Esther 3–5

CHAPTER 3

Haman Seeks to Destroy the Jews

¹After these things, King Ahasuerus ^amagnified Haman, the son of Hammedatha ^bthe Agagite, and ^cadvanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him.

²And all the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate were bowing down and prostrating themselves before Haman, for so the king had commanded concerning him. But ^aMordecai would not bow down or prostrate himself.

³So the king’s servants who were at ^athe king’s gate said to Mordecai, “^bWhy do you trespass against the king’s command?”

⁴Now it happened when they had spoken daily to him and he would not listen to them, that they told Haman to see whether Mordecai’s words would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew.

⁵Then Haman saw that ^aMordecai was not bowing down or prostrating himself before him. So Haman was filled with wrath.

⁶But he despised in his eyes to send forth his hand against Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; therefore Haman ^asought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.

⁷In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, ¹Pur, that is the lot, was ^acast before Haman from day to day and from month to month, ²until the twelfth month, that is ^bthe month Adar.

⁸Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered and separated among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; ^atheir laws are different from those of all other people, and they do not do the king’s laws, so it is not worth it for the king to let them remain.

⁹“If it seems good to the king, let it be written down that they should perish, and I will pay ¹10,000 talents of silver into the hands of those who do this work, to bring into the king’s treasuries.”

¹⁰Then ^athe king removed his signet ring from his hand and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha ^bthe Agagite, ^cthe adversary of the Jews.

¹¹And the king said to Haman, “The silver is ¹yours, and the people also, to do with them according to what is good in your eyes.”

^12aThen the king’s scribes were summoned on the thirteenth day of the first month, and it was written just as Haman commanded to ^bthe king’s satraps, to the governors who were over each province, and to the princes of each people, each province according to its script, each people according to its tongue, being written ^cin the name of King Ahasuerus and sealed with the king’s signet ring.

¹³And letters were sent by the hand of ^acouriers to all the king’s provinces ^bto destroy, to kill, and to cause all the Jews to perish, both young and old, little ones and women, ^cin one day, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to ^dplunder their spoil.

^14aA copy of that which was written down to be given as law in every province was revealed to all the peoples so that they should be ready for this day.

¹⁵The couriers went out, hastened by the word of the king. And the law was given at the citadel in Susa. Now the king and Haman sat down to drink, but ^athe city of Susa was in confusion.

CHAPTER 4

Esther Writhes in Anguish

¹Now Mordecai came to know of ^aall that had been done. And ¹he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city and cried out loudly and bitterly.

²And he went as far as the king’s gate, for no one was to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth.

³Now in each and every province where the word and law of the king reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with ^afasting, weeping, and wailing; and many made their bed in sackcloth and ashes.

⁴Then Esther’s young women and her eunuchs came and told her, and the queen writhed in great anguish. And she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and to remove his sackcloth from upon him, but he did not accept them.

⁵Then Esther summoned Hathach from the king’s eunuchs, whom ¹the king had appointed to attend her, and commanded him to go to Mordecai to know what this was and why it was.

⁶So Hathach went out to Mordecai to the city square in front of the king’s gate.

⁷And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and ^athe exact amount of silver that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries to cause the Jews to perish.

⁸He also gave him ^aa copy of the written law which had been given in Susa for their destruction, in order to show Esther and to tell her and to command her to go in to the king to implore his favor and to seek him out for her people.

⁹Then Hathach came back and told Mordecai’s words to Esther.

¹⁰Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to reply to Mordecai:

¹¹“All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that for any man or woman who ^acomes to the king to the inner court who is not summoned, ^bhe has but one law, that he be put to death, unless the king holds out ^cto him the golden scepter so that he may live. And I have not been summoned to come to the king for these thirty days.”

¹²So they told Esther’s words to Mordecai.

¹³Then Mordecai said for them to respond to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s ¹house can escape any more than all the Jews.

¹⁴“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and ^adeliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not reached royalty for such a time as this?”

Esther and the Jews Fast

¹⁵Then Esther said for them to respond to Mordecai,

¹⁶“Go, gather all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; ^ado not eat or drink for ^bthree days, night or day. I and my young women also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.”

¹⁷So Mordecai went away and did just as Esther had commanded him.

CHAPTER 5

Esther Prepares a Feast

¹Now it happened ^aon the third day, that Esther put on her royal robes and stood ^bin the inner court of the king’s house in front of the king’s ¹rooms, and the king was sitting on his royal throne in the ²throne room, opposite the entrance to his house.

²Now it happened that when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, ^ashe advanced in favor in his eyes; and ^bthe king extended to Esther the golden scepter which was in his hand. So Esther came near and ¹reached out and touched the top of the scepter.

³Then the king said to her, “What is troubling you, Queen Esther? And what is ¹your request? ^aEven to half of the kingdom it shall be given to you.”

⁴And Esther said, “If it seems good to the king, may the king and Haman come this day to the feast that I have prepared for him.”

⁵Then the king said, “^aBring Haman quickly that we may do the word of Esther.” So the king and Haman came to the feast which Esther had prepared.

⁶Then, ¹as they drank their wine at the feast, ^athe king said to Esther, “^bWhat is ²your petition? For it shall be given to you. And what is ³your request? Even to half of the kingdom it shall be done.”

⁷So Esther answered and said, “¹My petition and ²my request is:

^8aif I have found favor in the eyes of the king, and if it seems good to the king to give heed to ¹my petition and to do ²my request, may the king and Haman come to ^bthe feast which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do according to the word of the king.”

Haman Recounts His Glory

⁹Then Haman went out that day glad and merry of heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai ^ain the king’s gate and ^bthat he did not stand up or ¹tremble before him, Haman was filled with wrath against Mordecai.

¹⁰But Haman controlled himself, went to his house, and sent for and brought his friends and his wife ^aZeresh.

¹¹Then Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches and the ^1anumber of his sons and every instance where the king had magnified him and how he had ^2badvanced him above the princes and servants of the king.

¹²Haman also said, “Even Esther the queen let no one but me come with the king to the feast which she had prepared; and ^atomorrow also I am called to come to her with the king.

¹³“Yet all of this is worth nothing to me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at ^athe king’s gate.”

¹⁴Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “^aHave a ¹gallows ²fifty cubits high made and in the morning say to the king that Mordecai should be hanged on it; then go gladly with the king to the feast.” And the word was good to Haman, so he had the gallows made.