END OF ADDITION C
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14.1–19 Esther’s prayer. Esther’s deeds, like her words, are more dramatic and given in fuller detail than Mordecai’s, as is appropriate for the one who now acts to save her people. Praise and petition intermix in Esther’s prayer.
14.2 Ashes and dung nicely contrasts Esther’s present distress with her royal estate.
14.5 Israel’s special relationship and history with God is the basis for its hope.
14.6–7 These sins are specified only here and are formulaic; they play no part in the story. According to 4.1 the people are innocent.
14.8–10 This issue of worshiping God or pagan idols, even mortal kings, also appears in Judith, recalling a basic theme in Isa 40–55 and other diaspora literature.
14.9 Jews in the Diaspora as well as the homeland were concerned for the welfare of the temple in Jerusalem.
14.11 What has no being. Pagan gods are not simply ineffective—they do not exist.
14.12–19 From prayer for her people Esther now turns to prayer for herself, seeking support and strength in what she is about to do and understanding for her difficult position as a Jew in this foreign court.
14.12 Referring to God as King and Master, she seeks aid in going before the Persian king and master of the empire.
14.13 The lion, Artaxerxes.
14.15 Esther gives a defense of her violation of strictures against marriage to non-Jews as in Deut 7.3–4; such strictures are especially characteristic of the reforms of Ezra and Nehemiah (Ezra 10.2; Neh 13.23–27).
14.16 Filthy rag, lit. “menstruous rag,” expressing in a strikingly sexist image the uncleanness of Esther’s royal attire (see Lev 15.19–24).
14.17 Not eaten at Haman’s table. Esther does all she can to avoid nonkosher food (cf. Dan 1.8–16).
ESTHER 15
ADDITION D
Esther Is Received by the King
On the third day, when she ended her prayer, she took off the garments in which she had worshiped, and arrayed herself in splendid attire. 2Then, majestically adorned, after invoking the aid of the all-seeing God and Savior, she took two maids with her; 3on one she leaned gently for support, 4while the other followed, carrying her train. 5She was radiant with perfect beauty, and she looked happy, as if beloved, but her heart was frozen with fear. 6When she had gone through all the doors, she stood before the king. He was seated on his royal throne, clothed in the full array of his majesty, all covered with gold and precious stones. He was most terrifying.
7Lifting his face, flushed with splendor, he looked at her in fierce anger. The queen faltered, and turned pale and faint, and collapsed on the head of the maid who went in front of her. 8Then God changed the spirit of the king to gentleness, and in alarm he sprang from his throne and took her in his arms until she came to herself. He comforted her with soothing words, and said to her, 9“What is it, Esther? I am your husband.a Take courage; 10You shall not die, for our law applies only to our subjects.b Come near.”
11Then he raised the golden scepter and touched her neck with it; 12he embraced her, and said, “Speak to me.” 13She said to him, “I saw you, my lord, like an angel of God, and my heart was shaken with fear at your glory. 14For you are wonderful, my lord, and your countenance is full of grace.” 15And while she was speaking, she fainted and fell. 16Then the king was agitated, and all his servants tried to comfort her.
END OF ADDITION D
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a Gk brother
b Meaning of Gk uncertain
15.1–5.8 Esther is received by the king. The Greek Esther presents this initial climax in a much more dramatic manner than the Hebrew, contrasting Esther’s inner fear with her outer calm and radiance and her vulnerability with the terrifying splendor of the king.
15.7 In the face of the king’s initial anger Esther’s fainting need not be a clever act on her part to change his attitude (see v. 15).
15.8 God . . . to gentleness. As earlier in the Greek form of the story, God is the ultimate mover of events and even the hearts of kings (cf. 11.12).
15.9–14 The king’s willingness to accept and align Esther with himself provokes her laudatory praise of him, echoing what one might say of a deity. Cf. what she said in her prayer (14.10). Like an angel of God, also said of David (1 Sam 29.9; 2 Sam 14.17, 20; 19.27).
5.3–8 The motive for Esther’s delay in requesting that her people be saved, even though she clearly has won royal favor, is not clear, but it heightens the tension and allows space for further complications.
ESTHER 5a
3The king said to her, “What do you wish, Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to half of my kingdom.” 4And Esther said, “Today is a special day for me. If it pleases the king, let him and Haman come to the dinner that I shall prepare today.” 5Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther desires.” So they both came to the dinner that Esther had spoken about. 6While they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, “What is it, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you.” 7She said, “My petition and request is: 8if I have found favor in the sight of the king, let the king and Haman come to the dinner that I shall prepare them, and tomorrow I will do as I have done today.”
Haman’s Plot against Mordecai
9So Haman went out from the king joyful and glad of heart. But when he saw Mordecai the Jew in the courtyard, he was filled with anger. 10Nevertheless, he went home and summoned his friends and his wife Zosara. 11And he told them about his riches and the honor that the king had bestowed on him, and how he had advanced him to be the first in the kingdom. 12And Haman said, “The queen did not invite anyone to the dinner with the king except me; and I am invited again tomorrow. 13But these things give me no pleasure as long as I see Mordecai the Jew in the courtyard.” 14His wife Zosara and his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then, go merrily with the king to the dinner.” This advice pleased Haman, and so the gallows was prepared.
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a In Greek, Chapter D replaces verses 1 and 2 in Hebrew.
ESTHER 6
Mordecai’s Reward from the King
1That night the Lord took sleep from the king, so he gave orders to his secretary to bring the book of daily records, and to read to him. 2He found the words written about Mordecai, how he had told the king about the two royal eunuchs who were on guard and sought to lay hands on King Artaxerxes. 3The king said, “What honor or dignity did we bestow on Mordecai?” The king’s servants said, “You have not done anything for him.” 4While the king was inquiring about the goodwill shown by Mordecai, Haman was in the courtyard. The king asked, “Who is in the courtyard?” Now Haman had come to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared. 5The servants of the king answered, “Haman is standing in the courtyard.” And the king said, “Summon him.” 6Then the king said to Haman, “What shall I do for the person whom I wish to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king wish to honor more than me?” 7So he said to the king, “For a person whom the king wishes to honor, 8let the king’s servants bring out the fine linen robe that the king has worn, and the horse on which the king rides, 9and let both be given to one of the king’s honored Friends, and let him robe the person whom the king loves and mount him on the horse, and let it be proclaimed through the open square of the city, saying, ‘Thus shall it be done to everyone whom the king honors.’” 10Then the king said to Haman, “You have made an excellent suggestion! Do just as you have said for Mordecai the Jew, who is on duty in the courtyard. And let nothing be omitted from what you have proposed.” 11So Haman got the robe and the horse; he put the robe on Mordecai and made him ride through the open square of the city, proclaiming, “Thus shall it be done to everyone whom the king wishes to honor.” 12Then Mordecai returned to the courtyard,
and Haman hurried back to his house, mourning and with his head covered. 13Haman told his wife Zosara and his friends what had befallen him. His friends and his wife said to him, “If Mordecai is of the Jewish people, and you have begun to be humiliated before him, you will surely fall. You will not be able to defend yourself, because the living God is with him.”
Haman at Esther’s Banquet
14While they were still talking, the eunuchs arrived and hurriedly brought Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared. 1So the king and Haman went in to drink with the queen. 2And the second day, as they were drinking wine, the king said, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your petition and what is your request? It shall be granted to you, even to half of my kingdom.” 3She answered and said, “If I have found favor with the king, let my life be granted me at my petition, and my people at my request. 4For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, plundered, and made slaves—we and our children—male and female slaves. This has come to my knowledge. Our antagonist brings shame ona the king’s court.” 5Then the king said, “Who is the person that would dare to do this thing?” 6Esther said, “Our enemy is this evil man Haman!” At this, Haman was terrified in the presence of the king and queen.
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6.1–13 Mordecai’s reward from the king.
6.1 The Lord took sleep from the king. Unlike in the Hebrew, royal insomnia is clearly caused by the deity.
6.2 The reference is to the second plot of 2.21–23, not 12.1–6.
6.13 Wise after the events, Haman’s wife and friends interpret this second climactic reversal as God’s work and a clear sign of Haman’s fall.
6.14–7.6 Haman at Esther’s banquet. Any hopes that Haman’s fortunes might turn again at Esther’s second dinner are quickly dashed as Esther reveals to the king both her people’s plight and its cause.
ESTHER 7
Punishment of Haman
7The king rose from the banquet and went into the garden, and Haman began to beg for his life from the queen, for he saw that he was in serious trouble. 8When the king returned from the garden, Haman had thrown himself on the couch, pleading with the queen. The king said, “Will he dare even assault my wife in my own house?” Haman, when he heard, turned away his face. 9Then Bugathan, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, “Look, Haman has even prepared a gallows for Mordecai, who gave information of concern to the king; it is standing at Haman’s house, a gallows fifty cubits high.” So the king said, “Let Haman be hanged on that.” 10So Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. With that the anger of the king abated.
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a Gk is not worthy of
7.7–10 Punishment of Haman.
7.8 Ironically, Haman’s intent is here misunderstood by the king.
7.9–10 Ironic reversal of intent and result continues as measure-for-measure justice is executed when Haman is hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.
ESTHER 8
Royal Favor Shown the Jews
1On that very day King Artaxerxes granted to Esther all the property of the persecutora Haman. Mordecai was summoned by the king, for Esther had told the kingb that he was related to her. 2The king took the ring that had been taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther set Mordecai over everything that had been Haman’s.
3Then she spoke once again to the king and, falling at his feet, she asked him to avert all the evil that Haman had planned against the Jews. 4The king extended his golden scepter to Esther, and she rose and stood before the king. 5Esther said, “If it pleases you, and if I have found favor, let an order be sent rescinding the letters that Haman wrote and sent to destroy the Jews in your kingdom. 6How can I look on the ruin of my people? How can I be safe if my ancestral nationc is destroyed?” 7The king said to Esther, “Now that Id have granted all of Haman’s property to you and have hanged him on a tree because he acted against the Jews, what else do you request? 8Write in my name what you think best and seal it with my ring; for whatever is written at the king’s command and sealed with my ring cannot be contravened.”
9The secretaries were summoned on the twenty-third day of the first month, that is, Nisan, in the same year; and all that he commanded with respect to the Jews was given in writing to the administrators and governors of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, one hundred twenty-seven provinces, to each province in its own language. 10The edict was writtene with the king’s authority and sealed with his ring, and sent out by couriers. 11He ordered the Jews in every city to observe their own laws, to defend themselves, and to act as they wished against their opponents and enemies 12on a certain day, the thirteenth of the twelfth month, which is Adar, throughout all the kingdom of Artaxerxes.
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a Gk slanderer
b Gk him
c Gk country
d Gk If I
e Gk It was written
8.1–17 Royal favor shown the Jews. The reversals are completed as Mordecai (through Esther) assumes the position and estate of Haman, and, in language that recalls 3.12–14, a decree allowing the Jews to defend themselves counters the decree issued by Haman. The Jews are ordered to observe their own laws (v. 11), i.e., the Torah.
ADDITION E
ESTHER 16a
The Decree of Artaxerxes
1The following is a copy of this letter: “The Great King, Artaxerxes, to the governors of the provinces from India to Ethiopia, one hundred twenty-seven provinces, and to those who are loyal to our government, greetings.
2“Many people, the more they are honored with the most generous kindness of their benefactors, the more proud do they become, 3and not only seek to injure our subjects, but in their inability to stand prosperity, they even undertake to scheme against their own benefactors. 4They not only take away thankfulness from others, but, carried away by the boasts of those who know nothing of goodness, they even assume that they will escape the evil-hating justice of God, who always sees everything. 5And often many of those who are set in places of authority have been made in part responsible for the shedding of innocent blood, and have been involved in irremediable calamities, by the persuasion of friends who have been entrusted with the administration of public affairs, 6when these persons by the false trickery of their evil natures beguile the sincere goodwill of their sovereigns.
7“What has been wickedly accomplished through the pestilent behavior of those who exercise authority unworthily can be seen, not so much from the more ancient records that we hand on, as from investigation of matters close at hand.b 8In the future we will take care to render our kingdom quiet and peaceable for all, 9by changing our methods and always judging what comes before our eyes with more equitable consideration. 10For Haman son of Hammedatha, a Macedonian (really an alien to the Persian blood, and quite devoid of our kindliness), having become our guest, 11enjoyed so fully the goodwill that we have for every nation that he was called our father and was continually bowed down to by all as the person second to the royal throne. 12But, unable to restrain his arrogance, he undertook to deprive us of our kingdom and our life,c 13and with intricate craft and deceit asked for the destruction of Mordecai, our savior and perpetual benefactor, and of Esther, the blameless partner of our kingdom, together with their whole nation. 14He thought that by these methods he would catch us undefended and would transfer the kingdom of the Persians to the Macedonians.
15“But we find that the Jews, who were consigned to annihilation by this thrice-accursed man, are not evildoers, but are governed by most righteous laws 16and are children of the living God, most high, most mighty,d who has directed the kingdom both for us and for our ancestors in the most excellent order.
17“You will therefore do well not to put in execution the letters sent by Haman son of Hammedatha, 18since he, the one who did these things, has been hanged at the gate of Susa with all his household—for God, who rules over all things, has speedily inflicted on h
im the punishment that he deserved.
19“Therefore post a copy of this letter publicly in every place, and permit the Jews to live under their own laws. 20And give them reinforcements, so that on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar, on that very day, they may defend themselves against those who attack them at the time of oppression. 21For God, who rules over all things, has made this day to be a joy for his chosen people instead of a day of destruction for them.
22“Therefore you shall observe this with all good cheer as a notable day among your commemorative festivals, 23so that both now and hereafter it may represent deliverance for youe and the loyal Persians, but that it may be a reminder of destruction for those who plot against us.
24“Every city and country, without exception, that does not act accordingly shall be destroyed in wrath with spear and fire. It shall be made not only impassable for human beings, but also most hateful to wild animals and birds for all time.
END OF ADDITION E
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a Chapter 16.1-24 corresponds to chapter E 1-24 in some translations.
b Gk matters beside (your) feet
c Gk our spirit
d Gk greatest
e Other ancient authorities read for us
16.1–24 The decree of Artaxerxes (Addition E). The earlier decree lauded Haman and vilified the Jews; this decree, written by Mordecai, reverses this characterization of each.
HarperCollins Study Bible Page 357
