Esther 3

Haman the Agagite is promoted to the highest rank in the kingdom, and all officials are commanded to bow down to him. Mordecai refuses to bow down because of his Jewish faith. Haman, filled with rage, discovers Mordecai’s Jewish identity and plots not just to kill Mordecai, but to destroy all the Jewish people throughout the 127 provinces of Persia. Haman casts lots (Pur) to determine the date and tricks King Xerxes into issuing an irreversible decree that on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, all Jews will be annihilated and their property seized.