1:1 t6yi Over how much territory did Ahasuerus reign? Ahasuerus ruled from India even as far as Ethiopia, 127 provinces.
1:3 lqyo Who was in the king’s presence? The officials of the provinces were “before his face,” meaning that they were in the king’s presence.
1:5 a0nw For whom did the king give the feast that lasted seven days? The king made a feast for all the people who were found in Susa the citadel, from the greatest even to the least.
1:7 t487 Why was there much royal wine? The wine of royalty was abundant according to the hand of the king. And the drinking was according to the law, “There is no compulsion.”
1:8 k5of What were the king’s orders to all the overseers of his palace? And the drinking was according to the law, “There is no compulsion,” for thus the king had established for every overseer of his house, to do according to the desire of man by man.
1:10 ujlq What did the king tell the seven officials who served before him? To bring Vashti the queen before the king in a crown of royalty in order to show the people and the officials her beauty.
1:11 yblt What did the king tell the seven officials who served before him? The king said to bring Vashti the queen to the face of the king in a crown of royalty in order to show the people and the officials her beauty.
1:12 m9r8 Why did the king become very angry? The king became very angry because the queen Vashti refused to come at the word of the king that was by the hand of the eunuchs.
1:13 u2fx With whom did the king confer? The king consulted with the wise men, who were knowers of the times.
1:16 b0ku According to Memucan, against whom did Vashti do wrong? Vashti the queen did wrong not only toward the king alone, but toward all the officials and toward all the people who were in all the provinces of the king Ahasuerus.
1:17 wjxb What did Memukan say the women of Persia and Media would do? Memukan said that what the queen did would become known to all the women in the kingdom of king Ahasuerus and that when the women of the kingdom found out what the queen had done they would despise their own husbands and say, “King Ahasuerus commanded his servants to bring Queen Vashti to him, but she did not come!”
1:18 uvc6 What did Memucan say the noble women of Persia and Media would do before the end of that very day? For the matter of the queen will go out to all the women, in order to make their husbands despised in their eyes when they say, ‘The king Ahasuerus said to bring Vashti the queen before him, but she did not come.’ Now this day, the noblewomen of Persia and Media who have heard the matter of the queen will speak to all the officials of the king; and there will be contempt and wrath enough!
1:19 quso To whom would the king give Vashti’s position as queen? The king would give his position to her female neighbor, the woman who is better than she.
2:2 gtjy What did the king’s young men recommend? The king’s young men recommended that they seek for the king young women who were virgins and pleasing of appearance.
2:3 xvl9 Under whose care would the virgins be put? The virgins would be put into the hand of Hegai, the eunuch of the king who is overseer of the women. This means Hegai was the one who was responsible to take care of the virgins.
2:6 sjzm Who had taken Kish from Jerusalem? Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had taken Kish from Jerusalem.
2:7 x3xr What was Esther’s other name? Esther’s other name was Hadassah.
2:7 qva0 How was Esther related to Mordecai? Esther was the daughter of Mordecai’s uncle.
2:9 xh5y With what did Hegai provide Esther? Hegai quickly gave her ointments, portions of food, and seven young women chosen from the house of the king.
2:10 iw99 Why had Esther not told anyone who her people or relatives were? Esther had not declared her people or her ancestry, for Mordecai had laid a charge upon her that she should not tell it.
2:13 h2zn When a young woman went to the king, what was given to her? Anything that she said would be given to her.
2:14 l25u When would a girl return to the king? She would not go to the king again unless the king had delighted in her and she was called by name.
2:15 aye5 For what did Esther ask? She did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the eunuch of the king who was overseer of the women, said.
2:16 xw57 When was Esther taken to King Ahasuerus? So Esther was taken to the king Ahasuerus, to the house of his royalty, in the tenth month (which is the month of Tebeth), in the seventh year of his reign.
2:17 de9h Why did the king set the royal crown on Esther’s head and make her queen? And the king loved Esther more than all the women, and she lifted favor and kindness before his face more than all the virgins. So he set a crown of royalty on her head, and he made her queen instead of Vashti.
2:21 b9zm What did Bigthan and Teresh seek to do to King Ahasuerus? Bigthan and Teresh, two eunuchs of the king who were guardians of the doorway, became angry. And they sought to stretch out a hand to the king Ahasuerus.
3:2 w5v8 Who were kneeling and prostrating themselves to Haman? All the servants of the king were at the gate of the king and were bowing down and prostrating themselves to Haman.
