king's gate asked Mordecai, "Why do you disobey the king's command?"4 Day after day they spoke to him but he refused to comply. Therefore they told Haman about it to see whether Mordecai's behavior would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew.5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor, he was enraged.6 Yet having learned who Mordecai's people were, he scorned the idea of killing only Mordecai. Instead Haman looked for a way to destroy all Mordecai's people, the Jews, throughout the whole kingdom of Xerxes.7 In the twelfth year of King Xerxes, in the first month, the month of Nisan, they cast the pur (that is, the lot) in the presence of Haman to select a day and month. And the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar.8 Then Haman said to King Xerxes, "There is a certain people dispersed and scattered among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom whose customs are different from those of all other people and who do not obey the king's laws; it is not in the king's best interest to tolerate them.9 If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will put ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury for the men who carry out this business."10 So the king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.11 "Keep the money," the king said to Haman, "and do with the people as you please."12 Then on the thirteenth day of the first month the royal secretaries were summoned. They wrote out in the script of each province and in the language of each people all Haman's orders to the king's satraps, the governors of the various provinces and the nobles of the various peoples. These were written in the name of King Xerxes himself and sealed with his own ring.13 Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king's provinces with the order to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews-young and old, women and little children-on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.14 A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so they would be ready for that day.15 Spurred on by the king's command, the couriers went out, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was bewildered.

1 بعد هذه الأمور عظّم الملك احشويروش هامان بن همداثا الاجاجي ورقّاه وجعل كرسيه فوق جميع الرؤساء الذين معه.2 فكان كل عبيد الملك الذين بباب الملك يجثون ويسجدون لهامان لانه هكذا اوصى به الملك. واما مردخاي فلم يجث ولم يسجد.3 فقال عبيد الملك الذين بباب الملك لمردخاي لماذا تتعدّى امر الملك.4 واذ كانوا يكلمونه يوما فيوما ولم يكن يسمع لهم اخبروا هامان ليروا هل يقوم كلام مردخاي لانه اخبرهم بانه يهودي.5 ولما رأى هامان ان مردخاي لا يجثو ولا يسجد له امتلأ هامان غضبا.6 وازدري في عينيه ان يمد يده الى مردخاي وحده لانهم اخبروه عن شعب مردخاي فطلب هامان ان يهلك جميع اليهود الذين في كل مملكة احشويروش شعب مردخاي7 في الشهر الاول اي شهر نيسان في السنة الثانية عشرة للملك احشويروش كانوا يلقون فورا اي قرعة امام هامان من يوم الى يوم ومن شهر الى شهر الى الثاني عشر اي شهر اذار.8 فقال هامان للملك احشويروش انه موجود شعب ما متشتت ومتفرق بين الشعوب في كل بلاد مملكتك وسننهم مغايرة لجميع الشعوب وهم لا يعملون سنن الملك فلا يليق بالملك تركهم.9 فاذا حسن عند الملك فليكتب ان يبادوا وانا ازن عشرة آلاف وزنة من الفضة في ايدي الذين يعملون العمل ليؤتى بها الى خزائن الملك.10 فنزع الملك خاتمه من يده واعطاه لهامان بن همداثا الاجاجي عدو اليهود.11 وقال الملك لهامان الفضة قد أعطيت لك والشعب ايضا لتفعل به ما يحسن في عينيك12 فدعي كتّاب الملك في الشهر الاول في اليوم الثالث عشر منه وكتب حسب كل ما أمر به هامان الى مرازبة الملك والى ولاة بلاد فبلاد والى رؤساء شعب فشعب كل بلاد ككتابتها وكل شعب كلسانه كتب باسم الملك احشويروش وختم بخاتم الملك13 وأرسلت الكتابات بيد السعاة الى كل بلدان الملك لاهلاك وقتل وابادة جميع اليهود من الغلام الى الشيخ والاطفال والنساء في يوم واحد في الثالث عشر من الشهر الثاني عشر اي شهر اذار وان يسلبوا غنيمتهم.14 صورة الكتابة المعطاة سنّة في كل البلدان أشهرت بين جميع الشعوب ليكونوا مستعدين لهذا اليوم.15 فخرج السعاة وأمر الملك يحثّهم وأعطي الامر في شوشن القصر. وجلس الملك وهامان للشرب واما المدينة شوشن فارتبكت