A   In the twelueth moneth, that is the moneth Adar, vp&obar; the thirtenth daye of the same, whan þe; kynges word and commaundement shulde be done, euen vpon the same daye that the enemyes shulde haue destroyed the Iewes to haue oppressed th&ebar;, it turned c&obar;trary wyse, euen that the Iewes shulde subdue their enemyes. For then gathered þe; Iewes together in their cyties wythin all þe; landes of kynge Ahasuer&us;, to laye hand on soch as wolde do them euell, and no man coulde withstand them: for the feare of them was come ouer all people. And all the rulers in the landes, and princes ∧ Debites, ∧ officers of the kyng, promoted the Iewes, for the feare of Mardocheus came vp&obar; th&ebar;. For Mardocheus was greate in the kynges house, and the reporte of him was noysed in all landes, how he increased and grewe.

B   Thus þe; Iewes smote all theyr enemyes with a sore slaughter, and slewe ∧ destroyed, and dyd after their wyll vnto soche as were their aduersaries. And at Susan þe; chefe cytie slew the Iewes, and destroyed fyue hundreth men: ∧ slewe Pharsandatha, Dalphou Asphatha, Phoratha, Adalia, Aridatha, Pharmastha, Arisai, Aridai, &abar;d Uaizatha, the ten sonnes of Ham&abar; the sonne of Hamadata the enemye of þe; Iewes: but on his goodes they layed no handes. At the same tyme was the kyng certyfied of the n&obar;bre of those that were slayne in þe; cyte of Susan. C   And the kyng sayde vnto quene Esther. The Iewes haue slayne &abar;d destroyed fyue hundreth men in the cytie of Susan, ∧ the ten sonnes, of Haman. What haue they done thynkest þu; in the other landes of the kynge? And what is thy peticion, that it maye be geuen the? or what requirest thou more to be done? Esther answered: If it please þe; kynge, let him suffre the Iewes tomorow also to do accordynge vnto this dayes comma&ubar;dement, that they maye hang Hamans ten sonnes vp&obar; the tre. And the kynge charged to do so, &abar;d the commaundement was deuised at Susan, ∧ they hanged Hamans ten sonnes. For the Iewes that were in Susan gathered th&ebar; selues together, vpon the fourtenth daye of the moneth Adar, ∧ slew thre h&ubar;dreth m&ebar; at Sus&abar;, but on their goodes they layed no handes.

As for the other Iewes that were in the kynges landes, they came together, &abar;d stode for their lyues, þt; they myght haue rest from their enemies: ∧ slew of their enemyes fyue and seuentye thousand, howbeit, they layed no h&abar;des on their goodes. This they dyd on the thirtenth daye of the moneth Adar, D   and on the fourtenth daye of the same moneth rested they, which daye they helde &wt; feastinge &abar;d gladnesse. But the Iewes þt; were at Susan, came together both on the thyrt&ebar;th daye and on the fourtenth, and on the fyftenth daye of the same they rested, and helde that daye with feastyng and gladnes. And therfore the Iewes that dwelt in þe; villages and vnwalled townes, helde the fourtenth daye of the moneth Adar, with gladnes and feastynge, and kepte holy daye, and euery one sent gyftes vnto another.

And Mardocheus wrote these actes, and

Mardocheus sent the writynges vnto all the Iewes that were in all the landes of kynge Ahasuerus, both nye ∧ farre that they shuld make a law among them selues ∧ holde the fourtenth &abar;d fift&ebar;th daye of the moneth Adar, as þe; dayes wherin the Iewes came to rest fr&obar; their enemyes, and as a moneth wherin their payne E    was turned to ioye, ∧ their sorowe into a holy daye, ∧ that in those dayes they shuld make feastes and gladnes, ∧ one to sende gyftes vnto another, ∧ to distribute vnto the poore.

And the Iewes were c&obar;tent with it þt; they had begonne to do, and þt; Mardoche&us; wrote vnto them: how that Ham&abar; the sonne of Hamadatha all the Iewes enemy, had deuised against þe; Iewes, how he might destroye th&ebar; &abar;d caused to cast Phur (that is a Lot) for to put them in feare, ∧ to bryng th&ebar; to naught: ∧ how Hester went, and spake to the kynge, þt; thorowe letters his wicked deuyce (which he ymagined agaynst þe; Iewes) myght be turned vp&obar; his awne heed, ∧ how hee ∧ his sonnes were hanged on the tre. For the which cause they called this daye Phurim, because of the name of the lott, &abar;d because of all the wordes of this writing: ∧ what they th&ebar; selues had sene, ∧ what had happened vnto th&ebar;.

F   And the Iewes set it vp, and toke it vp&obar; them and their sede, &abar;d vpon all soch as ioyned them selues vnto them, that they wolde not misse but obserue these two dayes yerely, accordynge as they were wrytten and appoynted, how that these dayes are not to be forgotten, but to be kepte of childers childr&ebar; among all kynredes in all l&abar;des and cyties. They are the dayes of Phurim, which are not to be ouerslipte among the Iewes, ∧ the memoriall of them ought not to perisshe fr&obar; their sede.

And quene Esther the daughter of Abihail and Mardocheus the Iew wrote &wt; all auctorite (to confirme this seconde writting of Phurim) and sent the letters vnto all the Iewes in the hundreth ∧ seuen and twentye landes of the empyre of Ahasuerus, &wt; fr&ebar;dly and faythfull wordes, to confirme these dayes of Phurim, in their tyme appoynted, accordynge as Mardocheus the Iew ∧ Esther the quene had appoynted them. And they bound their soule and their sede to fasting, ∧ prayer. And Esther stablisshed the wordes of these lottes, as it is written in the boke.

G   And the kynge Ahasuerus layed trybute vpon the lande, and vpon the Iles of the see. And all that he dyd by his power and auctorite, ∧ the great worshippe of Mardocheus, which the kyng gaue him, be they not written in the Chronycles of the kynges of Media and Persia? For Mardocheus the Iewe was the seconde next vnto kyng Ahasuerus and greate among the Iewes, and accepted among the multitude of his brethr&ebar;, as one þt; Iob seketh the welth of his people, and speaketh the best for all hys sede. ¶ The ende of the boke of Esther.

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