Esther — Chapter 9

And the thircenth day of the monta Adar was the firft day with thé al of the laughter, &the tourtinth day they ceafed to kil. Which they + ordayned tobe foléne, fo that in itac al times atterwardthey gaue them- felues to good chere , mirth and bankcts. 18. But they thae made the flaughter in the citic of Sufan, were occupied in the tlaughter the thir tinth and fourtiath day of the fame manth: and ia the fittinch day they ceafed to kil, And therfore they ordayned the fainc afolemne day of good chere ani ioyfulnes. 19. Bui thofe lewes , that abode in townes not walled and villages ordayied the tourcenth day of che month Adar ! for bankets and ioy,fochat they retoyce in itjand fend onean other por- } tions of bankers and meates, 20. Mardocheus thertore wrote al thefe things , and being comprifed in terters fent them to the Iewes , thar 933 off , 21, that they: ihoald take (c). the fourtinth and fittinth day cf the momh Adar tor teaftes, and che yeare alwayes returning ihould cele- brate them with folemac honour: 22. becauie in the taine dayes the Ic. ‘Wes reuenged themiclues of their enemics ,and mourning and forrow abode in althe Kings Proui.ces , as welthote tiarlay neere, as tar! The fourth part. Other things folowing their deliueric from danger, PE Ta Ce) Theleves ta. Sufan kept the. 6ftinth day-bolie v.18 Were turned into mirth and ioy, and that thefe should be dayes of ggod. chere and gladneffe , and they thould. fend: oe to an other portioi s- of meates, and thould gtue guifts tothe poore.z3.And the lewes recet- tedinto a folemne rite al things, which they had begun to doe at that time, and which Mardochcus. by letters-had commanded to be done. ‘2.4. For Aman, the fonne of Amadathiof the ttock of Agag,the enc mic & aduerfarie of the lewcs,purpofed euil againdt them,co kil them and deftroy them:& he caft Phur,which in our language is turncd,a lor... thofe thar dwelt in other places kepe the fourtinth.day. q z5,And afterward Efler went into the King,befecching that his cndca~-} uours.might by the Kings letrersbe made voyde: & the euil that he had. intended againf{t the lewes, might returne vponhis owne head, Finally, they hong both him and his fonnes vpon the gallowes ,. 26.. and finec that time thefe daycs are called Phurim , that is, of Lots: becaufe Phur,that ts, alot, was caft into the pot. And al chings thar were done, are contayned in the volume of this epiftle,that is,ot this Book:27.and the things that they fufteyned, and that were atterward changed , the Tewes(d)tooke vpon themfelues and.their feede,& vpon al chat would. _ beioyned to theyr religion, thatit thould be lawful for none to pafle without folemnitie thefe dayes: which the writing teftifiech, and cer- taine times require; as yeares contkaually fuccecde one an other. 28,. ' Thefe aredaies., which no obdliuion {hal euer put out :.and al Prouin- _ ces inalthe world {hal celebrare throughout al generations : neither is there any citie, wherein the daics. of Phurini, thatis,of lotces,muit. aercable & no: not be obferued ot the lewes, and of their progenie, which is bound ro. cont'arie to thefe ceremonics.29.And Efther the Queene the daughter of Abihail& tbe law, Dew, Mardccheus the Lew wrote alfo the ficdd eprltle, that with al diligence ;F % = @ oe ¥ ; this day thould be eftablithec folemne for the time to come. 70. and 73" Ferire (d) A feai®. in- ftitured by. MarJdacheus was accepted 34 obfcrued by ai thetewes., asa confticution. ny oe ae a oe 2 they --- PAGE 964 --- ah fof God, Great & mar- uelous changes by the power Efther a figures lof our B, La- And of the die. Church, aduerfaries, and delinered Ifracl from danger of perifhing. 936 ESTHER, ‘they fent co al the Tewes,that were in the hundred and feuen and rwentie ' ‘Prouinces of King Affucras , thac they thould haue peace , and receiue truch, 31. obferuing the Daies of Jottes, and in their time thould celee' brate them with iay : as Mardocheus and Efther had appoynted , and. they tooke vpon them to be obferued of themf{clues, and of their ieede, , fults, and cries, aad the daics of lottes, 32.and al things, which are con- teyned inthe hiftorieof this Book, which is cailed Elter. ANNOTATION S. 1, Thecafe being changed. } In-this: whole hiftorie (-asin manie other paffages Pfa.75. of holie Scripture ) we feethetneruelous change of the right hand of the H:gi- cft. Firft, in the verie inftane of extreme danger , the Kings face with burning eycs fhewing the furie of his breaft,ch. 15. vu. 10, was turned into mildnes towards Efther,v. tr. Secondly ,proud Aman being aduanced in honeur & othce , aboue al Princes of the Kings court, ch. 3. v.t. was fodainly torced publikely to lead Mar- docheus his horfe , whom he moft hated , ¢, ¢.u.10, Thirdly, he was conttrayned with loud voice te proclame his honour, whom he moft defpifed and threatned. Fourthly , the fame Aman before called the father ( as it were the enlic gouer- nour ) of the King, ch, 13. uv. o.chvi6. v, ot. was fortnwith condemned tor a }.traicour, ch.7.v. 8h .16.,18.Fifthly He that could not abide to fee Mardocheus, eh. 5.» £3. aftecweard durft not looke vpon the King, nor could endure hts coun- tenance, ch, 7. v. 6. Sixtly, He was hanged on tne fame gallowes , which he had prepared for Mardocheus, ch, 7, veg. Scuemtly ,Wherashe was not contenc wids the death of Mardocheus alone , but procur.d the Kings decree to deftroy the whole nation, ch. 3._u..6. and fo fcafted with the King , when the Iewes mourned, v. 15. fhortly after che King fentnew letters tor the [ewes faftic, giuing them leaveto kil whomfoeuer they would of cheir enemies, ch, 8. v.8. 11. Eightly,the fame day which was defigned for deftruStion, was made the day of iey and exulta- tion to tne children of God, ch. 9.¥.4, 17. ch. 16, v.20. &c. By which literal fenfe Gods meruclous prouidence is manifeftly fhes ed, neuer fuffering his Church to petifh, It hath moreouer two fpecial myftical fenfes, F:rft, as fattie of temporal Life was procured to one nation by E thers interceffid to King Affuerus,fo general faluation is procured toal mankind by mediation of the Blefled Virgin Mar.e, [O, A _crufbing the ferpeats head ; aad the fentence of death is changed by new letters, ; at nie. granting euerlafting life, and gloricto al Gods true feruants. Efther alfo,as like- ° wife Iudith,in figure of the Church; faith S.Ierom, Prolage in Sophon, , kalled the D. The, , CHAP. --- PAGE 965 --- ters, ESTHER. 937 CHAP, X. Affuerns fabdueth manie countries. 4. Mardecheus vaderftandeth, and declareth bis dreame.g.God feparatech bis people from other nations by abetter lot. VT King Affueras made al the earth, and al the idands of the fea tributaries. 2. Whofe {trength and empire , and the dignitie and higbnefle, wherewith he exalted Mardocheus, a8) are written in the books of the Medes, and of ae ] the Perfians: 3. and how Mardocheus ot the Icwes kinred was fecond after King A fluerus: and great with the lewes , and acceptable ta the people ot his brethren, feeking good ro his people, and ipeaking thoie things, which perteyned to the good at his feede, That (a) whichis inthe Hebrew 1 hae expreffed moft faithfully. And thefe (e) S Terome h . . ore of things thet folow, found written in * the common edstion , which here aduerti- 1” the 7s. are vonteyned inthe grecke tongue and letters:and in the meane time ‘cththe reader} interpre- this chapter vas extant after the eud of the booke :winch according to that he found. § al hitherto in our cuftuime , we kine marked with an Obelus before it, that ts £0 [4), the Hebrew a broch, ‘And the par- l ber the dreame that I faw , fignitying thele veric things :neirher was pwenly in any ofthem truftrate.6. The litle fountayne which grew into a riuer,and cints Oreck waters, is Either , whom the King tooke to wite , and made herto be cither they ueen, 7, Butthe two dragons:1 am , and Aman. 8. The nations , thae tranflated out were aflembled : are they tat endeauoured todeftroy the name of the, lewes. g. And my natioasis Ifracl, whichcried to our Lord , and our i" added by Lord hath faued his people: andhe hath delinered vs trom al euils, and 'the Holie hath done great lignes and wonders among the nations:10,and he com- Ghoft, manded chat there inould be two lots,oue of the people of God, and the other of al Nations. 11, And both lots are come to the day appointed eulen now from that ime before Godto al nations: 12, and our Lord hath remembred his people,and hath had mercie on his inheritance. 13, ! And thefe daies thal be obicrued in the mouth of Adar the tourtinth, and fiftinth day ofthe fame month, with al diligence,and ioy ot the peo- ‘ ple gathered into one allemblie, throughout al the generations here- after of the People of Ifracl. Ferret 3 CHAP, 4.And Mardocheus faid: Thefe things are done of God.5.I remem- cels which fo- was turned into light, andintothefunne , and abounded into manie Edition which 2 of the Hebrew,} nfpiration of 4 E ; q 4 eee a Senet --- PAGE 966 --- RB chroan . would doe : and he had it fixed in his mind, defirous to know what the dreaine fhould fignife. * 938 ESTHER.