Esther 9:18-32
18But the Jews who were in Susa aassembled on the thirteenth and bthe fourteenth 1of the same month, and they rested on the fifteenth 2day and made it a day of feasting and gladness. 19Therefore the Jews of the rural areas, who live in athe rural towns, make the fourteenth day of the month Adar a 1,bholiday for gladness and feasting and csending portions of food to one another.
The Feast of Purim Is Established
20Then Mordecai wrote down these events, and he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, both near and far, 21to establish among them to celebrate the fourteenth day of the month Adar, and the fifteenth day 1of the same month, annually, 22because on those days the Jews obtained rest for themselves from their enemies, and it was a month which was aturned around for them from sorrow into gladness and from mourning into a 1holiday; that they should make them days of feasting and gladness and bsending portions of food to one another and gifts to the poor.
23Thus the Jews fully accepted what they had started to do and what Mordecai had written to them. 24For Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the adversary of all the Jews, had devised against the Jews to cause them to perish and ahad cast Pur, that is the lot, to throw them into confusion and cause them to perish. 25But awhen it came before the king, he said by letter bthat his evil scheme, which he had 1devised against the Jews, cshould return on his own head and that he and his sons should be hanged on the 2gallows. 26Therefore they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Therefore, abecause of the words in this letter, both what they had seen in this regard and what had reached them, 27the Jews established and accepted a custom for themselves and for their seed and for aall those who joined themselves to them, so that 1,bcelebrating these two days according to what was written down and according to their fixed time from year to year would not pass away. 28So these days were to be remembered and celebrated throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; thus these days of Purim were not to pass away from among the Jews, nor their memory come to an end from their seed.
29Then Queen Esther, adaughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full authority to establish bthis second letter about Purim. 30And he sent letters to all the Jews, ato the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, namely, words of peace and truth, 31to establish these days of Purim at their appointed times, just as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established for them, and just as they had established for themselves and for their seed with words concerning atheir times of fasting and their crying out. 32And the declaration of Esther established these words concerning aPurim, and it was written in the book.