The People Who Lived in Jerusalem

¹The leaders settled in Jerusalem, and the rest of the people drew lots to choose one family out of every ten to go and live in the holy city of Jerusalem, while the rest were to live in the other cities and towns.

²The people praised anyone else who volunteered to live in Jerusalem.

³In the other towns and cities the people of Israel, the priests, the Levites, the Temple workers, and the descendants of Solomon's servants lived on their own property in their own towns. The following is the list of the leading citizens of the province of Judah who lived in Jerusalem:

Members of the tribe of Judah

⁴Athaiah, the son of Uzziah and grandson of Zechariah. His other ancestors included Amariah, Shephatiah, and Mahalalel, descendants of Judah's son Perez.

⁵Maaseiah, the son of Baruch and grandson of Colhozeh. His other ancestors included Hazaiah, Adaiah, Joiarib, and Zechariah, descendants of Judah's son Shelah.

⁶Of the descendants of Perez, 468 outstanding soldiers lived in Jerusalem.

Members of the tribe of Benjamin

⁷Sallu, the son of Meshullam and grandson of Joed. His other ancestors included Pedaiah, Kolaiah, Maaseiah, Ithiel, and Jeshaiah.

⁸Gabbai and Sallai, close relatives of Sallu. In all, 928 Benjaminites lived in Jerusalem.

⁹Joel son of Zichri was their leader, and Judah son of Hassenuah was the second ranking official in the city.

Priests

¹⁰Jedaiah son of Joiarib, and Jachin.

¹¹Seraiah, the son of Hilkiah and grandson of Meshullam. His ancestors included Zadok, Meraioth, and Ahitub, who was the High Priest.

¹²In all, 822 members of this clan served in the Temple. Adaiah, the son of Jeroham and grandson of Pelaliah. His ancestors included Amzi, Zechariah, Pashhur, and Malchijah.

¹³In all, 242 members of this clan were heads of families. Amashsai, the son of Azarel and grandson of Ahzai. His ancestors included Meshillemoth and Immer.

¹⁴There were 128 members of this clan who were outstanding soldiers. Their leader was Zabdiel, a member of a leading family.

Levites

¹⁵Shemaiah, the son of Hasshub and grandson of Azrikam. His ancestors included Hashabiah and Bunni.

¹⁶Shabbethai and Jozabad, prominent Levites in charge of the work outside the Temple.

¹⁷Mattaniah, the son of Mica and grandson of Zabdi, a descendant of Asaph. He led the Temple choir in singing the prayer of thanksgiving. Bakbukiah, who was Mattaniah's assistant. Abda, the son of Shammua and grandson of Galal, a descendant of Jeduthun.

¹⁸In all, 284 Levites lived in the holy city of Jerusalem.

Temple guards

¹⁹Akkub, Talmon, and their relatives, 172 in all.

²⁰The rest of the people of Israel and the remaining priests and Levites lived on their own property in the other cities and towns of Judah.

²¹The Temple workers lived in the part of Jerusalem called Ophel and worked under the supervision of Ziha and Gishpa.

²²The supervisor of the Levites who lived in Jerusalem was Uzzi, the son of Bani and grandson of Hashabiah. His ancestors included Mattaniah and Mica, and he belonged to the clan of Asaph, the clan that was responsible for the music in the Temple services.

²³There were royal regulations stating how the clans should take turns in leading the Temple music each day.

²⁴Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, of the clan of Zerah and the tribe of Judah, represented the people of Israel at the Persian court.

The People in Other Towns and Cities

²⁵Many of the people lived in towns near their farms. Those who were of the tribe of Judah lived in Kiriath Arba, Dibon, and Jekabzeel, and in the villages near these cities.

²⁶They also lived in the cities of Jeshua, Moladah, Bethpelet,

²⁷and Hazarshual, and in Beersheba and the villages around it.

²⁸They lived in the city of Ziklag, in Meconah and its villages,

²⁹in Enrimmon, in Zorah, in Jarmuth,

³⁰in Zanoah, in Adullam, and in the villages near these towns. They lived in Lachish and on the farms nearby, and in Azekah and its villages. That is to say, the people of Judah lived in the territory between Beersheba in the south and Hinnom Valley in the north.

³¹The people of the tribe of Benjamin lived in Geba, Michmash, Ai, Bethel and the nearby villages,

³²Anathoth, Nob, Ananiah,

³³Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,

³⁴Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,

³⁵Lod, and Ono, and in Craftsmen's Valley.

³⁶Some groups of Levites that had lived in the territory of Judah were assigned to live with the people of Benjamin.

