Esther

After these events, King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, giving him a higher seat of honour than all the other princes who were with him.

All the royal officials at the king’s gate bowed down and paid honour to Haman, for the king had commanded this concerning him. But Mordecai would not bow down or pay him honour.

Then the royal officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, "Why do you disobey the king’s command?"

Day after day they spoke to him, but he refused to listen. Finally, they told Haman about it to see if Mordecai’s behaviour would be tolerated, for he had told them he was a Jew.

When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or pay him honour, he was filled with rage.

Having learned who Mordecai’s people were, he thought it was beneath him to kill only Mordecai. Instead, Haman looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire kingdom of Xerxes.

In the first month, the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Xerxes, the lot, known as the Pur, was cast in the presence of Haman. This was done to choose a day and a month, and the lot fell on the twelfth month, the month of Adar.

Then Haman said to King Xerxes, "There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom. Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws. It is not in the king’s interest to let them remain."

"If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them, and I will put ten thousand talents of silver into the royal treasury to pay for the task."

The king took his signet ring from his finger and gave it to Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews.

"Keep the money," the king said to Haman, "and do with the people as you please."

On the thirteenth day of the first month, the royal scribes were summoned. They wrote out in the name of King Xerxes all of Haman’s orders to the king’s satraps, the governors of every province, and the officials of every people. The decree was written in the script of each province and the language of each people, and was sealed with the king’s signet ring.

Dispatches were sent by couriers to all the king’s provinces with the order to destroy, kill, and completely annihilate all the Jews, young and old, women and children, on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.

A copy of the decree was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so they would be ready for that day.

Driven by the king’s command, the couriers went out, and the decree was also issued in the fortress of Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink, but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion.