Ahasuerus and Xerxes

15-EZR.usfm

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 \v 4 Then the people who had been living in that land before the Israelites returned tried to cause the Jews to become discouraged and afraid so they would stop building the temple.
 \v 5 They bribed government officials to prevent the Jews from continuing to work on the temple. They did that all during the time that Cyrus was king of Persia and also when Darius became king.
-\v 6 Then, during the first year that Darius' son Ahasuerus was king, the enemies of the Jews wrote a letter to the king saying that the Jews were planning to rebel against the government.
+\v 6 Then, during the first year that Darius' son Xerxes was king, the enemies of the Jews wrote a letter to the king saying that the Jews were planning to rebel against the government.
 
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-\v 7 Later, when Ahasuerus' son Artaxerxes became king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their colleagues wrote a letter to him. They wrote the letter in the Aramaic language, and it was translated into the language of the Persians.
+\v 7 Later, when Xerxes' son Artaxerxes became king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their colleagues wrote a letter to him. They wrote the letter in the Aramaic language, and it was translated into the language of the Persians.
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 \v 8 Rehum the high commissioner and Shimshai the provincial secretary wrote the letter to King Artaxerxes concerning what was happening in Jerusalem.
 

17-EST.usfm

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-\v 1 King Ahasuerus ruled a very large empire that had 127 provinces. It extended from India in the east to Ethiopia in the west.
+\v 1 King Xerxes ruled a very large empire that had 127 provinces. It extended from India in the east to Ethiopia in the west.
 \v 2 He ruled the empire while he lived in the most strongly fortified part of the city of Susa.
 
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 \v 9 Queen Vashti invited the women to a feast in another place in the palace.
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-\v 10 On the seventh day of those banquets, when King Ahasuerus was partially drunk from drinking wine, he spoke with Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Karkas—these were the seven servants who filled his personal needs and wishes.
+\v 10 On the seventh day of those banquets, when King Xerxes was partially drunk from drinking wine, he spoke with Mehuman, Biztha, Harbona, Bigtha, Abagtha, Zethar, and Karkas—these were the seven servants who filled his personal needs and wishes.
 \v 11 He told them to bring Queen Vashti to him, wearing her royal crown. He wanted his guests to see how beautiful she was.
 
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-\v 1 After a while, when King Ahasuerus' anger had quieted down, he remembered Vashti. He also thought about the law he had made because of what she had done.
+\v 1 After a while, when King Xerxes' anger had quieted down, he remembered Vashti. He also thought about the law he had made because of what she had done.
 \v 2 So his personal servants said to him, "Your Majesty, you should send some men to search for beautiful young virgin girls for the king.
 
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 \v 15 Now when the time came for Esther (the daughter of Abihail, who was the uncle of Mordecai) to go to the king, she did not ask for anything from the house of the women to take with her except what Hegai, the king's official in charge of the women, suggested. Now Esther pleased everyone who saw her.
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-\v 16 Esther was taken up to King Ahasuerus into royal the residence on the tenth month (which is the month of Tebeth), in the seventh year of his reign.
+\v 16 Esther was taken up to King Xerxes into royal the residence on the tenth month (which is the month of Tebeth), in the seventh year of his reign.
 
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 \v 17 The king loved Esther more than any of the other women whom they brought to him. So he put a crown on her head and declared that Esther would be the queen instead of Vashti.
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-\v 1 After these things happened, King Ahasuerus promoted Haman the Agagite son of Hammedatha above all the other officials, and he made it clear that Haman was over all others who served under him.
+\v 1 After these things happened, King Xerxes promoted Haman the Agagite son of Hammedatha above all the other officials, and he made it clear that Haman was over all others who served under him.
 \v 2 All the other officials bowed down in front of Haman to honor him, and they gave him great honor, as the king commanded they should. But Mordecai refused to bow down to Haman or to give him that kind of honor.
 
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 \v 5 When Haman learned that Mordecai refused to kneel down or prostrate himself to him, he became extremely angry.
-\v 6 He was too proud to want to punish only Mordecai. Because the king's servants had made it known that Mordecai was Jewish, Haman wanted all the Jews to be killed. So this matter became an opportunity to kill all the Jews everywhere in Ahasuerus' kingdom.
+\v 6 He was too proud to want to punish only Mordecai. Because the king's servants had made it known that Mordecai was Jewish, Haman wanted all the Jews to be killed. So this matter became an opportunity to kill all the Jews everywhere in Xerxes' kingdom.
 
