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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Esther 8 GNT</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/esther/8.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/esther/8-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">GNT</a> > Esther 8</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../esther/7.htm" title="Esther 7">◄</a> Esther 8 <a href="../esther/9.htm" title="Esther 9">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Good News Translation</div><div class="chap"><h3 class="s">The Jews Are Told to Fight Back</h3><p class="par"><span class="v17_8_1"><span class="reftext" id="Esth.8.1" class="v17_8_1">1</span>That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther all the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. Esther told the king that Mordecai was related to her, and from then on Mordecai was allowed to enter the king's presence. </span><span class="v17_8_2"><span class="reftext" id="Esth.8.2" class="v17_8_2">2</span>The king took off his ring with his seal on it (which he had taken back from Haman) and gave it to Mordecai. Esther put Mordecai in charge of Haman's property.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v17_8_3"><span class="reftext" id="Esth.8.3" class="v17_8_3">3</span>Then Esther spoke to the king again, throwing herself at his feet and crying. She begged him to do something to stop the evil plot that Haman, the descendant of Agag,<a href="#fn" id="link_Esth.8.3!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> had made against the Jews. </span><span class="v17_8_4"><span class="reftext" id="Esth.8.4" class="v17_8_4">4</span>The king held out the gold scepter to her, so she stood up and said, </span><span class="v17_8_5"><span class="reftext" id="Esth.8.5" class="v17_8_5">5</span>“If it please Your Majesty, and if you care about me and if it seems right to you, please issue a proclamation to keep Haman's orders from being carried out—those orders that the son of Hammedatha the descendant of Agag gave for the destruction of all the Jews in the empire. </span><span class="v17_8_6"><span class="reftext" id="Esth.8.6" class="v17_8_6">6</span>How can I endure it if this disaster comes on my people, and my own relatives are killed?”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v17_8_7"><span class="reftext" id="Esth.8.7" class="v17_8_7">7</span>King Xerxes then said to Queen Esther and Mordecai, the Jew, “Look, I have hanged Haman for his plot against the Jews, and I have given Esther his property. </span><span class="v17_8_8"><span class="reftext" id="Esth.8.8" class="v17_8_8">8</span>But a proclamation issued in the king's name and stamped with the royal seal cannot be revoked. You may, however, write to the Jews whatever you like; and you may write it in my name and stamp it with the royal seal.”</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v17_8_9"><span class="reftext" id="Esth.8.9" class="v17_8_9">9</span>This happened on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan. Mordecai called the king's secretaries and dictated letters to the Jews and to the governors, administrators, and officials of all the 127 provinces from India to Ethiopia.<a href="#fn" id="link_Esth.8.9!f.1" class="notelink f-link"><span>+</span></a> The letters were written to each province in its own language and system of writing and to the Jews in their language and system of writing. </span><span class="v17_8_10"><span class="reftext" id="Esth.8.10" class="v17_8_10">10</span>Mordecai had the letters written in the name of King Xerxes, and he stamped them with the royal seal. They were delivered by riders mounted on fast horses from the royal stables.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v17_8_11"><span class="reftext" id="Esth.8.11" class="v17_8_11">11</span>These letters explained that the king would allow the Jews in every city to organize for self-defense. If armed men of any nationality in any province attacked the Jewish men, their children, or their women, the Jews could fight back and destroy the attackers; they could slaughter them to the last man and take their possessions. </span><span class="v17_8_12"><span class="reftext" id="Esth.8.12" class="v17_8_12">12</span>This decree was to take effect throughout the Persian Empire on the day set for the slaughter of the Jews, the thirteenth of Adar, the twelfth month. </span><span class="v17_8_13"><span class="reftext" id="Esth.8.13" class="v17_8_13">13</span>It was to be proclaimed as law and made known to everyone in every province, so that the Jews would be ready to take revenge on their enemies when that day came. </span><span class="v17_8_14"><span class="reftext" id="Esth.8.14" class="v17_8_14">14</span>At the king's command the riders mounted royal horses and rode off at top speed. The decree was also made public in Susa, the capital city.</span></p><p class="par"><span class="v17_8_15"><span class="reftext" id="Esth.8.15" class="v17_8_15">15</span>Mordecai left the palace, wearing royal robes of blue and white, a cloak of fine purple linen, and a magnificent gold crown. Then the streets of Susa rang with cheers and joyful shouts. </span><span class="v17_8_16"><span class="reftext" id="Esth.8.16" class="v17_8_16">16</span>For the Jews there was joy and relief, happiness and a sense of victory. </span><span class="v17_8_17"><span class="reftext" id="Esth.8.17" class="v17_8_17">17</span>In every city and province, wherever the king's proclamation was read, the Jews held a joyful holiday with feasting and happiness. In fact, many other people became Jews, because they were afraid of them now.</span></p><a name="fn"></a><br /><br /><br /><b>Footnotes:<br /><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">8.3: </char><char style="fk" closed="false">Agag: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">See 3.1.</char></note><br /><note caller="+" style="f"><char style="fr" closed="false">8.9: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Hebrew </char><char style="fq" closed="false">Cush: </char><char style="ft" closed="false">Cush is the ancient name of the extensive territory south of the First Cataract of the Nile River. This region was called Ethiopia in Graeco-Roman times, and included within its borders most of modern Sudan and some of present-day Ethiopia (Abyssinia).</char></note></div></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div align="center"><p><span style="font-size:11pt;">Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition)</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt;">© 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.</span></p> <p class="yiv9003199930MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;">Bible text from the Good News Translation (GNT) is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by American Bible Society, 101 North Independence Mall East, Floor 8, Philadelphia, PA 19106-2155 (<a href="http://www.americanbible.org">www.americanbible.org</a>). Learn more at <a href="http://www.gnt.bible">www.gnt.bible</a> . 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