Esther Chapter 3
Showing all 15 verses for Esther Chapter 3.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"After these things did king Ahasuerus promote Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, and advanced him, and set his seat above all the princes that were with him. "
"After all this, King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite, giving him a higher rank than all the other officials and a seat of honour above them."
Old patterns of hostility and hatred can resurface generations later in new forms, wearing new faces. Recognising that is part of staying alert to real danger, and part of choosing, in your own life, not to pass prejudice on to the next generation.
"And all the king’s servants, that were in the king’s gate, bowed, and reverenced Haman: for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence. "
"All the king's officials at the palace gate bowed down and paid honour to Haman, as the king had commanded - but Mordecai refused to bow or show him honour."
Sometimes the right thing to do is simply refuse to comply, even when everyone else is bowing and it puts you at real risk. Your convictions don't need to be loud to matter - a single quiet 'no', rooted in genuine principle, can carry enormous weight.
"Then the king’s servants, which were in the king’s gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king’s commandment? "
"The king's officials at the gate asked Mordecai why he was disobeying the king's command."
When you take a stand on principle, expect to be questioned - repeatedly - by people who don't understand or who want you to just go along with everyone else. Staying consistent under that pressure, calmly and without needing to justify yourself to everyone, is part of what real integrity looks like.
"Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai’s matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. "
"Since they asked him about it every day and he still wouldn't listen to them, they told Haman about it, wanting to see whether Mordecai's excuse - that he was a Jew - would be accepted."
Be very careful about how quickly personal offence can spiral into targeting someone's whole identity or community rather than the actual disagreement at hand. One person's individual choice is never a fair basis for punishing everyone who shares their background.
"And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath. "
"When Haman saw that Mordecai wouldn't bow or show him honour, he was filled with rage."
Watch your own heart when you feel humiliated or disrespected by one person - notice how tempting it can be to want to punish far beyond what that one person actually did. Real strength is refusing to let wounded pride grow into hatred of a whole group of people.
"And he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. "
"Haman decided it wasn't enough to punish Mordecai alone - once he learned Mordecai was Jewish, he resolved to destroy every Jewish person throughout the entire Persian Empire."
Never let personal offence become an excuse to hate or wish harm on an entire group of people who share a name, faith, or background with the one person who wronged you. This is exactly the kind of thinking - one person's grievance projected onto millions - that I want you to recognise and refuse, wherever you encounter it, including in yourself.
"In the first month, that 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, that is, the month Adar. "
"In the first month (Nisan), in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus's reign, lots (called 'Pur') were cast day by day and month by month in Haman's presence, to choose the date for his plan - eventually landing on the twelfth month, Adar."
What looks like random chance can turn out to serve a much bigger purpose than anyone casting the dice ever intended. Don't despair when circumstances seem to be stacked against you by pure luck - sometimes what looks like chance is quietly working in your favour, given enough time.
"And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king’s laws: therefore it is not for the king’s profit to them. "
💡 Highlighted words feature Jacobean 1611 tooltips to clarify shifted 17th-century English terms.
"Haman told the king there was a certain people, scattered throughout every province of his kingdom, who kept to their own laws, didn't follow the king's laws, and whose presence, he claimed, wasn't worth tolerating."
Be deeply suspicious of anyone who tries to convince you an entire group of people is dangerous simply because they're different or keep their own customs. Difference is not disloyalty, and I want you to be someone who asks for evidence and looks at people as individuals, never as a vague, faceless threat.
"If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king’s treasuries. "
"Haman proposed a decree ordering their destruction, and offered to personally pay ten thousand talents of silver - an enormous fortune - into the royal treasury to cover the cost."
Notice how much energy and resource hatred demands to sustain itself - it's never satisfied with a little. Choose instead to invest your time, energy and resources in building people up rather than tearing them down; that choice will always serve you and the world better in the end.
"And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews’ enemy. "
"The king took his signet ring from his own hand and gave it to Haman, the Agagite, the enemy of the Jews."
Be very careful about handing your trust, authority or influence to someone without first asking real questions about what they intend to do with it. Blind trust, especially from those with power, can enable enormous harm - responsible leadership means staying engaged, not just delegating and looking away.
"And the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee. "
"The king told Haman he could keep the silver, and that he was free to do whatever he wanted with the people in question."
If you're ever in a position of authority - over a team, a family, a decision that affects others - resist the temptation to simply hand it off and look away because it's easier. Real responsibility means staying engaged enough to ask hard questions before you let harm happen on your watch.
"Then were the king’s scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king’s lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king’s ring. "
"On the thirteenth day of the first month, the king's scribes wrote out Haman's orders exactly as he dictated, addressed to every provincial official and ruler in their own local language, sealed with the king's own ring, and issued in the king's name."
Don't assume that something official, orderly or bureaucratic must therefore be right. Systems and procedures can be used for devastating harm just as easily as for good - always keep asking what's actually being done, not just how properly it's being processed.
"And the letters were sent by posts into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to take the spoil of them for a prey. "
"Messengers carried the letters to every province, ordering the destruction of all Jews - young and old, women and children - on a single day, the thirteenth of Adar, and permitting their property to be seized as plunder."
I never ask you to look away from real evil or pretend it's smaller than it is. Facing the full truth of injustice honestly - without flinching and without excusing it - is exactly what allows real courage, like what you're about to see from Esther, to rise and meet it.
"The copy of the writing for a commandment to be given in every province was published unto all people, that they should be ready against that day. "
"A copy of the decree was to be publicly displayed as law in every province, so that everyone would know to be ready for that day."
When you're facing a threat you can see coming, don't let dread paralyse you completely - the time between knowing and the actual danger can also be time to prepare, to seek help, and to act with courage, as you're about to see happen in this story.
"The posts went out, being hastened by the king’s commandment, and the decree was given in Shushan the palace. And the king and Haman sat down to drink; but the city Shushan was perplexed. "
"The messengers set out in haste at the king's command, and the decree was announced in the capital city, Susa. The king and Haman sat down to drink together - but the city of Susa was thrown into confusion and distress."
Pay attention to how you feel when others around you are suffering because of a decision made far above your own life - that discomfort, that refusal to simply carry on as normal, is a good and healthy instinct. Never let comfort or position numb you to the real pain a decision is causing someone else.