Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today we conclude the book of Esther
with chapters 9 and 10, as well as the fourth
chapter of the book of Ezra. The book of Esther,
chapter 9. Now in the twelfth month, that is,
the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, the
time came for the king's command and his decree
to be executed, on the day that the enemies of
the Jews had hoped to overpower them. The opposite
occurred, in that the Jews themselves overpowered
those who hated them. The Jews gathered together
in their cities throughout all the provinces
of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought
their harm. And no one could withstand them,
because fear of them fell upon all people. And
all the officials of the provinces, the satraps,
the governors, and all those doing the king's
work, helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai
fell upon them. For Mordecai was great in the
king's palace, and his fame spread throughout
all the provinces. For this man, Mordecai became
increasingly prominent. Thus the Jews defeated
all their enemies with the stroke of the sword,
with slaughter and destruction, and did what
they pleased with those who hated them. And in
Shushan the citadel, the Jews killed and destroyed
500 men. Also, Parshandata, Dalfon, Aspata, Porata,
Adalia, Aridata. The ten sons of Haman, the son
of Hamidata, the enemy of the Jews, they killed.
But they did not lay a hand on the plunder. On
that day, the number of those who were killed
in Shushan the citadel was brought to the king.
And the king said to Queen Esther, The Jews have
killed and destroyed 500 men in Shushan the citadel
and the ten sons of Haman. What have they done
in the rest of the king's provinces? Now what
is your petition? It shall be granted to you.
Or what is your further request? It shall be
done. Then Esther said, If it pleases the king,
let it be granted to the Jews who are in Shushan
to do again tomorrow according to today's decree,
and let Haman's ten sons be hanged on the gallows.
So the king commanded this to be done. The decree
was issued in Shushan, and they hanged Haman's
ten sons. And the Jews who were in Shushan gathered
together again on the fourteenth day of the month
of Adar, and killed three hundred men at Shushan,
but they did not lay a hand on the plunder. The
remainder of the Jews in the king's provinces
gathered together and protected their lives,
had rest from their enemies, and killed seventy
-five thousand of their enemies, but they did
not lay a hand on the plunder. This was on the
thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the
fourteenth of the month they rested and made
it a day of feasting and gladness. But the Jews
who were at Shushan assembled together on the
thirteenth day as well as on the fourteenth,
and on the fifteenth of the month they rested
and made it a day of feasting and gladness. Therefore
the Jews of the villages who dwelt in the unwalled
towns celebrated the fourteenth day of the month
of Adar with gladness and feasting, as a holiday
and for sending presents to one another. And
Mordecai wrote these things and sent letters
to all the Jews near and far, who were in all
the provinces of King Ahasuerus, to establish
among them that they should celebrate yearly
the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month
of Adar, as the days on which the Jews had rest
from their enemies, as the month which was turned
from sorrow to joy for them, and from mourning
to a holiday, that they should make them days
of feasting and joy, of sending presents to one
another and gifts to the poor. So the Jews accepted
the custom which they had begun, as Mordecai
had written to them, because Haman the son of
Hamidata the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews,
had plotted against the Jews to annihilate them,
and had cast poor, that is, the lot, to consume
them and destroy them. But when Esther came before
the king, he commanded by letter that this wicked
plot which Haman had devised against the Jews
should return on his own head, and that he and
his sons should be hanged on the gallows. So
they called these days Purim, after the name
Pur. Therefore, because of all the words of this
letter which they had seen concerning this matter
and what had happened to them, the Jews established
and imposed it upon themselves and their descendants
and all who would join them, that without fail
they should celebrate these two days every year
according to the written instructions and according
to the prescribed time. that these days should
be remembered and kept throughout every generation,
every family, every province, and every city,
that these days of Purim should not fail to be
observed among the Jews, and that the memory
of them should not perish among their descendants.
Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, with
Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to
confirm the second letter about Purim. And Mordecai
sent letters to all the Jews to the 127 provinces
of the kingdom of Ahasuerus with words of peace
and truth to confirm these days of Purim at their
appointed time, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen
Esther had prescribed for them, and as they had
decreed for themselves and their descendants
concerning matters of their fasting and lamenting.
So the decree of Esther confirmed these matters
of Purim, and it was written, In the book. Chapter
10 seeking the good of his people and speaking
peace to all his countrymen. Now when the adversaries
of Judah and Benjamin heard that the descendants
of the captivity were building the temple of
the Lord God of Israel, they came to Zerubbabel
and the heads of the fathers' houses and said
to them, Let us build with you, for we seek your
God as you do, and we have sacrificed to him
since the days of Isarhaddon, king of Assyria,
who brought us here. But Zerubbabel and Jeshua
and the rest of the heads of the fathers' houses
of Israel said to them, You may do nothing with
us to build a house for our God, but we alone
will build to the Lord God of Israel as King
Cyrus, the king of Persia, has commanded us.
Then the people of the land tried to discourage
the people of Judah. They troubled them in building
and hired counselors against them to frustrate
their purpose all the days of Cyrus, king of
Persia, even until the reign of Darius, king
of Persia. In the reign of Ahasuerus, in the
beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation
against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem,
in the days of Artaxerxes also. Bishlam, Mitridat,
Tabal, and the rest of their companions wrote
to Artaxerxes, king of Persia, and the letter
was written in Aramaic script and translated
into the Aramaic language. Rehum, the commander,
and Shimshai, the scribe, wrote a letter against
Jerusalem to king Artaxerxes in this fashion.
from Rehum the commander, Shimshai the scribe,
and the rest of their companions, representatives
of the Danites, the Afarsatkites, the Tarpilites,
the people of Persia and Erech, and Babylon and
Shushan, the Davites, the Elamites, and the rest
of the nations whom the great and noble Osnapper
took captive and settled in the cities of Samaria
and the remainder beyond the river, and so forth.
This is a copy of the letter that they sent him.
To King Artaxerxes, from your servants, the men
of the region beyond the river, and so forth.
Let it be known to the king that the Jews who
came up from you have come to us at Jerusalem
and are building the rebellious and evil city
and are finishing its walls and repairing the
foundations. Let it now be known to the king
that if this city is built and the walls completed,
they will not pay tax, tribute, or custom. and
the king's treasury will be diminished. Now because
we received support from the palace, it was not
proper for us to see the king's dishonor. Therefore
we have sent and informed the king that search
may be made in the book of the records of your
fathers, and you will find in the book of the
records and know that this city is a rebellious
city, harmful to kings and provinces, and that
they have incited sedition within the city in
former times, for which cause this city was destroyed.
We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt
and its walls are completed, the result will
be that you will have no dominion beyond the
river. The king sent an answer to Rehum the commander,
to Shimshai the scribe, to the rest of their
companions who dwell in Samaria and to the remainder
beyond the river, peace and so forth. The letter
which you sent to us has been clearly read before
me. And I gave the command, and a search has
been made, and it was found that this city in
former times has revolted against kings, and
rebellion and sedition have been fostered in
it. There have also been mighty kings over Jerusalem
who have ruled over all the region beyond the
river, and tax, tribute, and custom were paid
to them. Now give the command to make these men
cease, that this city may not be built until
the command is given by me. Take heed now that
you do not fail to do this. Why should damage
increase to the hurt of the kings? Now when the
copy of King Artaxerxes' letter was read before
Rehum, Shimshai the scribe, and their companions,
they went up in haste to Jerusalem against the
Jews, and by force of arms made them cease. Thus
the work of the house of God, which is at Jerusalem,
ceased, and it was discontinued until the second
year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia.
I hope you enjoyed today's reading as much as
I did and I look forward to seeing you again
tomorrow to continue on our journey. God bless
you and have a great day.