9:5 The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, bringing death and destruction, and they did as they pleased with their enemies.
9:20 Mordecai wrote these matters down and sent letters to all the Jews who were throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 9:21 to have them observe the fourteenth and the fifteenth day of the month of Adar each year
1:16 Memucan then replied to the king and the officials, “The wrong of Queen Vashti is not against the king alone, but against all the officials and all the people who are throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.
3:8 Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a particular people 13 that is dispersed and spread among the inhabitants 14 throughout all the provinces of your kingdom whose laws differ from those of all other peoples. Furthermore, they do not observe the king’s laws. It is not appropriate for the king to provide a haven for them. 15
8:11 The king thereby allowed the Jews who were in every city to assemble and to stand up for themselves – to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any army of whatever people or province that should become their adversaries, including their women and children, 16 and to confiscate their property.
8:5 She said, “If the king is so inclined and if I have met with his approval and if the matter is agreeable to the king and if I am attractive to him, let an edict be written rescinding those recorded intentions of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, 17 which he wrote in order to destroy the Jews who are throughout all the king’s provinces.
1 tn Heb “heard”; KJV, NAB, NLT “published”; NIV, NRSV “proclaimed.”
2 tc The phrase “vast though it is” is not included in the LXX, although it is retained by almost all English versions.
1 tn Heb “peoples” (so NASB, NRSV).
1 tn Heb “this” (so NASB); most English versions read “that” here for stylistic reasons.
1 tn Heb “great”; NRSV “powerful”; NIV “prominent”; NCV “very important.”
2 tn Heb “the man Mordecai” (so NASB, NRSV).
1 tn Heb “the house of the women” (so KJV, ASV). So also in vv. 9, 11, 13, and 14.
2 tn Heb “their ointments”; cf. NIV, CEV, NLT “beauty treatments.”
1 tn Heb “to send a hand against”; KJV, NRSV “to lay hands on.”
2 tn Heb “they had related to him.” For stylistic reasons this has been translated as a passive construction.
3 tc The entire first half of the verse is not included in the LXX.
4 tc This parenthetical phrase is not included in the LXX. Some scholars emend the MT reading עַם (’am, “people”) to עִם (’im, “with”), arguing that the phrase is awkwardly placed and syntactically inappropriate. While there is some truth to their complaint, the MT makes sufficient sense to be acceptable here, and is followed by most English versions.
1 tn Heb “one people.” Note the subtle absence at this point of a specific mention of the Jewish people by name.
2 tn Heb “peoples” (so NASB, NIV); NAB “nations”
3 tn Heb “to cause them to rest”; NASB “to let them remain”; NAB, NIV, NRSV “to tolerate them.”
1 tn Heb “children and women.” As in 3:13, the translation follows contemporary English idiom, which reverses the order.
1 tc The LXX does not include the expression “the Agagite.”