Esther 8:5 - Forerunner Commentary

Esther 8:5

3 Now Esther spoke again to the king, fell down at his feet, and implored him with tears to counteract the evil of Haman the Agagite, and the scheme which he had devised against the Jews.

4 And ^athe king held out the golden scepter toward Esther. So Esther arose and stood before the king,

5 and said, “If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight and the thing seems right to the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to revoke the ^aletters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to annihilate the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces.

6 For how can I endure to see ^athe evil that will come to my people? Or how can I endure to see the destruction of my countrymen?”

7 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, “Indeed, ^aI have given Esther the house of Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows because he tried to lay his hand on the Jews.

8 You yourselves write a decree concerning the Jews,¹ as you please, in the king’s name, and seal it with the king’s signet ring; for whatever is written in the king’s name and sealed with the king’s signet ring ^ano one can revoke.”

9 ^aSo the king’s scribes were called at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day; and it was written, according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews, the satraps, the governors, and the princes of the provinces ^bfrom India to Ethiopia, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces in all, to every province ^cin its own script, to every people in their own language, and to the Jews in their own script and language.

10 ^aAnd he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, sealed it with the king’s signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on horseback, riding on royal horses¹ bred from swift steeds.

11 By these letters the king permitted the Jews who were in every city to ^agather together and protect their lives—to ^bdestroy, kill, and annihilate all the forces of any people or province that would assault them, both little children and women, and to plunder their possessions,

12 ^aon one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of¹ Adar.

13 ^aA copy of the document was to be issued as a decree in every province and published for all people, so that the Jews would be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies.

14 The couriers who rode on royal horses went out, hastened and pressed on by the king’s command. And the decree was issued in¹ Shushan the citadel.

15 So Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of¹ blue and white, with a great crown of gold and a garment of fine linen and purple; and ^athe city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad.

16 The Jews had ^alight and gladness, joy and honor.

17 And in every province and city, wherever the king’s command and decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast ^aand a holiday. Then many of the people of the land ^bbecame Jews, because ^cfear of the Jews fell upon them.

Verse Comparison: Esther 8:5

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American Standard Version
And she said, If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews that are in all the king's provinces:

Amplified® Bible
And she said, If it pleases the king and if I have found favor in his sight and the thing seems right before the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king's provinces.

Contemporary English Version
and she got up and said, "Your Majesty, I know that you will do the right thing and that you really love me. Please stop what Haman has planned. He has already sent letters demanding that the Jews in all your provinces be killed,

Darby English Version
and said, If it please the king and if I have found grace before him, and the thing seem right to the king, and I be pleasing in his sight, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews that are in all the king's provinces.

Good News Bible
"If it please Your Majesty, and if you care about me and if it seems right to you, please issue a proclamation to keep Haman's orders from being carried out---those orders that the son of Hammedatha the descendant of Agag gave for the destruction of all the Jews in the empire.

King James Version
And said, If it please the king, and if I have favour in his sight, and the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to reverse the letters devised by Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews which are in all the king's provinces:

New American Standard Bible
Then she said, "If it pleases the king and if I have found favor before him and the matter {seems} proper to the king and I am pleasing in his sight, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the king's provinces.

New International Version
"If it pleases the king," she said, "and if he regards me with favor and thinks it the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king's provinces.

New King James Version
and said, 'If it pleases the king, and if I have found favor in his sight and the thing seems right to the king and I am pleasing in his eyes, let it be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to annihilate the Jews who are in all the king's provinces.

N.A.S.B. in E-Prime
Then she said, "If it pleases the king and if I have found favor before him and the matter seems proper to the king and I have pleased him in his sight, et the scribes write to revoke the letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who live in all the king's provinces.

Revised Standard Version
and Esther rose and stood before the king. And she said, "If it please the king, and if I have found favor in his sight, and if the thing seem right before the king, and I be pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the Ag'agite, the son of Hammeda'tha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king.

Young's Literal Translation
and saith, `If to the king `it be' good, and if I have found grace before him, and the thing hath been right before the king, and I `be' good in his eyes, let it be written to bring back the letters -- a device of Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite -- that he wrote to destroy the Jews who `are' in all provinces of the king,

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