3:4 pl2l What did Mordecai refuse to do? Mordecai would neither bow down nor would he prostrate himself.
3:6 n1sg Who did Haman want to kill? Haman sought to annihilate all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus.
3:8 p26l When they threw lots, what month did they chose? In the first month, which is the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of the king Ahasuerus, a Pur (which is “the lot”) was cast before the face of Haman from day to day and from month to month: the twelfth, which is the month of Adar.
3:9 mv1s How much money was Haman willing to put into the king’s treasury if the king would give a command to kill the Jews? Haman said he would pay 10,000 talents of silver into the hands of the doers of the work, to bring into the treasuries of the king.
3:13 aemz How were documents delivered to all the king’s provinces? And letters were sent by the hand of runners to all of the provinces of the king.
4:2 p65j How far did Mordecai go? Why? And he came only as far as before the face of the gate of the king, because no one was to come into the gate of the king while wearing sackcloth.
4:4 diol When Esther sent garments to clothe Mordecai, how did he respond? And she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and to take off his sackcloth from upon him, but he did not accept.
4:7 uobs What did Mordecai report to Hathak? And Mordecai reported to him all that had happened to him, and the exact amount of silver that Haman had said to weigh out into the treasuries of the king, against the Jews, to destroy them.
4:8 jz07 Why did Mordecai give Hathak a copy of the decree that was issued in Susa for the Jews’ destruction? Also he gave to him a copy of the writing of the law that had been given in Susa to annihilate them, in order to show Esther, and to inform her, and to lay a charge upon her to go to the king to implore his favor and to plead from before his face concerning her people.
4:11 mrjp What happened if any man or woman went to the king inside the inner courtyard without being summoned? The law was that any man or woman would die who went to the king inside the inner court without first being called unless the king held out to him or her the scepter of gold, in which case the person was allowed to live.
4:14 ig0n What did Mordecai say would happen if Esther remained silent at that time? For if you, indeed, remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and the house of your father will perish.
4:16 xfpk What did Esther tell Mordecai to do? Go, gather all the Jews who are found in Susa. And fast on account of me, neither eating nor drinking for three days, both night and day. Also, I myself and my young female attendants will fast likewise. Then, in such circumstances, I will go to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.
5:1 o790 Where was the inner courtyard of the king’s palace? The inner courtyard of the king’s palace was opposite to the house of the king.
5:2 kqhp When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, why did he hold out to her the golden scepter? As soon as the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she lifted favor in his eyes.
5:4 m668 What did Esther request from the king? If it is good to the king, let the king come with Haman today to the banquet that I have made for him.
5:8 i8p0 What did Esther request from the king the second time? If I have found favor in the eyes of the king, and if it is good to the king to grant my petition and to perform my request, let the king come with Haman to the banquet which I will make for them, and tomorrow I will do according to the word of the king.
5:11 uazl What did Haman recount to his family? Then Haman recounted to them the glory of his wealth and the multitude of his sons and all about how the king had made him great and how he had lifted him over the officials and administrators of the king.
5:13 s9d1 What did Haman feel was more important to him than being invited to the banquets? But all of this is not equal for me to every time that I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the gate of the king.
6:1 zx7w Why did the king command servants to bring the records of the events of his reign? That night the sleep of the king fled away. And he said to bring the book of records of the events of days.
6:2 mpcq What was found written in the book of records that was read to the king? It was found written that Mordecai had reported that Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the door, had conspired to kill the King.
6:3 no8f What had been done to give honor or recognition to Mordecai for telling the king about Bigthana and Teresh? Nothing had been done to give honor or recognition to Mordecai for telling the king about Bigthana and Teresh.
6:6 jwdn When the king asked Haman what should be done for the man whom the king takes pleasure in honoring, about whom did Haman think the king was talking? Then Haman said in his heart, “For whom would the king delight to do honor more than me?”
6:9 hkjt Who would dress the man whom the king takes pleasure in honoring, and lead him on the horse through the city streets? A man from the most noble officials of the king would do these things.
6:11 iser Who dressed Mordecai and led him on the horse through the city streets? So Haman took the garment and the horse, and he clothed Mordecai and paraded him in the open square of the city, and called out before his face, “Thus shall it be done for the man in whose honor the king is delighted!”
6:13 a23e About what did Haman’s wise men and his wife warn him? If Mordecai, before whose face you have begun to fall, is from the seed of the Jews, then you will not prevail against him, but you will surely fall before his face.
