1. After these events, King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite, to a rank higher than that of all the other officials.

2. On orders of the king, all the royal officials at the king's gate would kneel and bow down to Haman. This Mordecai refused to do.

3. The royal officials at the king's gate asked Mordecai, "Why do you disobey the king's order?"

4. They spoke to him day after day, but he refused to comply, explaining that he was a Jew. To find out if this explanation was acceptable, they reported the matter to Haman.

5. Haman was enraged when he saw that Mordecai would not kneel down or pay him honor.

6. Having learned who Mordecai's people were, he thought it would not be enough to lay hands on him alone, but sought to destroy all the Jews throughout the kingdom of Ahasuerus.

7. In the first month, the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, the pur or lot was cast in Haman's presence to determine the day and the month for the destruction of Mordecai's people. The lot fell on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, Adar.

8. Haman talked to King Ahasuerus, "Scattered throughout the provinces of your kingdom is a certain people, whose customs differ from those of other people. Since they do not obey our laws, it is not in the king's best interests to tolerate them.

9. If it please the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them. I will deposit in the royal treasury ten thousand silver talents for the men who carry out the king's business."

10. The king took the signet ring off his finger, handed it to Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite, enemy of the Jews, and said,

11. "Keep the money, and do with these people as you please."

12. On the thirteenth day of the first month, the royal scribes were summoned. As Haman dictated, they wrote orders in the script of each province and in the language of each people to the king's satraps, the governors of every province, and the officials of every people. Written in the name of King Ahasuerus himself and sealed with his own ring,

13. these dispatches were sent by couriers to all the royal provinces with the order to kill, destroy and wipe out all the Jews - young and old, women and children - on a single day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of Adar, and to plunder their goods.

14. A copy of the edict to be promulgated as law in every province was published for all the people to know so that they would be ready for that day.

15. The couriers, spurred on by the king's command, set out in haste, and the edict was first promulgated in Susa. As the king and Haman sat down to drink, the city of Susa was in bewilderment.





“Devo fazer somente a vontade de Deus e, se lhe agrado, o restante não conta.” São Padre Pio de Pietrelcina