rd

Esther 9

1 At the commandement of the King the Iewes put their aduerſaries to death. 14 The ten ſonnes of Hamán are hanged. 17 The Iewes kepe a feaſt in remembrance of their deliuerance.
1.SO in the twelft moneth, which is the moneth Adár, vpon the thirtent day of the ſame, when the Kings commī- dement and his decree drewe nere to be put in execution, in the day that the enemies of the Iewes hoped to haue power ouer them (but it turned contrary: for the Iewes had rule ouer them that hated them)
2.The Iewes gathered thē ſelues together into their cities throughout all the prouinces of the King Ahaſhueroſh, to laye hand on ſuche as ſoght their hurt, and no man colde withſtande them: for the feare of them fell vpon all people.
3.And all the rulers of the prouinces, & the princes and the captaines, and the officers of the King exalted the Iewes: for the feare of Mordecai fell vpon them.
4.For Mordecai was great in the Kigs houſe, and the reporte of him went through all the prouinces: for this man Mordecai waxed greater and greater.
5.Thus the Iewes ſmote all their enemies with ſtrokes of the ſworde and ſlaughter, and deſtruction, and did what they wolde vnto thoſe that hated them.
6.And at Shuſhán the palace ſlewe ye Iewes and deſtroyed fiue hundreth men,
7.And Parſhandátha, and Dalphón, and Aſpátha,
8.And Porátha, and Adaliá, and Aridátha,
9.And Parmáſhta, and Ariſái, and Aridái, and Vaiezátha,
10.The ten ſonnes of Hamán, the ſonne of Ammedátha, the aduerſarie of the Iewes ſlewe they: but they layed not their hāds on the ſpoyle.
11.On the ſame day came the nomber of thoſe that were ſlayne, vnto the palace of Shuſhán before the King.
12.And the King ſaid vnto the Quene Eſtér, The Iewes haue ſlayne in Shuſhán the palace and deſtroyed fiue hundreth men, and the ten ſonnes of Hamán: what haue they done in the reſt of the Kings prouinces? and what is thy peticion, that it may be giuen thee? or what is thy requeſt moreouer, that it may be performed?
13.Then ſaid Eſtér, If it pleaſe the King, let it be granted alſo tomorowe to the Iewes that are in Shuſhán, to do according vnto this dayes decree, that they may hang vpon the tre Hamans ten ſonnes.
14.And the King charged to do ſo, and the decree was giuen at Shuſhán, and they hāged Hamans ten ſonnes.
15.¶ So the Iewes that were in Shuſhán, aſſembled them ſelues vpon the fourtent day of the moneth Adár, and ſlewe thre hūdreth men in Shuſhán, but on the ſpoile they layed not their hand.
16.And the reſt of the Iewes that were in the Kings prouinces aſſembled thē ſelues, and ſtode for their liues, and had reſt from their enemies, & ſlewe of them that hated them, ſeuentie and fyue thouſand: but they layed not their hād on the ſpoile.
17.This they did on the thirtente day of the moneth Adar, and reſted the fourtéte day thereof, and kept it a daye of feaſting and ioye.
18.But the Iewes that were in Shuſhán, aſſembled them ſelues on the thirtēte day, & on the fourtente thereof, & thei reſted on the fiftente of the ſame, & kept it a day of feaſting and ioye.
19.Therefore the Iewes of the villages that dwelt in the vnwalled townes, kept the fourtente day of the moneth Adar with ioye and feaſting, euen a ioyful day, and euerie one ſent preſents vnto his neighbour.
20.¶ And Mordecái wrote theſe wordes, and ſent letters vnto all the Iewes that were through all the prouinces of the King Ahaſhueróſh, bothe nere and farre,
21.Inioyning them that they ſhulde kepe the fourtente day of the moneth Adár, and the fiftente day of the ſame, euerie yere.
22.According to the dayes wherein the Iewes reſted from their enemies, and the moneth which was turned vnto them frō ſorow to ioye, and from mourning into a ioyful day, to kepe them the dayes of feaſting, and ioye, and to ſend preſents euerie man to his neighbour, and gyftes to the poore.
23.And the Iewes promiſed to do as they had begonne, and as Mordecái had writen vnto them,
24.Becauſe Haman the ſonne of Hammedátha the Agagite all the Iewes aduerſarie, had imagined againſt the Iewes, to deſtroye them, & had caſt Pur (that is a lot) to conſume and deſtroye them.
25.And whé ſhe came before the King, he cōmanded by letters, Let his wicked deuiſe (which he imagined againſt y Iewes) turne vpon his owne head, and let them hang him and his ſonnes on the tre.
26.Therefore they called theſe dayes Purím, by the name of Pur, and becauſe of all the wordes of this lettre, and of that which they had ſene beſides this, & of that which had come vnto them.
27.The Iewes alſo ordeined, and promiſed for them and for their ſede, and for all that ioyned vnto them, that they wolde not faile to obſerue thoſe two dayes euerie yere, according to their writing, and according to their ſeaſon,
28.And that theſe dayes ſhulde be remembred, and kept throughout euerie generation and euerie familie, and euerie prouince, and euerie citie: euen theſe dayes of Purím ſhulde not faile among the Iewes, and the memorial of them ſhulde not periſh from their ſede.
29.And y Quene Eſtér the daughter of Abihail & Mordecái the Iewe wrote with all autoritie (to cōfirme this letter of Purím the ſeconde time)
30.And he ſent letters vnto all the Iewes to the hundreth and ſeuen and twentie prouinces of the kingdome of Ahaſhueróſh, with wordes of peace and trueth,
31.To confirme theſe dayes of Purím according to their ſeaſons, as Mordecái the Iewe and Eſtér the Quene had appointed them, and as they had promiſed for them ſelues and for their ſede with faſting and prayer.
32.And the decree of Eſtér confirmed theſe wordes of Purím, & was writen in the boke.

Notes

1:a.
This was by Gods great prouidence, who turneth ye ioye of the wicked into ſorow, & the teares of the godlie into gladnes.
3:b.
Did thē honour, & ſhewed thē friendſhip.
5:c.
Which had cōſpired their death by the permiſsion of the wicked Hamán.
6:d.
Beſides thoſe thre hundreth yt they ſlewe the ſeconde day, as verſ. 15.
10:e.
Whereby they declared, that this was Gods iuſt iudgement vpon ye enemies of his Church, foraſmuch as they ſoght not their owne gaine, but to execute his vengeance.
13:f.
That ſhe requireth not for deſire of vengeance, but w zeale to ſe Gods iudgemēts executed againſt his enemies
16:g.
Read Chap. 8.11
16:h.
Meaning y they laied hādes on none, y were not the enemies of God
17:i.
Meaning, in all places ſauing in Shuſhán.
19:k.
As y Iewes do, euē to this day. calling it in the Perſians language Purim, that is the day of lots
20:l.
The Iewes gather hereof that Mord. cái wrote this ſtorie, but it ſemeth that he wrote but onely theis letters, and decrees that followe.
22:m.
He ſetteth before our eies the vſe of this feaſt, which was for the remembrance of Gods deliuerāce, the maintenance of mutual frīeſhip, and relief of the poore.
24:n.
Read Chap 3.7.
25:o.
That is, Eſtér.
25:p.
Theſe are y wordes of the Kings commademēt to diſanull Hamans wicked enterpriſe.
27:".
Or, trāſgreſſe
27:q.
Meaning the fourtente, and the fiftēte day of the moneth Adár
29:".
Or, ſtrength, & efficacie.
30:r.
Which were letters declaring vnto thē quietnes, and aſſurance and putting them out of doute and feare
31:s.
That they wolde obſerue this feaſt with faſting, & earneſt prayer, which in Ebrewe is ſignified by this worde (tataácryt)