Emily: welcome to immerse: the daily bible reading experience.
day 300 and 57
Sometime later, king Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hamaha, the Aite over
all the other nobles, making him the most powerful official in the empire.
All the King's officials would bow down before Haman to show him respect
whenever he passed by for, so the King had commanded, but Mordecai refused
to bow down or show him respect.
Then the palace officials at the King's Gate asked Mordecai, why are
you disobeying the King's command?
They spoke to him day after day, but still he refused to comply with the order.
So they spoke to Haman about this to see if he would tolerate Mordecai's conduct
since Mordecai had told them he was a Jew.
When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him
respect, he was filled with rage.
He had learned of Mordecai's nationality, so he decided it was not
enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone.
Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout
the entire empire of Xerxes.
So in the month of April during the 12th year of Kings Xerxes reign,
lots were cast in Haman's presence.
The lots were called Purim to determine the best day and month to take action.
And the day selected was March 7th, nearly a year later.
Then Haman approached King Xerxes and said, there is a certain race
of people scattered through all the provinces of your empire, who keep
themselves separate from everyone else.
Their laws are different from those of any other people, and they refuse to
obey the laws of the king, so it is not in the king's interest to let them live.
If it please the king issue, a decree that they be destroyed and I will
give 10,000 large sacks of silver to the government administrators to
be deposited in the Royal Treasury.
The king agreed confirming his decision by removing his signe ring from his
finger and giving it to Haman son of hemo Deha, the Aite, the enemy of the Jews.
The king said the money and the people are both yours to do with as you see fit.
So on April 17th, the King's secretaries were summoned and a decree was
written exactly as Haman dictated.
It was sent to the king's highest officers, the governors of the respective
provinces and the nobles of each province in their own scripts and languages.
The decree was written in the name of King's Xerxes, and sealed
with the king's signet ring.
Dispatches were sent by swift messengers into all the provinces of the empire,
giving the order that all Jews, young and old, including women and
children, must be killed, slaughtered, and annihilated on a single day.
This was scheduled to happen on March 7th of the next year.
The property of the Jews would be given to those who killed them.
A copy of this decree was to be issued as law in every province and
proclaimed to all peoples so that they would be ready to do their duty.
On the appointed day at the King's Command, the decree went out by
swift Messengers, and it was also proclaimed in the fortress of Suse.
Then the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Suse
fell into confusion when Mordecai learned about all that had been done.
He tore his clothes, put on burlap and ashes, and went out into the city
crying with a loud and bitter whale.
He went as far as the gate of the palace for no one was allowed to enter
the palace gate while wearing clothes of mourning, and as news of the king's
decree reached all the provinces, there was great mourning among the Jews.
They fasted, wept and wailed, and many people lay in burlap and ashes.
When Queen Esther's maids and Eunuch came and told her about
Mordecai, she was deeply distressed.
She sent clothing to him to replace the burlap, but he refused it.
Then Esther sent for Hayek, one of the King's Unix, who had
been appointed as her attendant.
She ordered him to go to Mordecai and find out what was troubling
him and why he was in mourning.
So Hayak went out to Mordecai in the square in front of the Palace Gate.
Mordecai told him the whole story including the exact amount of money
Haman had promised to pay into the Royal Treasury for the destruction of the Jews.
Mordecai gave Haac a copy of the decree issued in Suse that
called for the death of all Jews.
He asked Haac to show it to Esther and explain the situation to her.
He also asked Hayak to direct her to go to the King to beg for
mercy and plead for her people.
So Hayak returned to Esther with Mordecai's message.
Then Esther told Hayak to go back and relay this message to Mordecai.
All the king's officials and even the people in the provinces know
that anyone who appears before the king in his inner court without being
invited, is doomed to die unless the king holds out his gold scepter.
And the king has not called for me to come to him for 30 days.
So Ack gave Esther's message to Mordecai.
Mordecai sent this reply to Esther.
Don't think for a moment that because you are in the palace, you will
escape when all other Jews are killed.
If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews
will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die.
Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this,
then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai.
Go and gather together all the Jews of SUSE and fast for me.
Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day.
My maids and I will do the same, and then though it is against the
law, I will go in to see the king.
If I must die, I must die.
So Mordecai went away and did everything as Esther had ordered him.
On the third day of the fast, Esther put on her royal robes and entered
the inner court of the palace just across from the King's Hall.
The king was sitting on his royal throne facing the entrance when he saw Queen
Esther standing there in the inner court.
He welcomed her and held out the gold scepter to her.
So Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter.
Then the king asked her, what do you want, queen Esther?
What is your request?
I will give it to you even if it is half the kingdom.
And Esther replied, if it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a
banquet I have prepared for the king.
The king turned to his attendance and said, tell Haman to come quickly to
a banquet as Esther has requested.
So the King and Haman went to Esther's banquet.
And while they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther,
now tell me what you really want.
What is your request?
I will give it to you even if it is half the kingdom.
Esther replied, this is my request and deepest wish if I have found favor with
the king and if it pleases the king to grant my request and do what I ask, please
come with Haman tomorrow to the banquet.
I will prepare for you.
Then I will explain what this is all about.
Haman was a happy man as he left the banquet, but when he saw Mordecai
sitting at the palace gate, not standing up or trembling nervously
before him, Haman became furious.
However, he restrained himself and went on home.
Then Haman gathered together his friends and zeroes his wife and boasted
to them about his great wealth and as many children he bragged about
the honors the king had given him and how he had been promoted over
all the other nobles and officials.
Then Haman added, and that's not all Queen Esther invited only me
and the king himself to the banquet.
She prepared for us, and she has invited me to dine with her
and the king again tomorrow.
Then he added.
This is all worth nothing as long as I see Mordecai the Jew just
sitting there at the Palace Gate.
So Haman's wife, Xes, and all his friends suggested set up a sharpened pole that
stands 75 feet tall, and in the morning, ask the king to impale Mordecai on it.
When this is done, you can go on your merry way to the banquet with the king.
This pleased Haman and he ordered the poll set up.