7:3 sx10 What did Esther ask from King Ahasuerus? Let my life be given to me at my petition, and my people at my request.
7:4 wx78 What did Esther say she would have done if her people had only been sold into slavery? Now if we had been sold as slaves and female servants, I would have kept silent.
7:6 v28l Who did Esther describe as an “adversary” and “enemy?” A man, an adversary, and an enemy is this evil Haman!
7:7 u6mq What did Haman do when the king got up in a rage from the banquet of wine? Haman remained in order to beg for his life from Esther the queen.
7:8 nlq4 After Haman fell on the couch where Esther was, what did the king think Haman was doing? The king thought Haman was trying to subdue the queen with me. This means that he thought Haman was trying to rape her.
7:9 f9p1 Where did the king say to hang Haman? The king said to hang Haman on the tree that Haman made for Mordecai, which was standing at the house of Haman 50 cubits high.
8:1 qwa4 Why did Mordecai begin to serve before the king? And Mordecai came before the face of the king, because Esther told what he was to her.
8:2 rzet Why was Mordecai in charge of Haman’s estate? And Esther placed Mordecai over the house of Haman.
8:4 xqlq What did the king do so that Esther could arise and stand before him? And the king held out to Esther the scepter of gold, so Esther rose up and stood before the face of the king.
8:5 d153 What letters had Haman written? Haman had written letters to destroy the Jews who were in all of the provinces of the king.
8:8 eajj Why did Esther need to write another decree for the Jews in the name of the king? Esther needed to write another decree because there was none to take back a writing that had been written in the name of the king and had been sealed with the signet ring of the king.
8:9 bxfj When were the king’s scribes called? So the scribes of the king were called at that time, in the third month, which is the month of Sivan, on the twenty-third of it.
8:11 bkcy What did the king give the Jews permission to do? The king gave the Jews in every city the legal right to gather together and defend their lives, to annihiliate and to slaughter and to destroy any group of a people or province that would attack them including their women and children and women, and to plunder their spoil.
9:2 he4h Why could no one stand against the Jews? But a man did not stand to their face, for sudden fear of them had fallen on all the peoples.
9:5 h0g7 What did the Jews do to their enemies? And the Jews struck to all their enemies a strike of sword and slaughter and destruction, and they did to those who hated them according to their pleasure.
9:12 rblp Who did the Jews kill? In Susa the citadel the Jews have slaughtered and destroyed five hundred men, with the ten sons of Haman.
9:13 rj91 What happened to the bodies of Haman’s ten sons? “Let the ten sons of Haman hang on the tree.” And the king said for this to be done. And a law was given in Susa, and they hanged the ten sons of Haman.
9:15 f4dl How many men did the Jews kill on the fourteenth day of the month Adar? So the Jews who were in Susa assembled themselves also on day 14 of the month of Adar, and they killed 300 men in Susa.
9:17 d3i5 What did the rest of the Jews who were in the provinces of the king do on the fourteenth day of the month Adar? On the fourteenth day of the month of Adar they made it a day of feasting and rejoicing.
9:18 eyp6 Why do the Jews in Susa observe the fifteenth day of the month Adar as a day of gladness and feasting? But the Jews who were in Susa assembled themselves on the thirteenth of it and on the fourteenth of it. And they rested on the fifteenth of it, and they made it a day of feasting and rejoicing.
9:19 b43t What do the Jews of the open country, the ones who dwell in the cities of the open areas, do on day 14 of the month of Adar? They make day 14 of the month of Adar a day for rejoicing and for feasting and a good day, and for the sending of gifts, a man to his friend.
9:20-21 ypqg How often did Mordecai obligate the Jews to keep the fourteenth and the fifteenth day of Adar? Mordecai obligated the Jews to keep the fourteenth and fifteenth days of Adar “every year by year,” meaning every single year.
9:24 busb What does Pur mean? The name Pur means “the lot.”
9:28 qvec Why would the Jews and their descendants never cease to faithfully observe these days of Purim? So these days are remembered and are made in every generation by generation, family by family, province by province, and city by city. And these days of Purim will not pass away from the midst of the Jews, and their remembrance will not come to an end from their seed.
10:1 wfjg Where did King Ahasuerus impose a tax? Then the king Ahasuerus set a tribute on the land and the islands of the sea.
10:2 ny38 Where were all the achievements of King Ahasuerus’ power and might written? And all the deeds of his power and his might, with the full account of the greatness of Mordecai to which the king had made him great, are they not written in the book of the events of days for the kings of Media and Persia?
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