<p class="bodytext">The king thereby allowed the Jews who were in every city to assemble and to stand up for themselves &#8211; to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate any army of whatever people or province that should become their adversaries, including their women and children,<n id="1" /> and to confiscate their property.

Letters were sent by the runners to all the king&#8217;s provinces stating that<n id="1" /> they should destroy, kill, and annihilate all the Jews, from youth to elderly, both women and children,<n id="2" /> on a particular day, namely the thirteenth day<n id="3" /> of the twelfth month (that is, the month of Adar), and to loot and plunder their possessions.