In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; {which: or, in which he}

And he sent the letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, {with} words of peace and truth,

Then were the king's scribes called at that time in the third month, that {is}, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth {day} thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which {are} from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.

And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they {unto him} an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. {Ahasuerus: Heb. Ahashverosh}

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;

Woe to the land shadowing with wings, which {is} beyond the rivers of Ethiopia:

And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come forth to make war with thee. And when he heard {it}, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

Then were the king's scribes called at that time in the third month, that {is}, the month Sivan, on the three and twentieth {day} thereof; and it was written according to all that Mordecai commanded unto the Jews, and to the lieutenants, and the deputies and rulers of the provinces which {are} from India unto Ethiopia, an hundred twenty and seven provinces, unto every province according to the writing thereof, and unto every people after their language, and to the Jews according to their writing, and according to their language.

And he sent the letters unto all the Jews, to the hundred twenty and seven provinces of the kingdom of Ahasuerus, {with} words of peace and truth,

And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they {unto him} an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. {Ahasuerus: Heb. Ahashverosh}

And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given {them}: {unto the...: Heb. unto the hand} {Hege: also called, Hegai}

And Mordecai wrote these things, and sent letters unto all the Jews that {were} in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus, {both} nigh and far,

And when the governor had read {the letter}, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that {he was} of Cilicia;

Be it known unto the king, that we went into the province of Judea, to the house of the great God, which is builded with great stones, and timber is laid in the walls, and this work goeth fast on, and prospereth in their hands. {great...: Chaldee, stones of rolling}

And they said unto me, The remnant that are left of the captivity there in the province {are} in great affliction and reproach: the wall of Jerusalem also {is} broken down, and the gates thereof are burned with fire.

Now these {are} the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah, every one unto his city;

And the king Ahasuerus laid a tribute upon the land, and {upon} the isles of the sea.

Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height {was} threescore cubits, {and} the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;

And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his decree came, {there was} great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes. {many...: Heb. sackcloth and ashes were laid under many}