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-\v 7 In the first month (which is known as the month of Nisan), in the twelfth year of Ahasuerus' reign, they cast Pur (that is, they cast lots) in Haman's presence. They wanted to select a month and a day in which to set this plan in motion. They cast lots for each month and day until they decided on the twelfth month, the month of Adar.
+\v 7 In the first month (which is known as the month of Nisan), in the twelfth year of Xerxes' reign, they cast Pur (that is, they cast lots) in Haman's presence. They wanted to select a month and a day in which to set this plan in motion. They cast lots for each month and day until they decided on the twelfth month, the month of Adar.
 
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-\v 12 Then the king's scribes were called together on the thirteenth day of the first month. On that day, an order was written that had everything Haman commanded. The order was sent out to the king's provincial governors—those who were over all the provinces, to the governors of all the various people who were living in the kingdom, and to the officials of all the people. The order was written in every language and in the writing of those languages so they could be read and understood. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and was sealed with his own ring that he had given to Haman to use.
+\v 12 Then the king's scribes were called together on the thirteenth day of the first month. On that day, an order was written that had everything Haman commanded. The order was sent out to the king's provincial governors—those who were over all the provinces, to the governors of all the various people who were living in the kingdom, and to the officials of all the people. The order was written in every language and in the writing of those languages so they could be read and understood. It was written in the name of King Xerxes and was sealed with his own ring that he had given to Haman to use.
 \v 13 Couriers in every province in the kingdom spread the decree. The order was to kill every Jew and to destroy the Jewish people, from young to old, including children and women. This was to be done on one day—on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (which is the month of Adar). When the Jews were dead, the rest of the people would be allowed to take all of their possessions.
 
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 \v 1 That night, the king was unable to sleep, so he summoned a servant and told him to bring the book of the history of all that happened during the time he had been king. So the servant brought the records and read aloud to the king.
-\v 2 The servant read about Bigthana and Teresh, the two officials who had guarded the entrance to the king's rooms. He read the account of when Mordecai had found out that they planned to assassinate King Ahasuerus and that he had told the king about it.
+\v 2 The servant read about Bigthana and Teresh, the two officials who had guarded the entrance to the king's rooms. He read the account of when Mordecai had found out that they planned to assassinate King Xerxes and that he had told the king about it.
 \v 3 The king asked, "What was done to honor Mordecai for what he did for the king?" The young men serving the king answered, "Nothing has been done for him."
 
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 \v 3 Esther replied, "If you are pleased with me, my king, and if you are willing to do what I ask, save my life! And save the lives of my people.
 \v 4 For I and my people have been condemned to destruction by a decree. I and my people have been handed over to be annihilated—to be killed and destroyed. If we had only been sold into slavery, I would have kept quiet, for that kind of trouble would not have been worth bothering you about."
-\v 5 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, "Who is the man who did this? Where is the one whose heart is full of this kind of evil?"
+\v 5 Then King Xerxes said to Queen Esther, "Who is the man who did this? Where is the one whose heart is full of this kind of evil?"
 
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 \v 6 Esther replied, "The man who is our enemy is this evil man Haman!" Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen.
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-\v 1 Later on that same day, King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther all the possessions of Haman, who had been the Jews' enemy. Mordecai served the king because Esther had by now told the king how she was related to him.
+\v 1 Later on that same day, King Xerxes gave Queen Esther all the possessions of Haman, who had been the Jews' enemy. Mordecai served the king because Esther had by now told the king how she was related to him.
 \v 2 When Mordecai came in, the king took off the ring that had his official seal on it—the ring that he had recovered from Haman—and he gave it to Mordecai. Esther appointed Mordecai to be in charge of Haman's property.
 
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 \v 6 How can I bear to see disaster come on my people? How can I endure seeing the destruction of all my relatives?"
 
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-\v 7 King Ahasuerus replied to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, "Because Haman tried to get rid of all the Jews, I have given to Esther everything that belonged to Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows.
+\v 7 King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew, "Because Haman tried to get rid of all the Jews, I have given to Esther everything that belonged to Haman, and they have hanged him on the gallows.
 \v 8 So now I am also permitting you to write another letter with a new decree in it so that you may save your people. You may put my name on the letters and use my ring to seal them. This is because no letter that has my name on it and that is sealed with my ring can ever be revoked."
 
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 \v 9 Then the king's scribes were called at that time—in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third day of the month. Mordecai dictated to them a new decree in order to protect the Jews. It was written to the provincial governors, the governors, and officials of the provinces that are from India all the way to Ethiopia; in total, 127 provinces. The letter was written to every province in the way that every language was written. It was also written to the Jews in their writing and language.
 
