Esther’s Banquet

5 And it happened, on the third day, and Esther put on royal clothes, and she stood in the inner courtyard of the king’s palace,^[a] opposite the king’s palace;^[b] the king was sitting on his royal throne in the throne room^[c] opposite the doorway of the palace. ² When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the courtyard she found favor in his eyes, and the king held out the gold scepter that was in his hand to Esther, and Esther approached and touched the top of the scepter. ³ And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It will be given to you—even half the kingdom.”