In the twelfth month, that is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, on which the edict of the king arrived and his law was enacted, on the day in which the enemies of the Jews had hoped to gain power over them but was overturned, and the Jews gained power against their enemies, the Jews gathered in their cities in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to strike against those who sought their destruction, and no one could withstand them, as the fear of them fell on all the people. All the officials of the provinces, the satraps, governors, and those who did the work of the king were supporting the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them. For Mordecai was high-ranking in the king’s palace and his fame spread throughout all the provinces as Mordecai grew more and more powerful. The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them; and they did as they pleased with those that hated them. And in the citadel of Susa the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men,and Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, Portha, Adalia, Aridatha, Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha, the ten sons of Haman, the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews; but they did not touch the plunder. On that day the number of those being killed in the citadel of Susa was reported to the king. And the king said to Queen Esther, “In the citadel of Susa the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men and the ten sons of Haman. What have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces? What is your petition? It will be granted to you. And what further is your request? It will be done.” Esther replied, “If it is good to the king, let tomorrow also be granted to the Jews who are in Susa to do according to the edict of today; and let them hang Haman’s ten sons on the gallows.” And the king said to do so. And a decree was issued in Susa and Haman’s ten sons were hanged. And the Jews were gathered who were in Susa, and on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and they killed in Susa three hundred men, but they did not touch the plunder. The rest of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces gathered and defended their lives and found repose from their enemies. And they killed seventy-five thousand of those that hated them, but they did not touch the plunder. This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. They rested on the fourteenth day and made it a day of feasting and joy. But the Jews who were in Susa gathered on the thirteenth and on the fourteenth day, and rested on the fifteenth day. And they made it a day of feasting and joy. Therefore the Jews in the rural areas, living in the rural towns, made the fourteenth month of Adar a day of joy and feasting, a festive day of giving gifts to each other.

The Day is Here; The Time has Come.

Esther 9:1–15 (ESV):

1 Now in the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day of the same, when the king’s command and edict were about to be carried out, on the very day when the enemies of the Jews hoped to gain the mastery over them, the reverse occurred: the Jews gained mastery over those who hated them. 2 The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on those who sought their harm. And no one could stand against them, for the fear of them had fallen on all peoples. 3 All the officials of the provinces and the satraps and the governors and the royal agents also helped the Jews, for the fear of Mordecai had fallen on them. 4 For Mordecai was great in the king’s house, and his fame spread throughout all the provinces, for the man Mordecai grew more and more powerful. 5 The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them. 6 In Susa the citadel itself the Jews killed and destroyed 500 men, 7 and also killed Parshandatha and Dalphon and Aspatha 8 and Poratha and Adalia and Aridatha 9 and Parmashta and Arisai and Aridai and Vaizatha, 10 the ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, but they laid no hand on the plunder. 11 That very day the number of those killed in Susa the citadel was reported to the king. 12 And the king said to Queen Esther, “In Susa the citadel the Jews have killed and destroyed 500 men and also the ten sons of Haman. What then have they done in the rest of the king’s provinces! Now what is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what further is your request? It shall be fulfilled.” 13 And Esther said, “If it please the king, let the Jews who are in Susa be allowed tomorrow also to do according to this day’s edict. And let the ten sons of Haman be hanged on the gallows.” 14 So the king commanded this to be done. A decree was issued in Susa, and the ten sons of Haman were hanged. 15 The Jews who were in Susa gathered also on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and they killed 300 men in Susa, but they laid no hands on the plunder.

If Haman is already dead (they hanged him two chapters ago), who are these “enimies of the Jews”?
What is the significance of the Jews not taking the plunder?
- Read 1 Samuel 15:1–3 (ESV): 1 And Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the LORD. 2 Thus says the LORD of hosts, ‘I have noted what Amalek did to Israel in opposing them on the way when they came up out of Egypt. 3 Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ”
  - Read 1 Samuel 15:7–9 (ESV): 7 And Saul defeated the Amalekites from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction.
  - What was Saul instructed to do?
  - What did Saul do?
  - Look back at Esther 3:1 (ESV): 3 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him.
- Why am I drawing all this out? The original audience would have been making all of these connections that we may not, just because we are intimately aware of the history of these events.
Let us pause here and do a bit of a recap
- In chapter 1, we met King Ahasuerus or Xerxes and he is throwing a party, a rager. He commands his wife, Queen Vashti, to come dance for his guests. She refuses and the King sends her away - for good!
- Next, in chapter 2, there is a royal version of Tha Bachelor and Ester is chosen as the new Queen. Oh, and almost as a footnote, Mordecai, Esther’s cousing who has raised her, saves the King.
- In chapter 3, Haman is introduced, as we just read above. Haman hates Mordecai so much that his hatred extends to all the Jews. He plots and convinces the King to initiate a plan to kill all the Jews.
- In chapter 4, Mordecai challenges Esther to save the Jews. She agrees and asks for fasing and prayer.
- Next, in chapter 5, Esther approaches the King and wins his favor. She invites the King and Haman to a feast. The three enjoy the time and Haman is so happy, he plans to hand Mordecai.
- In chapter 6, Mordecai is honored by the king for that time Mordecai saved the kings life. Haman is humiliated and Mordecai is rewarded.
- In Chapter 7, the king, Haman and Ester have a second feast and this time, Ester reveals her ethnicity and Haman’s Plan of Genocide. The king has Haman hanged on the gallows he had built for Mordecai.
- In Chapter 8, the king gives all that was Haman’s to Ester an she places Mordecai in charge of it. She reveals here relationship with Mordecai to the king and the king honors Mordecai. Then Esteher pleads for the salvation of the Jews. Since the first law cannot be revoked, the king allows Mordecai to write a new law that will allow the Jews to defend themselves, with the full authority of the king.
- And here we are back to chapter 9.

Esther 9:16–19 (ESV):

16 Now the rest of the Jews who were in the king’s provinces also gathered to defend their lives, and got relief from their enemies and killed 75,000 of those who hated them, but they laid no hands on the plunder. 17 This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar, and on the fourteenth day they rested and made that a day of feasting and gladness. 18 But the Jews who were in Susa gathered on the thirteenth day and on the fourteenth, and rested on the fifteenth day, making that a day of feasting and gladness. 19 Therefore the Jews of the villages, who live in the rural towns, hold the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day for gladness and feasting, as a holiday, and as a day on which they send gifts of food to one another.

Notice that they “laid no hands on the plunder.”

The Jews Destroy Their Enemies

The Day is Here; The Time has Come.

Esther 9:1–15 (ESV):

Let us pause here and do a bit of a recap

Esther 9:16–19 (ESV):

Thoughts for Reflection