CHAPTER 3
1 After these things king Ahasuerus enhanced Haman, the son of Hamme-datha, that was of the kindred of Agag, and the king set his throne above all the princes that he had.
2 And all the servants of the king, that served in the gates of the palace, kneeled, and worshipped or honoured Haman; for so the emperor had commanded to them; but Mordecai alone bowed not his knees to him, neither worshipped him.
3 And the servants of the king, that sat above at the gates of the palace, said to Mordecai, Why keepest thou not the commandments of the king, but doest otherwise than other men?
4 And when they said full oft to him these things, and he would not hear them, they told to Haman, for they coveted to know, whether he continued in the sentence that he had showed to them; for he had said to them, that he was a Jew.
5 And when Haman had heard this thing, and had proved by experience, that Mordecai bowed not his knee to him, neither worshipped him, he was full wroth,
6 and Haman areckoned it for nought to set [or put] his hands upon Mordecai alone, to kill him; for he had heard, that Mordecai was of the folk of Jews, and the more rather he would destroy all the nation of Jews, which were in the realm of Ahasuerus.
7 In the first month, whose name is Nisan, that is, April, in the twelfth year of the realm of Ahasuerus, lot was cast into a vessel, the which lot is said in Hebrew pur, before Haman, to know in what day and in what month the folk of Jews ought to be slain; and by the lot the twelfth month went out, that is called Adar, that is, March.
8 And then Haman said to king Ahasuerus, A people is scattered by all the provinces of thy realm, and it is separated from itself, and this people useth new laws and ceremonies, and furthermore also it despiseth the behests of the king; and thou knowest best, that it speedeth not to thy realm, that it increase in malice by license.
9 If it please thee, deem and com-mand thou that this people perish, and I shall pay ten thousand talents of silver to the keepers of thy treasure.
10 Therefore the king took from his hand the ring which he used, and he gave it to Haman, the son of Hamme-datha, of the kindred of Agag, the enemy of Jews.
11 And the king said to Haman, The silver, which thou promisedest, be thine; do thou of the people that, that pleaseth thee.
12 And then the scribes, or writers, of the king were called in the first month of Nisan, that is, April, in the thirteenth day of the same month; and it was written, as Haman had commanded, to all the princes of the king, and to doomsmen of diverse provinces and of folks, that for diversity of language, each folk might read these letters and hear them, in the name of king Ahasuerus.
13 And letters, asealed with the ring of the king, were sent by the couriers of the king to all his provinces, that they should slay, and do away, or destroy, all Jews, from a child to an eld [or old] man, little children and women, in one day, that is, in the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, that is called Adar, or March; and that they should take away the goods of the Jews.
14 And the sentence of the letters was this, written in a few words, that all provinces should know, and make them ready, to the foresaid day.
15 And the couriers, that were sent forth, hasted to [ful] fill the command-ment of the king; and anon the behest of the king was hanged up in the city of Susa, while the king and Haman made a feast, and all the Jews wept, that were in that city.