Esther 5

Esther’s Banquet

5Now it happened ^aon the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in ^bthe inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the ¹house. ²So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that ^cshe found favor in his sight, and ^dthe king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.

³And the king said to her, “What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? ^eIt shall be given to you—up to half the kingdom!”

⁴So Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”

⁵Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, that he may do as Esther has said.” So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

⁶At the banquet of wine ^fthe king said to Esther, ^g“What is your petition? It shall be granted you. What is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!”

⁷Then Esther answered and said, “My petition and request is this: ⁸If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and ²fulfill my request, then let the king and Haman come to the ^hbanquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.”

Haman’s Plot Against Mordecai

⁹So Haman went out that day ⁱjoyful and with a glad heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, and ^jthat he did not stand or tremble before him, he was filled with indignation against Mordecai. ¹⁰Nevertheless Haman ^krestrained himself and went home, and he sent and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh. ¹¹Then Haman told them of his great riches, ^lthe multitude of his children, everything in which the king had promoted him, and how he had ^madvanced him above the officials and servants of the king.

¹²Moreover Haman said, “Besides, Queen Esther invited no one but me to come in with the king to the banquet that she prepared; and tomorrow I am again invited by her, along with the king. ¹³Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

¹⁴Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a ⁿgallows ³be made, ⁴fifty cubits high, and in the morning ^osuggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.”

And the thing pleased Haman; so he had ^pthe gallows made.