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-\v 10 Mordecai wrote the decree in the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed it with the king's signet ring. He sent the documents by couriers riding on the fast horses that were used in the king's service, bred in the king's stables.
+\v 10 Mordecai wrote the decree in the name of King Xerxes and sealed it with the king's signet ring. He sent the documents by couriers riding on the fast horses that were used in the king's service, bred in the king's stables.
 \v 11 The king gave to the Jews living in every city permission to gather together and to fight together to protect their lives. He allowed them to kill any armed men belonging to any people or coming from any province who might attack them or their families or who might try to take their possessions.
-\v 12 This was to be in effect in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which was the month of Adar.
+\v 12 This was to be in effect in all the provinces of King Xerxes, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which was the month of Adar.
 
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 \v 13 The king ordered them to make copies of this decree and to show them to all the peoples. With this decree, he allowed the Jews to get ready to take revenge on their enemies.
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 \v 1 It was in the twelfth month, the month of Adar, on the thirteenth day, that the Jews' enemies had hoped to destroy them completely. They would have been following the king's decree. However, it all turned out differently, for the Jews defeated their enemies.
-\v 2 The Jews gathered together in their cities in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to attack those who wanted to harm them. No one could fight against the Jews because all the people in every area were afraid of them.
+\v 2 The Jews gathered together in their cities in all the provinces of King Xerxes to attack those who wanted to harm them. No one could fight against the Jews because all the people in every area were afraid of them.
 
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 \v 3 All the king's officials everywhere helped the Jews because they had become afraid of Mordecai and the power that the king had given to him.
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 \v 19 That is why the Jews of the villages—the Jews who live in the rural towns—observe the fourteenth day of the month of Adar as a day of gladness and celebration, when they send gifts of food to one another.
 
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-\v 20 Mordecai wrote down all the things that had happened. Then he sent letters to the Jews who lived throughout the empire of King Ahasuerus.
+\v 20 Mordecai wrote down all the things that had happened. Then he sent letters to the Jews who lived throughout the empire of King Xerxes.
 \v 21 He called them to observe the fourteenth and the fifteenth day of Adar every year,
 \v 22 because those were the days when the Jews got victory over their enemies. It was in that month that their sorrow was turned to joy. Mordecai's letter told them that they should celebrate on those days by feasting and giving gifts of food to each other and especially to the poor people.
 
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 \v 29 Then Mordecai and Queen Esther, who was the daughter of Abihail, wrote a second letter about the Purim festival. Esther used the authority that she had because of being the queen to confirm that what Mordecai had written in the first letter was true.
 
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-\v 30 These letters were sent to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus—words of peace and truth—
+\v 30 These letters were sent to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Xerxes—words of peace and truth—
 \v 31 to establish these days of Purim at their appointed times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had established, just as the Jews had established for themselves and their descendants, matters that included their times of fasting and lamenting.
 \v 32 The command of Esther confirmed these regulations that explained how they should celebrate the Purim festival. The instructions about the feast and the account of these events were written down in the book of history.
 
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-\v 1 King Ahasuerus made the people living on land and along the sea pay a tax.
-\v 2 And all the great things that Ahasuerus did because of his power have been written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia. Also written there is a history of the great things done by Mordecai and of the honor that the king gave him.
+\v 1 King Xerxes made the people living on land and along the sea pay a tax.
+\v 2 And all the great things that Xerxes did because of his power have been written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia. Also written there is a history of the great things done by Mordecai and of the honor that the king gave him.
 
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-\v 3 Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and all the Jews also considered him to be a very great man. He was respected by his Jewish brothers and sisters, for he sought the welfare of his people, and he spoke to gain security for all of them.
+\v 3 Mordecai the Jew was second in rank to King Xerxes, and all the Jews also considered him to be a very great man. He was respected by his Jewish brothers and sisters, for he sought the welfare of his people, and he spoke to gain security for all of them.
 

27-DAN.usfm

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-\v 1 In the first year of the reign of Darius (who was a descendant of the Medes and son of Ahasuerus, who conquered the Babylonians)—
+\v 1 In the first year of the reign of Darius (who was a descendant of the Medes and son of Xerxes, who conquered the Babylonians)—
 \v 2 in the first year that he was the king, I, Daniel, was studying in the holy books the message Yahweh had given to the prophet Jeremiah, that Jerusalem would be destroyed and remain ruined for seventy years.
 
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