1 King Ahasuerus imposed tax on the land and on ^ythe coastlands of the sea. 2 And all the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honor of Mordecai, ^zto which the king advanced him, are they not written in ^athe Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? 3 For Mordecai the Jew was ^bsecond in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he ^csought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.