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<!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 3 Amplified Bible</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" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></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/3.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/3-1.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="../">AMP</a> > Esther 3</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 width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="../menu.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../esther/2.htm" title="Esther 2">◄</a> Esther 3 <a href="../esther/4.htm" title="Esther 4">►</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">Amplified Bible</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/nas/esv/esther/3.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Verses"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><p class="hdg">Haman’s Plot against the Jews</p><p><span class="reftext"><a href="/esther/3-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>After these things King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the <span class="fn"><a href="#fn">[a]</a></span>Agagite, and advanced him and <span class="fn"><a href="#fn">[b]</a></span>established his authority over all the officials who were with him. <span class="reftext"><a href="/esther/3-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>All the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate [in royal service] bowed down and honored <i>and</i> paid homage to Haman; for this is what the king had commanded in regard to him. But Mordecai [a Jew of the tribe of Benjamin] neither bowed down nor paid homage [to him]. <span class="reftext"><a href="/esther/3-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why are you disregarding the king’s command?” <span class="reftext"><a href="/esther/3-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>Now it happened when they had spoken to him day after day and he would not listen to them, that they told Haman to see whether Mordecai’s reason [for his behavior] would stand [as valid]; for he had told them that he was a Jew. <span class="reftext"><a href="/esther/3-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>When Haman saw that Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage to him, he was furious. <span class="reftext"><a href="/esther/3-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>But he disdained laying hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him <i>who</i> the people of Mordecai were (his nationality); so Haman determined to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who <i>lived</i> throughout the kingdom of Ahasuerus. <p class="paragraph"><span class="reftext"><a href="/esther/3-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>In the first month, the month of Nisan (Mar-Apr), in the <span class="fn"><a href="#fn">[c]</a></span>twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, Haman cast Pur, that is, the lot, cast before him day after day [to find a lucky day to approach the king], month after month, until the twelfth month, the month of Adar (Feb-Mar). <span class="reftext"><a href="/esther/3-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered [abroad] and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from <i>those</i> of all <i>other</i> people, and they do not observe the king’s laws. Therefore it is not in the king’s interest to [tolerate them and] let them stay <i>here</i>. <span class="reftext"><a href="/esther/3-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>If it pleases the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who carry out the <i>king’s</i> business, to put into the king’s treasuries.” <span class="reftext"><a href="/esther/3-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Then the king removed his signet ring from his hand [that is, the special ring which was used to seal his letters] and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews. <span class="reftext"><a href="/esther/3-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>The king said to Haman, “The silver is given to you, and the people <i>also,</i> to do with them as you please.” <p class="paragraph"><span class="reftext"><a href="/esther/3-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>Then the king’s scribes (secretaries) were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and it was written just as Haman commanded to the king’s satraps (chief rulers), and to the governors who were over each province and to the officials of each people, each province according to its script (writing), each people according to their own language; being written in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s signet ring. <span class="reftext"><a href="/esther/3-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>Letters were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces to destroy, to kill and to annihilate all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, in one day, the thirteenth [day] of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar (March 7, 473 B.C.), and to seize their belongings as plunder. <span class="reftext"><a href="/esther/3-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>A copy of the edict to be decreed as law in every province was published to all the peoples, so that they would be ready for this day. <span class="reftext"><a href="/esther/3-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>The couriers went out hurriedly by order of the king, and the decree was issued at the citadel in Susa. And while the king and Haman sat down to drink, the city of Susa was perplexed [by the unusual and alarming decree].<A name="fn"></a></p><br /><br /><span class="footnotesbot">[a]</span> <span class="fnverse">1</span> The origin of this ethnic term is unclear. It probably refers to descendants of King Agag of the Amalekites, who were longstanding tribal enemies of the Jews. If so, it would explain the natural animosity between Haman and Mordecai.<br><span class="footnotesbot">[b]</span> <span class="fnverse">1</span> Lit <i>set his seat</i>.<br><span class="footnotesbot">[c]</span> <span class="fnverse">7</span> At this time Esther had been queen about four or five years.<br></div><br /><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Amplified Bible Copyright © 2015<br>by The Lockman Foundation<br>All rights reserved <a href="http://www.lockman.org">www.lockman.org</a><br><br><a href="/">Bible Hub</a><br>                                                                                                                                <span class="p"><br /><br /></span></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../esther/2.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Esther 2"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Esther 2" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../esther/4.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Esther 4"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Esther 4" /></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 align="center"><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhchapnoad.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>