1 On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, when the time for the carrying out of the king's edict and law had arrived, on the day the enemies of the Jews had thought they would dominate them, the situation was reversed: the Jews dominated their enemies. 2 The Jews gathered in their cities throughout the provinces of King Achashverosh to attack those who sought to harm them. No man stood in their way, for fear of them had fallen upon all the nations. 3 And all the ministers of the provinces, the satraps, the governors and the king's functionaries honored the Jews, for fear of Mordechai had fallen upon them. 4 For Mordechai was prominent in the king's palace and his fame was spreading throughout all the provinces, for Mordechai was growing in power. 5 And the Jews struck at all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying, and they did with their enemies as they pleased. 6 In Shushan the capital the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred

men.
7 And
[they killed] Parshandata
and
Dalfon
and
Aspata,
8 and
Porata
and
Adalya
and
Aridata
9 and
Parmashta
and
Arisai
and
Aridai
and
Vaizata,
10 the ten

sons of Haman, son of Hamdata, persecutor of the Jews, but they took none of the spoils. 11 That day, the number of killed persons in Shushan the capital was relayed to the king. 12 The king said to Queen Esther, "In Shushan the capital, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman; what have they done in the other provinces of the King? What is your plea? It will be granted you. What is your additional request? It will be fulfilled." 13 Esther replied, "If it please the King, let the Jews of Shushan be allowed to do tomorrow what was lawful today, and let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows." 14 The king ordered this done, and the law was proclaimed in Shushan, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged. 15 So the Jews of Shushan gathered again on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and killed three hundred men in Shushan, but took none of the spoils. 16 And the rest of the Jews of the king's provinces gathered and stood up for their lives to relieve themselves of their enemies and killed seventy-five thousand of their foes, but took none of the spoils. 17 On the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and they rested on the fourteenth day and made it a day of feasting and rejoicing. 18 And the Jews of Shushan gathered on the thirteenth and fourteenth [of Adar], and rested on the fifteenth and made it a day of feasting and rejoicing. 19 Thus the prazi Jews, those who live in unwalled cities, make the fourteenth day of the month of Adar a holiday, a day of feasting, rejoicing and sending portions of food one to another. 20 Now Mordechai recorded these events and sent letters to all the Jews living throughout the provinces of King Achashverosh, near and far 21 [instructing them] to obligate themselves to celebrate annually the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar, 22 like the days upon which the Jews were relieved of their enemies, and the month which had been transformed for them from one of sorrow to joy, from mourning to festivity to make them days of feasting, rejoicing, sending food portions one to another and giving gifts to the poor. 23 And the Jews accepted [as an obligation] that which they had begun to observe, and that which Mordechai had written to them. 24 For Haman, son of Hamdata, the Agagite, persecutor of all the Jews, plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and he cast a pur, which is a lot, to shatter them and destroy them. 25 But when she came before the king, [the king] said and ordered letters to be written to the effect that [Haman's] evil plot against the Jews be returned upon his own head, and he and his sons were hanged upon the gallows. 26 For this did they call these days "Purim," after the pur, because of all of the events of this epistle, [which explains] what happened to them and why they saw fit to [establish the holiday]. 27 The Jews established and accepted upon themselves, and upon their descendants, and upon all who might convert to their faith, to annually celebrate these two days in the manner described [here], on their proper dates never to be abolished. 28 And these days are commemorated and celebrated in every generation, by every family, in every province and every city. And these days of Purim will never pass from among the Jews nor shall their memory depart from their descendants.

29 Queen Esther, daughter of Avichayil, and Mordechai the Jew, wrote about the enormity of all [the miracles], to establish [the holiday] with this second Purim epistle. 30 And he sent letters to all the Jews, to the one hundred and twenty-seven provinces of Achashveirosh's kingdom, words of peace and truth, 31 [instructing them] to observe these days of Purim on their proper dates, in the manner established for them by Mordechai the Jew and Queen Esther, just as they had accepted upon themselves and upon their descendants the observance of the fasts and their lamentations. 32 And the behest of Esther confirmed the observances of these Purim days, and [the story] was included in Scripture.