1After these words, king Ahasuerus promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite; he raised him and placed his throne above all the officials who were with him.2All the king's servants who were at the king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him; yet Mordecai would neither bow down nor pay homage.3The king's servants who were at the king's gate said to Mordecai, "Why do you disobey the king's command?"4When they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they reported it to Haman to see whether Mordecai's conduct would stand, because they had told him that Mordecai was a Jew.5When Haman saw that Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage to him, Haman was filled with rage.6It seemed contemptible in his eyes to lay a hand on Mordecai alone, for they had told him of Mordecai's people; therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews throughout the kingdom of Ahasuerus, the people of Mordecai.7In the first month, the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, the lot called Purim fell before Haman, cast day after day and month after month until the twelfth month, the month of Adar.8Haman said to king Ahasuerus, "There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws differ from those of every other people, and they do not keep the king's laws, so it is not fitting for the king to tolerate them."9If it pleases the king, let it be decreed that they be destroyed, and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those who carry out the work, to bring it into the king's treasury.10The king took his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.11The king said to Haman, "The silver is given to you, and the people are given to you to do with as seems good in your eyes."12The king's scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and an edict was written exactly as Haman commanded to the king's satraps, to the governors over each province, and to the officials of each people, province by province according to its script and people by people according to its language; it was written in the name of king Ahasuerus and sealed with the king's ring.13Letters were sent by the couriers to all the king's provinces with orders to destroy, to kill, and to annihilate all the Jews, young and old, children and women, on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.14A copy of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to all the peoples so that they would be ready for that day.15The couriers went out in haste by the king's command, and the edict was issued in Susa the citadel; the king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.