The Jews Destroy Their Enemies

¹The thirteenth day of Adar came, the day on which the royal proclamation was to take effect, the day when the enemies of the Jews were hoping to get them in their power. But instead, the Jews triumphed over them.

²In the Jewish quarter of every city in the empire the Jews organized to attack anyone who tried to harm them. People everywhere were afraid of them, and no one could stand against them.

³In fact, all the provincial officials—governors, administrators, and royal representatives—helped the Jews because they were all afraid of Mordecai.

⁴It was well-known throughout the empire that Mordecai was now a powerful man in the palace and was growing more powerful.

⁵So the Jews could do what they wanted with their enemies. They attacked them with swords and slaughtered them.

⁶In Susa, the capital city itself, the Jews killed five hundred people.

^7-10Among them were the ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews: Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha. However, there was no looting.

¹¹That same day the number of people killed in Susa was reported to the king.

¹²He then said to Queen Esther, “In Susa alone the Jews have killed five hundred people, including Haman's ten sons. What must they have done out in the provinces! What do you want now? You shall have it. Tell me what else you want, and you shall have it.”

¹³Esther answered, “If it please Your Majesty, let the Jews in Susa do again tomorrow what they were allowed to do today. And have the bodies of Haman's ten sons hung from the gallows.”

¹⁴The king ordered this to be done, and the proclamation was issued in Susa. The bodies of Haman's ten sons were publicly displayed.

¹⁵On the fourteenth day of Adar the Jews of Susa got together again and killed three hundred more people in the city. But again, they did no looting.

¹⁶The Jews in the provinces also organized and defended themselves. They rid themselves of their enemies by killing seventy-five thousand people who hated them. But they did no looting.

¹⁷This was on the thirteenth day of Adar. On the next day, the fourteenth, there was no more killing, and they made it a joyful day of feasting.

¹⁸The Jews of Susa, however, made the fifteenth a holiday, since they had slaughtered their enemies on the thirteenth and fourteenth and then stopped on the fifteenth.

¹⁹This is why Jews who live in small towns observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a joyous holiday, a time for feasting and giving gifts of food to one another.

The Festival of Purim

²⁰Mordecai had these events written down and sent letters to all the Jews, near and far, throughout the Persian Empire,

²¹telling them to observe the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar as holidays every year.

²²These were the days on which the Jews had rid themselves of their enemies; this was a month that had been turned from a time of grief and despair into a time of joy and happiness. They were told to observe these days with feasts and parties, giving gifts of food to one another and to the poor.

²³So the Jews followed Mordecai's instructions, and the celebration became an annual custom.

²⁴Haman son of Hammedatha—the descendant of Agag and the enemy of the Jewish people—had cast lots (“purim,” they were called) to determine the day for destroying the Jews; he had planned to wipe them out.

²⁵But Esther went to the king, and the king issued written orders with the result that Haman suffered the fate he had planned for the Jews—he and his sons were hanged from the gallows.

²⁶That is why the holidays are called Purim. Because of Mordecai's letter and because of all that had happened to them,

²⁷the Jews made it a rule for themselves, their descendants, and anyone who might become a Jew, that at the proper time each year these two days would be regularly observed according to Mordecai's instructions.

²⁸It was resolved that every Jewish family of every future generation in every province and every city should remember and observe the days of Purim for all time to come.

²⁹Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, along with Mordecai, also wrote a letter, putting her full authority behind the letter about Purim, which Mordecai had written earlier.

³⁰The letter was addressed to all the Jews, and copies were sent to all the 127 provinces of the Persian Empire. It wished the Jews peace and security

³¹and directed them and their descendants to observe the days of Purim at the proper time, just as they had adopted rules for the observance of fasts and times of mourning. This was commanded by both Mordecai and Queen Esther.

³²Esther's command, confirming the rules for Purim, was written down on a scroll.

The Greatness of Xerxes and Mordecai

¹King Xerxes imposed forced labor on the people of the coastal regions of his empire as well as on those of the interior.

²All the great and wonderful things he did, as well as the whole story of how he promoted Mordecai to high office, are recorded in the official records of the kings of Persia and Media.

³Mordecai the Jew was second in rank only to King Xerxes himself. He was honored and well-liked by his fellow Jews. He worked for the good of his people and for the security of all their descendants.

¹⁷Indulging in luxuries, wine, and rich food will never make you wealthy.

¹⁸The wicked bring on themselves the suffering they try to cause good people.

¹⁹Better to live out in the desert than with a nagging, complaining wife.

²⁰Wise people live in wealth and luxury, but stupid people spend their money as fast as they get it.