CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://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 NLT</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></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="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NLT</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"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New Living Translation</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/nlt/esv/esther/8.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="hdg">A Decree to Help the Jews</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/8-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>On that same day King Xerxes gave the property of Haman, the enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther. Then Mordecai was brought before the king, for Esther had told the king how they were related. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/8-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>The king took off his signet ring—which he had taken back from Haman—and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed Mordecai to be in charge of Haman’s property.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/8-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>Then Esther went again before the king, falling down at his feet and begging him with tears to stop the evil plot devised by Haman the Agagite against the Jews. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/8-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>Again the king held out the gold scepter to Esther. So she rose and stood before him.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/8-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Esther said, “If it please the king, and if I have found favor with him, and if he thinks it is right, and if I am pleasing to him, let there be a decree that reverses the orders of Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, who ordered that Jews throughout all the king’s provinces should be destroyed. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/8-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>For how can I endure to see my people and my family slaughtered and destroyed?”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/8-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>Then King Xerxes said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, “I have given Esther the property of Haman, and he has been impaled on a pole because he tried to destroy the Jews. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/8-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>Now go ahead and send a message to the Jews in the king’s name, telling them whatever you want, and seal it with the king’s signet ring. But remember that whatever has already been written in the king’s name and sealed with his signet ring can never be revoked.”</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/8-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>So on June 25<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">a</span></a> the king’s secretaries were summoned, and a decree was written exactly as Mordecai dictated. It was sent to the Jews and to the highest officers, the governors, and the nobles of all the 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia.<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">b</span></a> The decree was written in the scripts and languages of all the peoples of the empire, including that of the Jews. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/8-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>The decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring. Mordecai sent the dispatches by swift messengers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king’s service.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/8-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>The king’s decree gave the Jews in every city authority to unite to defend their lives. They were allowed to kill, slaughter, and annihilate anyone of any nationality or province who might attack them or their children and wives, and to take the property of their enemies. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/8-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>The day chosen for this event throughout all the provinces of King Xerxes was March 7 of the next year.<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">c</span></a></p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/8-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>A copy of this decree was to be issued as law in every province and proclaimed to all peoples, so that the Jews would be ready to take revenge on their enemies on the appointed day. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/8-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>So urged on by the king’s command, the messengers rode out swiftly on fast horses bred for the king’s service. The same decree was also proclaimed in the fortress of Susa.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/8-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>Then Mordecai left the king’s presence, wearing the royal robe of blue and white, the great crown of gold, and an outer cloak of fine linen and purple. And the people of Susa celebrated the new decree. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/8-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>The Jews were filled with joy and gladness and were honored everywhere. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/esther/8-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>In every province and city, wherever the king’s decree arrived, the Jews rejoiced and had a great celebration and declared a public festival and holiday. And many of the people of the land became Jews themselves, for they feared what the Jews might do to them.</p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="fn">a</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">8:9a </span><span class="ft">Hebrew </span><span class="it">on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan,</span><span class="ft"> of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. This day was June 25, 474 </span><span class="sc">b.c.</span><span class="ft">; also see note on 2:16.</span><br><span class="fn">b</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">8:9b </span><span class="ft">Hebrew </span><span class="it">to Cush.</span><br><span class="fn">c</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">8:12 </span><span class="ft">Hebrew </span><span class="it">the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar,</span><span class="ft"> of the ancient Hebrew lunar calendar. The date selected was March 7, 473 </span><span class="sc">b.c.</span><span class="ft">; also see note on 2:16.</span><br></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><em>Holy Bible</em>, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of <a href="http://www.tyndale.com">Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.</a>, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/">Bible Hub</a></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../esther/7.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Esther 7"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Esther 7" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../esther/9.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Esther 9"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Esther 9" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="rightbox"><div class="padright"><div id="pic"><iframe width="100%" height="860" scrolling="no" src="//biblescan.com/mpc/esther/8-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div></div><div id="rightbox4"><div class="padright2"><div id="spons1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td class="sp1"><iframe width="122" height="860" scrolling="no" src="../sidemenu.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhchap.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>