Esther 9:32

9:32 Esther’s command established these matters of Purim, and the matter was officially recorded. ¹ 

Esther 9:28

9:28 These days were to be remembered and to be celebrated in every generation and in every family, every province, and every city. The Jews were not to fail to observe these days of Purim; the remembrance of them was not to cease among their descendants.

Esther 2:1

Esther Becomes Queen in Vashti’s Place

2:1 When these things had been accomplished ²  and the rage of King Ahasuerus had diminished, he remembered ³  Vashti and what she had done and what had been decided ⁴  against her.

Esther 9:20

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,

Esther 1:5

1:5 When those days ⁵  were completed, the king then provided a seven-day ⁶  banquet for all the people who were present ⁷  in Susa the citadel, for those of highest standing to the most lowly. ⁸  It was held in the court located in the garden of the royal palace.

Esther 3:1

Haman Conspires to Destroy the Jews

3:1 Some time later ⁹  King Ahasuerus promoted ¹⁰  Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, exalting him and setting his position ¹¹  above that of all the officials who were with him.

Esther 9:26-27

9:26 For this reason these days are known as Purim, after the name of pur. 9:27 Therefore, because of the account found in this letter and what they had faced in this regard and what had happened to them, the Jews established as binding on themselves, their descendants, and all who joined their company that they should observe these two days without fail, just as written and at the appropriate time on an annual basis.

Esther 9:31

9:31 to establish these days of Purim in their proper times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established, and just as they had established both for themselves and their descendants, matters pertaining to fasting and lamentation.

[9:32]  ¹ tn Heb “written in the book” (so NASB); NIV, NLT “written down in the records”; NRSV “recorded in writing.”

[2:1]  ² tn Heb “after these things” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV). The expression is very vague from a temporal standpoint, not indicating precisely just how much time might have elapsed. Cf. v. 21.

[2:1]  ³ sn There may be a tinge of regret expressed in the king’s remembrance of Vashti. There is perhaps a hint that he wished for her presence once again, although that was not feasible from a practical standpoint. The suggestions by the king’s attendants concerning a replacement seem to be an effort to overcome this nostalgia. Certainly it was to their advantage to seek the betterment of the king’s outlook. Those around him the most were probably the most likely to suffer the effects of his ire.

[2:1]  ⁴ tn Or “decreed” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV); TEV “and about his proclamation against her.”

[1:5]  ³ tc The Hebrew text of Esther does not indicate why this elaborate show of wealth and power was undertaken. According to the LXX these were “the days of the wedding” (αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ γάμου, Jai Jhmerai tou gamou), presumably the king’s wedding. However, a number of scholars have called attention to the fact that this celebration takes place just shortly before Xerxes’ invasion of Greece. It is possible that the banquet was a rallying for the up-coming military effort. See Herodotus, Histories 7.8. There is no reason to adopt the longer reading of the LXX here.

[1:5]  ⁴ tc The LXX has ἕξ ({ex, “six”) instead of “seven.” Virtually all English versions follow the reading of the MT here, “seven.”

[1:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “were found.”

[1:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “from the great and unto the small.”

[3:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “after these things” (so KJV, ASV); NAB, NASB, NIV “After these events.”

[3:1]  ⁵ tn Heb “made great”; NAB “raised…to high rank”; NIV “honored.”

[3:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “chair”; KJV, NRSV “seat”; NASB “established his authority.”