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But the Iewes that were at Shushan, assembled together on the thirteenth day therof, and on the fourteenth thereof; and on the fifteenth day of the same, they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladnesse.

Therefore the Iewes of the villages, that dwelt in the vnwalled townes, made the foureteenth day of the moneth Adar, a day of gladnesse and feasting, and a good day, and of sending portions one to another.

And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters vnto all the Iewes, that were in all the prouinces of the king Ahasuerus, both nigh & farre,

To stablish this among them, that they should keepe the fourteenth day of the moneth Adar, and the fifteenth day of the same, yeerely:

As the dayes wherein the Iewes rested from their enemies, & the moneth which was turned vnto them, from sorrow to ioy, and from mourning into a good day: that they should make them daies of feasting and ioy, and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poore.

And the Iewes vndertooke to doe, as they had begun, and as Mordecai had written vnto them:

Because Haman the sonne of Hammedatha the Agagite, the enemie of all the Iewes, had deuised against the Iewes to destroy them, and had cast Pur (that is, the lot) to consume them, and to destroy them.

But when Esther came before the king, he commanded by letters, that his wicked deuice which he deuised against the Iewes, should returne vpon his owne head, and that he and his sonnes, should be hanged on the gallous.

Wherefore they called these dayes Purim, after the name of Pur: therefore for all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seene concerning this matter, and which had come vnto them,

The Iewes ordeined, and tooke vpon them, and vpon their seed, and vpon all such as ioyned themselues vnto them, so as it should not faile, that they would keepe these two dayes, according to their writing, and according to their appointed time, euery yeere:

And that these dayes should be remembred, and kept throughout euery generation, euery family, euery prouince, and euery citie, and that these dayes of Purim should not faile from among the Iewes, nor the memoriall of them perish from their seed.

Then Esther the Queene, the daughter of Abihail, and Mordecai the Iew, wrote with all authoritie, to confirme this second letter of Purim.

And hee sent the letters vnto all the Iewes, to the hundred, twentie and seuen prouinces of the kingdome of Ahasuerus, with wordes of peace and trueth:

To confirme these dayes of Purim, in their times appointed, according as Mordecai the Iew, and Esther the Queene had enioyned them, and as they had decreed for themselues and for their seed, the matters of the fastings and their cry.

And the decree of Esther confirmed these matters of Purim, and it was written in the booke.