¹⁰ Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing^(A) prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy^(B) of the Lord is your strength.”

¹² Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy,^(A) because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.

¹⁹ That is why rural Jews—those living in villages—observe the fourteenth of the month of Adar^(A) as a day of joy and feasting, a day for giving presents to each other.^(B)

²² as the time when the Jews got relief^(A) from their enemies, and as the month when their sorrow was turned into joy and their mourning into a day of celebration.^(B) He wrote them to observe the days as days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food^(C) to one another and gifts to the poor.^(D)