Esther 7

Haman Impaled

7So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet,^{o 2}and as they were drinking wine^p on the second day, the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom,^q it will be granted.^r”

³Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor^s with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. ⁴For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated.^t If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.^a”

⁵King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?”

⁶Esther said, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!”

Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. ⁷The king got up in a rage,^u left his wine and went out into the palace garden.^v But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate,^w stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life.

⁸Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch^x where Esther was reclining.^y

The king exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?”^z

As soon as the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.^{a 9}Then Harbona,^b one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “A pole reaching to a height of fifty cubits^bc stands by Haman’s house. He had it set up for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.”

The king said, “Impale him on it!”^{d 10}So they impaled^e Haman^f on the pole^g he had set up for Mordecai.^h Then the king’s fury subsided.ⁱ