¹⁷ This was done throughout the provinces on March 7, and on March 8 they rested,^[a] celebrating their victory with a day of feasting and gladness.

The Victory of the Jews

9 So on March 7^[a] the two decrees of the king were put into effect. On that day, the enemies of the Jews had hoped to overpower them, but quite the opposite happened. It was the Jews who overpowered their enemies.

²¹ calling on them to celebrate an annual festival on these two days.^[a]

¹⁸ (The Jews at Susa killed their enemies on March 7 and again on March 8, then rested on March 9,^[a] making that their day of feasting and gladness.)

⁹ So on June 25^[a] the king’s secretaries were summoned, and a decree was written exactly as Mordecai dictated. It was sent to the Jews and to the highest officers, the governors, and the nobles of all the 127 provinces stretching from India to Ethiopia.^[b] The decree was written in the scripts and languages of all the peoples of the empire, including that of the Jews.

¹² So on April 17^[a] the king’s secretaries were summoned, and a decree was written exactly as Haman dictated. It was sent to the king’s highest officers, the governors of the respective provinces, and the nobles of each province in their own scripts and languages. The decree was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the king’s signet ring.