1 No duodécimo mês, que é o de Adar, no dia treze do mês, data em que entrava em vigor a ordem e o edito do rei, no mesmo dia em que os inimigos dos judeus contavam fazer-lhes mal, aconteceu tudo ao contrário, e os judeus dominaram seus inimigos.
2 Estavam reunidos em suas respectivas cidades, em todas as províncias do rei Assuero para levantarem a mão contra aqueles que desejavam sua perda. Ninguém pôde resistir-lhes, porque o terror se tinha apoderado de todos os povos.
3 Todos os senhores das províncias, os sátrapas, os governadores, os funcionários do rei tomaram o partido dos judeus, por temor de Mardoqueu.
4 Porque este ocupava um alto lugar no palácio real e sua fama se espalhava em todas as províncias, onde sua influência não cessava de crescer.
5 Os judeus, pois, feriram todos os seus inimigos a golpes de espada: massacre e extermínio de seus opressores, aos quais trataram como quiseram.
6 Em Susa, na capital, mataram quinhentos homens.
7 Fizeram igualmente perecer Farsandata, Delfon, Esfata,
8 Forata, Adalia, Aridata,
9 Fermesta, Arisai, Aridai e Jesata,
10 os dez filhos de Amã, filho de Amedata, o opressor dos judeus. Mas se abstiveram de toda pilhagem.
11 Nesse mesmo dia fizeram conhecer ao rei o número das vítimas em Susa, a capital.
12 E o rei disse a Ester: Em Susa, na capital, os judeus mataram quinhentos homens e os dez filhos de Amã. Que não terão feito nas outras províncias do rei! {Entretanto}, tens ainda algum pedido? Ser-te-á concedido. Tens algum desejo? Será satisfeito.
13 Se parecer bem ao rei, respondeu Ester, seja permitido ainda amanhã, aos judeus de Susa, agir conforme ao decreto de hoje, e que se suspendam numa forca os dez filhos de Amã.
14 O rei deu ordem para que assim se fizesse. O edito foi publicado em Susa e suspenderam na forca os dez filhos de Amã.
15 Os judeus de Susa se reuniram de novo no dia quatorze do mês de Adar, e mataram na cidade trezentos homens, sem entretanto dar-se à pilhagem.
16 Os outros judeus que estavam disseminados pelas províncias do rei se juntaram para defender suas vidas e se pôr a salvo dos ataques de seus inimigos. Massacraram setenta e cinco mil, sem entretanto entregar-se à pilhagem.
17 Era o dia treze do mês de Adar. No dia quatorze repousaram e fizeram um dia de banquete de alegria.
18 Quanto aos judeus de Susa, que se juntaram no dia treze e catorze do mesmo mês, repousaram no dia quinze, fazendo-o um dia de alegre banquete
19 Eis por que os judeus do campo, que habitam nas cidades não fortificadas, fazem no dia catorze do mês de Adar, um dia de festa com banquetes de alegria, dia em que mandam presentes uns aos outros.
20 Mardoqueu consignou por escrito todos esses acontecimentos. Enviou cartas a todos os judeus das províncias do rei Assuero, próximas ou longínquas,
21 para lhes ordenar que celebrassem cada ano o dia catorze e o dia quinze do mês de Adar,
22 como sendo dias em que tinham sido postos a salvo dos ataques de seus inimigos, e mês em que sua angústia tinha sido trocada em alegria e sua dor em felicidade. Deviam, pois, nesses dias oferecer alegres banquetes, dar-se presentes e praticar generosidade com os pobres.
23 Os judeus erigiram em costume o que tinham feito na primeira vez e o que Mardoqueu lhes tinha mandado.
24 Porque Amã, filho de Amedata, o agagita, o opressor dos judeus, tinha resolvido perdê-los, e lançado {contra eles} o pur, isto é, a sorte, para exterminá-los e destruí-los.
25 Mas quando Ester se apresentou diante do rei, este ordenou por escrito que a perversa maquinação, tramada contra os judeus, recaísse sobre a cabeça de seu autor e que este e seus filhos fossem suspensos à forca.
26 É por isso que se chamam esses dias Purim, da palavra pur. Assim, conforme o conteúdo dessa carta, conforme o que eles mesmos tinham visto e o que lhes tinha acontecido,
27 os judeus instituíram e estabeleceram para si, para sua posteridade e para seus adeptos, o costume irrevogável de celebrar anualmente esses dois dias, segundo a forma prescrita e no tempo marcado.
28 Esses dias deviam ser recordados e celebrados de geração em geração, em cada família, em cada província e em cada cidade. Jamais poderiam ser abolidos esses dias dos Purim entre os judeus, nem sua recordação se apagar entre seus descendentes.
29 A rainha Ester, filha de Abigail, e o judeu Mardoqueu escreveram uma segunda vez com insistência para confirmar a carta sobre os Purim.
30 Depois enviaram a todos os judeus das cento e vinte e sete províncias do rei Assuero cartas com palavras de paz,
31 e a recomendação de celebrarem fielmente esses dias dos Purim no tempo marcado, como o judeu Mardoqueu e a rainha Ester os tinham instituído, e como eles tinham estabelecido, tanto para si mesmos, como para seus descendentes, com os jejuns e as lamentações.
32 Desse modo, a ordem de Ester confirmou a instituição dos Purim, e tudo isso foi consignado num livro.
1 Now on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, when the time came for the king's order to be put into effect, on the very day when the haters of the Jews had been hoping to have rule over them; though the opposite had come about, and the Jews had rule over their haters;
2 On that day, the Jews came together in their towns through all the divisions of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, for the purpose of attacking all those who were attempting evil against them: and everyone had to give way before them, for the fear of them had come on all the peoples.
3 And all the chiefs and the captains and the rulers and those who did the king's business gave support to the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai had come on them.
4 For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and word of him went out through every part of the kingdom: for the man Mordecai became greater and greater.
5 So the Jews overcame all their attackers with the sword and with death and destruction, and did to their haters whatever they had a desire to do.
6 And in Shushan the Jews put to death five hundred men.
7 They put to death Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,
8 Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
9 Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha,
10 The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the hater of the Jews; but they put not a hand on any of their goods.
11 On that day the number of those who had been put to death in the town of Shushan was given to the king.
12 And the king said to Esther the queen, The Jews have put five hundred men to death in Shushan, as well as the ten sons of Haman: what then have they done in the rest of the kingdom! Now what is your prayer? for it will be given to you; what other request have you? and it will be done.
13 Then Esther said, If it is the king's pleasure, let authority be given to the Jews in Shushan to do tomorrow as has been done today, and let orders be given for the hanging of Haman's ten sons.
14 And the king said that this was to be done, and the order was given out in Shushan, and the hanging of Haman's ten sons was effected.
15 For the Jews who were in Shushan came together again on the fourteenth day of the month Adar and put to death three hundred men in Shushan; but they put not a hand on their goods.
16 And the other Jews in every division of the kingdom came together, fighting for their lives, and got salvation from their haters and put seventy-five thousand of them to death; but they did not put a hand on their goods.
17 This they did on the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same month they took their rest, and made it a day of feasting and joy.
18 But the Jews in Shushan came together on the thirteenth and on the fourteenth day of the month; and on the fifteenth day they took their rest, and made it a day of feasting and joy.
19 So the Jews of the country places living in unwalled towns make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of feasting and joy and a good day, a day for sending offerings one to another.
20 And Mordecai sent letters to all the Jews in every division of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, near and far,
21 Ordering them to keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar and the fifteenth day of the same month, every year,
22 As days on which the Jews had rest from their haters, and the month which for them was turned from sorrow to joy, and from weeping to a good day: and that they were to keep them as days of feasting and joy, of sending offerings to one another and good things to the poor.
23 And the Jews gave their word to go on as they had been doing and as Mordecai had given them orders in writing;
24 Because Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the hater of all the Jews, had made designs for their destruction, attempting to get a decision by Pur (that is, chance) with a view to putting an end to them and cutting them off;
25 But when the business was put before the king, he gave orders by letters that the evil design which he had made against the Jews was to be turned against himself; and that he and his sons were to be put to death by hanging.
26 So these days were named Purim, after the name of Pur. And so, because of the words of this letter, and of what they had seen in connection with this business, and what had come to them,
27 The Jews made a rule and gave an undertaking, causing their seed and all those who were joined to them to do the same, so that it might be in force for ever, that they would keep those two days, as ordered in the letter, at the fixed time every year;
28 And that those days were to be kept in memory through every generation and every family, in every division of the kingdom and every town, that there might never be a time when these days of Purim would not be kept among the Jews, or when the memory of them would go from the minds of their seed.
29 Then Esther the queen, daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, sent a second letter giving the force of their authority to the order about the Purim.
30 And he sent letters to all the Jews in the hundred and twenty-seven divisions of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with true words of peace,
31 Giving the force of law to these days of Purim at their fixed times, as they had been ordered by Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen, and in keeping with the rules they had made for themselves and their seed, in connection with their time of going without food and their cry for help.
32 The order given by Esther gave the force of law to the rules about the Purim; and it was recorded in the book.