[Today’s English Version E.19; Revised Standard Version 16.19]

This letter refers to the letter that is Addition E in the Septuagint (16.1-24).

Publicly in every place means that copies of the document were to be displayed in all public places for the people to see (see 3.14).

Permit the Jews to live under their own laws: the king commands his people to allow the Jews to live by their own laws. This should be stated clearly, “Let the Jews” or “Leave the way for the Jews to live according to their laws.”

In Greek the word laws (Revised Standard Version, New American Bible) is similar in spelling to the word “customs” (Today’s English Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente), and some of the Greek manuscripts of the Septuagint have “laws” and others have “customs.” Whichever reading is followed, the meaning is basically the same, since Jewish customs were determined by their laws.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Noss, Philip A. A Handbook on the Book of Esther — Deuterocanon: The Greek Text. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .