June 10th Esther 8
C. The Battle is won
The Jews victorious
1:
On that day did the king Ahasuerus give the house of Haman the Jews'
enemy unto Esther the queen. And Mordecai came before the king; for
Esther had told what he was unto her. 2:
And the king took off his ring, which he had taken from Haman, and
gave it unto Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of
Haman. 3:
And Esther spake yet again before the king, and fell down at his
feet, and besought him with tears to put away the mischief of Haman
the Agagite, and his device that he had devised against the Jews. 4:
Then the king held out the golden sceptre toward Esther. So Esther
arose, and stood before the king, 5:
And said, If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his
sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in
his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman
the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews
which are in all the king's provinces: 6:
For how can I endure to see the evil that shall come unto my people?
or how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred? 7:
Then the king Ahasuerus said unto Esther the queen and to Mordecai
the Jew, Behold, I have given Esther the house of Haman, and him they
have hanged upon the gallows, because he laid his hand upon the Jews.
8:
Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king's name, and
seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written in the
king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse. 9:
Then were the king's scribes called at that time in the third month,
that is, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth day thereof; and
it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the
Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the
provinces which are from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and
seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing
thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews
according to their writing, and according to their language. 10:
And he wrote in the king Ahasuerus' name, and sealed it with the
king's ring, and sent letters by posts on horseback, and riders on
mules, camels, and young dromedaries: 11:
Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in every city to gather
themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to
slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and
province that would assault them, both little ones and women, and to
take the spoil of them for a prey, 12:
Upon one day in all the provinces of king Ahasuerus, namely, upon the
thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar. 13:
The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every
province was published unto all people, and that the Jews should be
ready against that day to avenge themselves on their enemies. 14:
So the posts that rode upon mules and camels went out, being hastened
and pressed on by the king's commandment. And the decree was given at
Shushan the palace. 15:
And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel
of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment
of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was
glad.
D.
The Celebrations begin The Feast of Purim instituted
16:
The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honour. 17:
And in every province, and in every city, whithersoever the king's
commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a
feast and a good day. And many of the people of the land became Jews;
for the fear of the Jews fell upon them.
Esther 9
1:
Now in the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar, on the thirteenth
day of the same, when the king's commandment and his decree drew near
to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Jews hoped
to have power over them, (though it was turned to the contrary, that
the Jews had rule over them that hated them;) 2:
The Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all
the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, to lay hand on such as sought
their hurt: and no man could withstand them; for the fear of them
fell upon all people. 3:
And all the rulers of the provinces, and the lieutenants, and the
deputies, and officers of the king, helped the Jews; because the fear
of Mordecai fell upon them. 4:
For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went out
throughout all the provinces: for this man Mordecai waxed greater and
greater. 5:
Thus the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword,
and slaughter, and destruction, and did what they would unto those
that hated them. 6:
And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred
men. 7:
And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha, 8:
And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha, 9:
And Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vajezatha, 10:
The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews,
slew they; but on the spoil laid they not their hand. 11:
On that day the number of those that were slain in Shushan the palace
was brought before the king. 12:
And the king said unto Esther the queen, The Jews have slain and
destroyed five hundred men in Shushan the palace, and the ten sons of
Haman; what have they done in the rest of the king's provinces? now
what is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: or what is thy
request further? and it shall be done. 13:
Then said Esther, If it please the king, let it be granted to the
Jews which are in Shushan to do tomorrow also according unto this
day's decree, and let Haman's ten sons be hanged upon the gallows.
14:
And the king commanded it so to be done: and the decree was given at
Shushan; and they hanged Haman's ten sons. 15:
For the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the
fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men at
Shushan; but on the prey they laid not their hand. 16:
But the other Jews that were in the king's provinces gathered
themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from
their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but
they laid not their hands on the prey, 17:
On the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of
the same rested they, and made it a day of feasting and gladness. 18:
But the Jews that were at Shushan assembled together on the
thirteenth day thereof; and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the
fifteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting
and gladness. 19:
Therefore the Jews of the villages, that dwelt in the unwalled towns,
made the fourteenth day of the month Adar a day of gladness and
feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another. 20:
And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews
that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and
far, 21:
To stablish this among them, that they should keep the fourteenth day
of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly, 22:
As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies, and the month
which was turned unto them from sorrow to joy, and from mourning into
a good day: that they should make them days of feasting and joy, and
of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor. 23:
And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had
written unto them; 24:
Because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all
the Jews, had devised against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast
Pur, that is, the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them; 25:
But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters that
his wicked device, which he devised against the Jews, should return
upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the
gallows. 26:
Wherefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur.
Therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they
had seen concerning this matter, and which had come unto them, 27:
The Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon
all such as joined themselves unto them, so as it should not fail,
that they would keep these two days according to their writing, and
according to their appointed time every year; 28:
And that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every
generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that
these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the
memorial of them perish from their seed. 29:
Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew,
wrote with all authority, to confirm this second letter of Purim. 30:
And he sent the letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and
seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and
truth, 31:
To confirm these days of Purim in their times appointed, according as
Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they
had decreed for themselves and for their seed, the matters of the
fastings and their cry. 32:
And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was
written in the book.
Esther 10 Mordecai exalted
1:
And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and upon the
isles of the sea. 2:
And all the acts of his power and of his might, and the declaration
of the greatness of Mordecai, whereunto the king advanced him, are
they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media
and Persia? 3:
For Mordecai the Jew was next unto king Ahasuerus, and great among
the Jews, and accepted of the multitude of his brethren, seeking the
wealth of his people, and speaking peace to all his seed.
And so we come to
the end of this fascinating story. It has dealt with issues of state
in the biggest empire that had ever existed up until that time and
the thread of the story had hung on a word and a glance. An overheard
plot and the courage of a young woman and the faithfulness of a
mature man. The Jews had finally won out and the most evil plots of
the most wicked of men is discovered and completely foiled. This
story became the focus of great celebrations and in fact it became a
yearly celebration. And the greatest empire in the world had a Jew
next to the king and a faithful Jew as Prime minister. We read that
all the goods of Haman were given as a gift to Esther and Mordecai
became the greatest statesman in the empire. But the battle was not
over; Haman had set a train of events in motion that were difficult
to stop. So Esther went and fell at the king’s feet to beg that he
act to stop the bloodshed. So the king gave Esther and Mordecai
permission to write letters to counteract the commands of the evil
letters. The Jews were given permission to defend themselves as a
group in every province and the letters were sent out in every
language. Not only was Mordecai honoured but the Jews were honoured
in every city and country. And there was a great conversion of
Gentiles to Judaism. The fear of the LORD fell on the people and none
would raise up their hand against the Jews. The Jews took up arms
against their enemies and Haman’s ten sons were executed. When the
king heard of the executions even 500 in the palace of Shushan. He
asked Esther what else he could give her. Esther asked that Haman’s
sons be hanged on the gallows and the Jews executed 300 who set
themselves against the Jews. Then the Jews made a great celebration
and established it as a feast to be remembered forever. The feast of
Purim. It was celebrated on the 14th
day of Adar. This was the time when their sorrow and mourning was
turned into joy and gladness. Mordecai became next only to the King
and was like Joseph in his position and greatness.
- How was the battle for Israel finally won?
- How did the Jews remember this great deliverance?
- How did the Lord honour Mordecai?
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