Esther 9:1-10
Their Plan Was Overturned
Read the passage
1On the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, the king’s command and edict were to be executed. On this day the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but their plan was overturned and the Jews overpowered those who hated them.
2In each of the provinces of King Xerxes, the Jews assembled in their cities to attack those who sought to harm them. No man could withstand them, because the fear of them had fallen upon all peoples.
3And all the officials of the provinces, the satraps, the governors, and the king’s administrators helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai had fallen upon them.
4For Mordecai exercised great power in the palace, and his fame spread throughout the provinces as he became more and more powerful.
5The Jews put all their enemies to the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did as they pleased to those who hated them.
6In the citadel of Susa, the Jews killed and destroyed five hundred men,
7including Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha,
8Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha,
9Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha.
10They killed these ten sons of Haman son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
The thirteenth of Adar arrives. The Jews' enemies have hoped to overpower them, but the plan is overturned: the Jews overcome those who hate them. In the cities they assemble against people seeking their harm.
Provincial officials help them because they fear Mordecai, whose power and reputation have grown. The people marked out for destruction now have help from the officials of the very empire that authorized the attack.
The fighting is deadly. In Susa, five hundred men are killed, including Haman's ten sons, each of whom is named. These are human deaths, not a detail we should hurry past in order to reach the celebration. The chapter presents the Jews as facing enemies who sought to destroy them.
but they did not lay a hand on the plunder.
The new decree had allowed them to take possessions, but they do not. Their refusal distinguishes deliverance from an opportunity to enrich themselves. It does not remove the difficulty of the violence.
The people marked for destruction have survived the appointed day. Reading this deliverance as part of God's preservation of his people gives reason for gratitude, while leaving us sober about its cost. It does not turn a Christian family's grievances into a mandate to fight its enemies.
Questions
1 How does the appointed day differ from what the enemies hoped?
AnswerThey hoped to overpower the Jews, but the opposite happens. The Jews overcome those who seek their harm.
2 Why do the officials help the Jews?
AnswerFear of Mordecai has fallen on them as his power and reputation grow.
3 Who are included among those killed in Susa?
AnswerHaman's ten sons, named individually in the account. The total reported for Susa is five hundred men.
4 What do the Jews refuse to take?
AnswerThe plunder, although the decree permitted it. The passage makes that restraint explicit.
What This Means for Us
We can be thankful for protection without wanting to profit from another person's ruin. Romans 12:17–21 tells Christians not to repay evil for evil or take personal revenge, but to overcome evil with good. Seek help when someone is threatened. In everyday conflicts, refuse the chance to humiliate or exploit the other person, even when others would applaud it.
Prayer
God, protect people facing hatred and violence. Give us sober gratitude for deliverance, keep us from personal revenge, and teach us to overcome evil with good. Amen.