1tn Heb “house” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV; also in vv. 2, 7). Cf. TEV “all the property.” 2sn As in 7:4 Esther avoids implicating the king in this plot. Instead Haman is given sole responsibility for the plan to destroy the Jews. 3tn Heb “Esther.” The pronoun (“she”) was used in the translation for stylistic reasons. A repetition of the proper name is redundant here in terms of contemporary English style. 4tc The LXX does not include the expression “the Agagite.” 5tn Heb “my kindred” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB “my race”; NIV “my family”; NLT “my people and my family.” 6tn Heb “sent forth his hand”; NAB, NIV “attacked”; NLT “tried to destroy.” Cf. 9:2. 7tn Heb “in that time”; NIV “At once.” 8sn Cf. 3:12. Two months and ten days have passed since Haman’s edict to wipe out the Jews. 9tn Heb “it was written”; this passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons. 10tn Heb “Cush” (so NIV), referring to the region of the upper Nile in Africa. Cf. KJV and most other English versions “Ethiopia.” 11tn Heb “He”; the referent (Mordecai) has been specified in the translation for clarity. 12tn Heb “children and women.” As in 3:13, the translation follows contemporary English idiom, which reverses the order. 13tn Heb “this” (so NASB); most English versions read “that” here for stylistic reasons. 14tn Heb “making haste and hurrying”; KJV, ASV “being hastened and pressed.” 15tn Heb “shouted and rejoiced.” The expression is a hendiadys (see the note on 5:10 for an explanation of this figure). 16tn Heb “light and gladness and joy and honor” (so NASB). The present translation understands the four terms to be a double hendiadys. 17tn Heb “peoples of the land” (so NASB); NIV “people of other nationalities”; NRSV “peoples of the country.” 18tn Heb “were becoming Jews”; NAB “embraced Judaism.” However, the Hitpael stem of the verb is sometimes used of a feigning action rather than a genuine one (see, e.g., 2 Sam 13:5, 6), which is the way the present translation understands the use of the word here (cf. NEB “professed themselves Jews”; NRSV “professed to be Jews”). This is the only occurrence of this verb in the Hebrew Bible, so there are no exact parallels. However, in the context of v. 17 the motivation of their conversion (Heb “the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them”) should not be overlooked. The LXX apparently understood the conversion described here to be genuine, since it adds the words “they were being circumcised and” before “they became Jews.” 19tn Heb “had fallen upon them” (so NRSV); NIV “had seized them.”
1tn Heb “house” (so NAB, NASB, NRSV; also in vv. 2, 7). Cf. TEV “all the property.”
2sn As in 7:4 Esther avoids implicating the king in this plot. Instead Haman is given sole responsibility for the plan to destroy the Jews.
3tn Heb “Esther.” The pronoun (“she”) was used in the translation for stylistic reasons. A repetition of the proper name is redundant here in terms of contemporary English style.
4tc The LXX does not include the expression “the Agagite.”
5tn Heb “my kindred” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NAB “my race”; NIV “my family”; NLT “my people and my family.”
6tn Heb “sent forth his hand”; NAB, NIV “attacked”; NLT “tried to destroy.” Cf. 9:2.
7tn Heb “in that time”; NIV “At once.”
8sn Cf. 3:12. Two months and ten days have passed since Haman’s edict to wipe out the Jews.
9tn Heb “it was written”; this passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation for clarity and for stylistic reasons.
10tn Heb “Cush” (so NIV), referring to the region of the upper Nile in Africa. Cf. KJV and most other English versions “Ethiopia.”
11tn Heb “He”; the referent (Mordecai) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12tn Heb “children and women.” As in 3:13, the translation follows contemporary English idiom, which reverses the order.
13tn Heb “this” (so NASB); most English versions read “that” here for stylistic reasons.
14tn Heb “making haste and hurrying”; KJV, ASV “being hastened and pressed.”
15tn Heb “shouted and rejoiced.” The expression is a hendiadys (see the note on 5:10 for an explanation of this figure).
16tn Heb “light and gladness and joy and honor” (so NASB). The present translation understands the four terms to be a double hendiadys.
17tn Heb “peoples of the land” (so NASB); NIV “people of other nationalities”; NRSV “peoples of the country.”
18tn Heb “were becoming Jews”; NAB “embraced Judaism.” However, the Hitpael stem of the verb is sometimes used of a feigning action rather than a genuine one (see, e.g., 2 Sam 13:5, 6), which is the way the present translation understands the use of the word here (cf. NEB “professed themselves Jews”; NRSV “professed to be Jews”). This is the only occurrence of this verb in the Hebrew Bible, so there are no exact parallels. However, in the context of v. 17 the motivation of their conversion (Heb “the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them”) should not be overlooked. The LXX apparently understood the conversion described here to be genuine, since it adds the words “they were being circumcised and” before “they became Jews.”
19tn Heb “had fallen upon them” (so NRSV); NIV “had seized them.”