Quotes About Identity

Hazor, Ramah, Gittaim,

Hadid, Zeboim, Neballat,

Amariah, Malluch, Hattush,

Joiada was the father of Jonathan, and Jonathan was the father of Jaddua.

of Iddo, Zechariah; of Ginnethon, Meshullam;

of Sallai, Kallai; of Amok, Eber;

At that time the Book of Moses was read aloud in the hearing of the people, and in it they found the passage stating that no Ammonite or Moabite should ever enter the assembly of God,

As soon as the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel all of foreign descent.

In those days I also saw Jews who had married women from Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.

Half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod or of the other peoples, but could not speak the language of Judah.

Now there was at the citadel of Susa a Jewish man from the tribe of Benjamin named Mordecai son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish.

And Mordecai had brought up Hadassah (that is, Esther), the daughter of his uncle, because she did not have a father or mother. The young woman was lovely in form and appearance, and when her father and mother had died, Mordecai had taken her in as his own daughter.

Esther did not reveal her people or her lineage, because Mordecai had instructed her not to do so.

Now Esther was the daughter of Abihail, the uncle from whom Mordecai had adopted her as his own daughter. And when it was her turn to go to the king, she did not ask for anything except what Hegai, the kingís trusted official in charge of the harem, had advised. And Esther found favor in the eyes of everyone who saw her.

Esther still had not revealed her lineage or her people, just as Mordecai had instructed. She obeyed Mordecaiís command, as she had done under his care.

All the royal servants at the kingís gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, because the king had commanded that this be done for him. But Mordecai would not bow down or pay homage.

Day after day they warned him, but he would not comply. So they reported it to Haman to see whether Mordecaiís behavior would be tolerated, since he had told them he was a Jew.

And when he learned the identity of Mordecaiís people, he scorned the notion of laying hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he sought to destroy all of Mordecaiís people, the Jews, throughout the kingdom of Xerxes.

Mordecai also gave Hathach a copy of the written decree issued in Susa for the destruction of the Jews, to show and explain to Esther, urging her to approach the king, implore his favor, and plead before him for her people.

he sent back to her this reply: “Do not imagine that because you are in the kingís palace you alone will escape the fate of all the Jews.

Yet none of this satisfies me as long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the kingís gate.”

For my people and I have been sold out to destruction, death, and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as menservants and maidservants, I would have remained silent, because no such distress would justify burdening the king.”

Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal garments of blue and white, with a large gold crown and a purple robe of fine linen. And the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.

In every province and every city, wherever the kingís edict and decree reached, there was joy and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many of the people of the land themselves became Jews, because the fear of the Jews had fallen upon them.