⁷ In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, they cast Pur—which means “the lot”—before Haman for the day and for the month, and the lot fell on the thirteenth day of^[a] the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar.^(A)

⁵ Now there was a Jew in the city of Susa whose name was Mordecai son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin;^(A)

⁷ In the twelfth year of the reign of Artaxerxes, Haman^[a] came to a decision and cast lots, taking the days and the months one by one, to fix on one day to destroy the whole people of Mordecai. The lot fell on the fourteenth^[b] day of the month of Adar.^(A)

The Festival of Purim

²⁰ Mordecai recorded these things in a book and sent it to the Jews in the kingdom of Artaxerxes both near and far,

²⁶ Therefore these days were called “Purim,” because of the lots (for in their language this is the word that means “lots”). And so, because of what was written in this letter and because of what they had experienced in this affair and what had befallen them, Mordecai established this festival,^[a](A)

⁵ for I remember the dream that I had concerning these matters, and none of them has failed to be fulfilled.^(A)