Esther 5–6

Esther Prepares a Banquet

5^yOn the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in ^zthe inner court of the king’s palace, in front of the king’s quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. ²And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, ^ashe won favor in his sight, ^band he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. ³And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even ^cto the half of my kingdom.” ⁴And Esther said, “If it please the king,¹ let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.” ⁵Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, so that we may do as Esther has asked.” So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared. ^6dAnd as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, ^e“What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? ^cEven to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.”^{2 7}Then Esther answered, “My wish and my request is: ^8fIf I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it please the king³ to grant my wish and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to ^gthe feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.”

Haman Plans to Hang Mordecai

⁹And Haman went out that day ^hjoyful and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai ⁱin the king’s gate, ^jthat he neither rose nor trembled before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai. ¹⁰Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home, and he sent and brought his friends and ^khis wife Zeresh. ¹¹And Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, ^lthe number of his sons, all the promotions with which ^mthe king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king. ¹²Then Haman said, “Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king. ¹³Yet all this is worth nothing to me, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting ⁱat the king’s gate.” ¹⁴Then ^khis wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, ⁿ“Let a gallows⁴ fifty cubits⁵ high be made, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged upon it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast.” This idea pleased Haman, and he had the gallows made.

The King Honors Mordecai

6On that night the king could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring ^othe book of memorable deeds, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. ²And it was found written how ^pMordecai had told about ^qBigthana¹ and ^rTeresh, two of the king’s eunuchs, who guarded the threshold, and who had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. ³And the king said, “What honor or distinction has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” The king’s young men who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” ⁴And the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered ^sthe outer court of the king’s palace to speak to the king about having Mordecai hanged on ^tthe gallows² that he had prepared for him. ⁵And the king’s young men told him, “Haman is there, standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” ⁶So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What should be done to the man ^uwhom the king delights to honor?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” ⁷And Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, ⁸let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, ^vand the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head ^wa royal crown³ is set. ⁹And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor, and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, ^xproclaiming before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.’ ” ¹⁰Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits ^yat the king’s gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.” ¹¹So Haman took the robes and the horse, and he dressed Mordecai and led him through the square of the city, proclaiming before him, “Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”

¹²Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried to his house, mourning ^zand with his head covered. ¹³And Haman told ^ahis wife Zeresh and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and his wife Zeresh said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you will not overcome him but will surely fall before him.”

Esther Reveals Haman’s Plot

¹⁴While they were yet talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried to bring Haman ^bto the feast that Esther had prepared.