Events on the thirteenth day of Adar turned out to be the exact opposite of what Haman had planned. Far from being the helpless victims of a massacre, the Jews destroyed all their enemies.
That the Jews did as they pleased
to their enemies does not mean that they were unscrupulous. Rather, it means that they could act freely to defend themselves, without being hindered by the authorities.
5 The Jews struck all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and did as they pleased to those who hated them.