American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh and far,
to enjoin them that they should keep the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yearly,
as the days wherein the Jews had rest from their enemies, and the month which was turned unto them from sorrow to gladness, and from mourning into a good day; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor.
And the Jews undertook to do as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written unto them;
because Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of all the Jews, had plotted against the Jews to destroy them, and had cast Pur, that is the lot, to consume them, and to destroy them;
but when the matter came before the king, he commanded by letters that his wicked device, which he had devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head, and that he and his sons should be hanged on the gallows.
Wherefore they called these days Purim, after the name of Pur. Therefore because of all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and that which had come unto them,
the Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so that it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to the writing thereof, and according to the appointed time thereof, every year;
and that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the remembrance of them {Hebrew: be ended.}perish from their seed.
Then Esther the queen, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Jew, wrote with all {Hebrew: strength.}authority to confirm this second letter of Purim.
And he sent letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, with words of peace and truth,
to confirm these days of Purim in their appointed times, according as Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen had enjoined them, and as they had ordained for themselves and for their seed, in the matter of the fastings and their cry.
And the commandment of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim; and it was written in the book.
And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of {Hebrew: bondmen.}bondage; for by strength of hand Jehovah brought you out from this place: there shall no leavened bread be eaten.
This day ye go forth in the month Abib.
And Jehovah spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying,
This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a {Or, kid}lamb, according to their fathers' houses, a lamb for a household:
and if the household be too little for a lamb, then shall he and his neighbor next unto his house take one according to the number of the souls; according to every man's eating ye shall make your count for the lamb.
Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old: ye shall take it from the sheep, or from the goats:
and ye shall keep it until the fourteenth day of the same month; and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it {Hebrew: between the two evenings.}at even.
And they shall take of the blood, and put it on the two side-posts and on the lintel, upon the houses wherein they shall eat it.
And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; with bitter herbs they shall eat it.
Eat not of it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roast with fire; its head with its legs and with the inwards thereof.
And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning; but that which remaineth of it until the morning ye shall burn with fire.
And thus shall ye eat it: with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is Jehovah's passover.
For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will smite all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am Jehovah.
And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and there shall no plague be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
And this day shall be unto you for a memorial, and ye shall keep it a feast to Jehovah: throughout your generations ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.
Purge out the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, even as ye are unleavened. For our passover also hath been sacrificed, even Christ:
For I received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was {Or, delivered up}betrayed took bread;
and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body, which {Many ancient authorities read is broken up.}is for you: this do in remembrance of me.
In like manner also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye proclaim the Lord's death till he come.
In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month {Hebrew: between the two evenings.}at even, is Jehovah's passover.
And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto Jehovah: seven days ye shall eat unleavened bread.
In the first day ye shall have a holy convocation: ye shall do no {Hebrew: work of labor.}servile work.
But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah seven days: in the seventh day is a holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work.
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye are come into the land which I give unto you, and shall reap the harvest thereof, then ye shall bring the sheaf of the first-fruits of your harvest unto the priest:
and he shall wave the sheaf before Jehovah, to be accepted for you: on the morrow after the sabbath the priest shall wave it.
And in the day when ye wave the sheaf, ye shall offer a he-lamb without blemish a year old for a burnt-offering unto Jehovah.
And the meal-offering thereof shall be two tenth parts of an ephah of fine flour mingled with oil, an offering made by fire unto Jehovah for a sweet savor; and the drink-offering thereof shall be of wine, the fourth part of a hin.
And ye shall eat neither bread, nor parched grain, nor fresh ears, until this selfsame day, until ye have brought the oblation of your God: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering; seven sabbaths shall there be complete:
even unto the morrow after the seventh sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall offer a new meal-offering unto Jehovah.
Ye shall bring out of your habitations two wave-loaves of two tenth parts of an ephah: they shall be of fine flour, they shall be baken with leaven, for first-fruits unto Jehovah.
And ye shall present with the bread seven lambs without blemish a year old, and one young bullock, and two rams: they shall be a burnt-offering unto Jehovah, with their meal-offering, and their drink-offerings, even an offering made by fire, of a sweet savor unto Jehovah.
And ye shall offer one he-goat for a sin-offering, and two he-lambs a year old for a sacrifice of peace-offerings.
And the priest shall wave them with the bread of the first-fruits for a wave-offering before Jehovah, with the two lambs: they shall be holy to Jehovah for the priest.
And ye shall make proclamation on the selfsame day; there shall be a holy convocation unto you; ye shall do no servile work: it is a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleaning of thy harvest: thou shalt leave them for the poor, and for the soujourner: I am Jehovah your God.
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, shall be a solemn rest unto you, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.
Ye shall do no servile work; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
Howbeit on the tenth day of this seventh month is the day of atonement: it shall be a holy convocation unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah.
And ye shall do no manner of work in that same day; for it is a day of atonement, to make atonement for you before Jehovah your God.
For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day; he shall be cut off from his people.
And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any manner of work in that same day, that soul will I destroy from among his people.
Ye shall do no manner of work: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
It shall be unto you a sabbath of solemn rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye keep your sabbath.
And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,
Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the feast of {Hebrew: booths.}tabernacles for seven days unto Jehovah.
On the first day shall be a holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work.
Seven days ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah: on the eighth day shall be a holy convocation unto you; and ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah: it is a {Or, closing festival}solemn assembly; ye shall do no servile work.
These are the set feasts of Jehovah, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, to offer an offering made by fire unto Jehovah, a burnt-offering, and a meal-offering, a sacrifice, and drink-offerings, each on its own day;
besides the sabbaths of Jehovah, and besides your gifts, and besides all your vows, and besides all your freewill-offerings, which ye give unto Jehovah.
Howbeit on the fifteenth day of the seventh month, when ye have gathered in the fruits of the land, ye shall keep the feast of Jehovah seven days: on the first day shall be a solemn rest, and on the eighth day shall be a solemn rest.
And ye shall take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook; and ye shall rejoice before Jehovah your God seven days.
And ye shall keep it a feast unto Jehovah seven days in the year: it is a statute for ever throughout your generations; ye shall keep it in the seventh month.
Ye shall dwell in booths seven days; all that are home-born in Israel shall dwell in booths;
that your generations may know that I made the children of Israel to dwell in booths, when I brought them out of the land of Egypt: I am Jehovah your God.
And Moses declared unto the children of Israel the set feasts of Jehovah.
And if ye do good to them that do good to you, what thank have ye? for even sinners do the same.
And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? even sinners lend to sinners, to receive again as much.
But love your enemies, and do them good, and lend, {Some ancient authorities read despairing of no man.}never despairing; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be sons of the Most High: for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil.
and when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, This is my body, which {Many ancient authorities read is broken up.}is for you: this do in remembrance of me.
In like manner also the cup, after supper, saying, This cup is the new covenant in my blood: this do, as often as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.
In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, which is the month Adar.
Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.
For he established a testimony in Jacob,And appointed a law in Israel,Which he commanded our fathers,That they should make them known to their children;
That the generation to come might know them, even the children that should be born;Who should arise and tell them to their children,
That they might set their hope in God,And not forget the works of God,But keep his commandments,
Now when the turn of Esther, the daughter of Abihail the uncle of Mordecai, who had taken her for his daughter, was come to go in unto the king, she required nothing but what Hegai the king's chamberlain, the keeper of the women, appointed. And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all them that looked upon her.
Ye worship that which ye know not: we worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews.
Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast in like manner; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.
Now when Mordecai knew all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry;
And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and {Hebrew: sackcloth and ashes were spread under many.}many lay in sackcloth and ashes.
I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it; and God hath done it, that men should fear before him.