The King Plans to Honor Mordecai

6 During that night ^[a]the king ^(A)could not sleep, so he gave an order to bring ^(B)the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. ² And it was found written what ^(C)Mordecai had reported about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who were doorkeepers, that they had sought to ^[b]attack King Ahasuerus. ³ Then the king said, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” And the king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” ⁴ So the king said, “Who is in the courtyard?” Now Haman had just ^(D)entered the outer courtyard of the king’s palace in order to speak to the king about ^(E)hanging Mordecai on the wooden gallows which he had prepared for him. ⁵ So the king’s servants said to him, “Behold, Haman is standing in the courtyard.” And the king said, “Have him come in.” ⁶ Haman then came in and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man ^(F)whom the king desires to honor?” And Haman said ^[c]to himself, “Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?” ⁷ Therefore Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king desires to honor, ⁸ have them bring a royal robe which the king has worn, and ^(G)the horse on which the king has ridden, and on whose head ^(H)a royal turban has been placed; ⁹ then order them to hand the robe and the horse over to one of the king’s noble officials, and have them dress the man whom the king desires to honor, and lead him on horseback through the city square, ^(I)and proclaim before him, ‘So it shall be done for the man whom the king desires to honor.’”

Haman Must Honor Mordecai

¹⁰ Then the king said to Haman, “Quickly, take the robe and the horse just as you have said, and do so for Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king’s gate; do not fail to do anything of all that you have said.” ¹¹ So Haman took the robe and the horse, and dressed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, “So it shall be done for the man whom the king desires to honor.”

¹² Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate, while Haman hurried home, mourning, ^(J)with his head covered. ¹³ And Haman informed ^(K)Zeresh his wife and all his friends of everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is ^[d]of Jewish origin, you will not prevail over him, but will certainly fall before him.”

¹⁴ While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and quickly ^(L)brought Haman to the banquet which Esther had prepared.

Esther’s Plea

7 Now the king and Haman came to drink wine with Esther the queen. ² And the king said to Esther on the second day also ^[e]as they drank their wine at the banquet, “^(M)What is your request, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your wish? ^(N)Up to half of the kingdom it shall be done.” ³ Then Queen Esther replied, “^(O)If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me as my request, and my people as my wish; ⁴ for ^(P)we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, ^(Q)killed, and eliminated. Now if we had only been sold as slaves, men and women, I would have kept silent, because the distress would not be sufficient reason to burden the king.” ⁵ Then King Ahasuerus ^[f]asked Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, ^[g]who would presume to do such a thing?” ⁶ And Esther said, “^(R)A foe and an enemy is this wicked Haman!” Then Haman became terrified before the king and queen.

Haman Is Hanged

⁷ The king then got up ^(S)in his anger from ^[h]drinking wine and went into ^(T)the palace garden; but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm had been determined against him by the king. ⁸ Now when the king returned from the palace garden into the ^[i]place where they had been drinking wine, Haman was falling on ^(U)the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, “Will he even assault the queen with me in the house?” As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face. ⁹ Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs who stood before the king, said, “Indeed, behold, ^(V)the wooden gallows standing at Haman’s house ^[j]fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai ^(W)who spoke good in behalf of the king!” And the king said, “Hang him on it.” ^10 (X)So they hanged Haman on the wooden gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, ^(Y)and the king’s anger subsided.

Mordecai Promoted

8 On that day King Ahasuerus gave the house of Haman, ^(Z)the enemy of the Jews, to Queen Esther; and Mordecai came before the king, because Esther had disclosed ^(AA)what he was to her. ² Then ^(AB)the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken away from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

³ Then Esther spoke again ^[k]to the king, fell at his feet, wept, and pleaded for his compassion to avert the evil scheme of Haman the Agagite and his plot which he had devised against the Jews. ⁴ And ^(AC)the king extended the golden scepter to Esther. So Esther got up and stood before the king. ⁵ Then she said, “^(AD)If it pleases the king and if I have found favor before him, and the matter seems proper to the king and I am pleasing in his sight, let it be written to revoke the ^(AE)letters devised by Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to eliminate the Jews who are in all the king’s provinces. ⁶ For ^(AF)how can I endure to see the disaster which will happen to my people, and how can I endure to see the destruction of my kindred?” ⁷ So King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Behold, ^(AG)I have given the house of Haman to Esther, and they have hanged him on the wooden gallows because he had reached out with his hand against the Jews.

The King’s Decree Avenges the Jews

⁸ Now you write to the Jews ^[l]as you see fit, in the king’s name, and ^(AH)seal it with the king’s signet ring; for a decree which is written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s signet ring ^(AI)may not be revoked.”

^9 (AJ)So the king’s scribes were summoned at that time in the third month (that is, the month Sivan), on the twenty-third ^[m]day; and it was written in accordance with everything that Mordecai commanded the Jews, the satraps, the governors, and the officials of the provinces which extended ^(AK)from India to ^[n]Cush, 127 provinces, to ^(AL)every province according to its script, and to every people according to their language, as well as to the Jews according to their script and their language. ¹⁰ He wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and sealed it with the king’s signet ring, and sent letters by couriers on ^(AM)horses, riding on royal relay horses, offspring of racing mares. ^11 [o]In the letters the king granted the Jews who were in each and every city the right ^(AN)to assemble and to defend their lives, ^(AO)to destroy, kill, and eliminate the entire army of any people or province which was going to attack them, including children and women, and ^(AP)to plunder their spoils, ¹² on ^(AQ)one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month (that is, the month Adar). ^13 (AR)A copy of the edict to be ^[p]issued as law in each and every province was published to all the peoples, so that the Jews would be ready for this day to avenge themselves on their enemies. ¹⁴ The couriers, hurrying and speeded by the king’s command, left, riding on the royal relay horses; and the decree was issued at the citadel in Susa.

¹⁵ Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king ^(AS)in a royal robe of violet and white, with a large crown of gold and ^(AT)a garment of fine linen and purple; and ^(AU)the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. ¹⁶ For the Jews there was ^(AV)light, joy, jubilation, and honor. ¹⁷ In each and every province and in each and every city, wherever the king’s commandment and his decree arrived, there was joy and jubilation for the Jews, a feast and a ^[q](AW)holiday. And ^(AX)many among the peoples of the land ^[r]became Jews, because the dread of the Jews had fallen on them.

Choosing of the Seven

6 Now ^[a]at this time, as the ^(A)disciples were ^(B)increasing in number, a complaint developed on the part of the ^[b](C)Hellenistic Jews against the native ^(D)Hebrews, because their ^(E)widows were being overlooked in ^(F)the daily serving of food. ² So the twelve summoned the ^[c]congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. ³ Instead, ^(G)brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, ^(H)full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. ⁴ But we will ^(I)devote ourselves to prayer and to the ^[d]ministry of the word.” ⁵ The ^[e]announcement found approval with the whole ^[f]congregation; and they chose ^(J)Stephen, a man ^(K)full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and ^(L)Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and ^[g]Nicolas, a ^[h](M)proselyte from ^(N)Antioch. ⁶ And they brought these men before the apostles; and after ^(O)praying, they ^(P)laid their hands on them.

^7 (Q)The word of God kept spreading; and ^(R)the number of the disciples continued to increase greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to ^(S)the faith.

⁸ And Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great ^(T)wonders and ^[i]signs among the people. ⁹ But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both ^(U)Cyrenians and ^(V)Alexandrians, and some from ^(W)Cilicia and ^[j](X)Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen. ¹⁰ But they were unable to ^[k]cope with his wisdom and the Spirit by whom he was speaking. ¹¹ Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” ¹² And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and they ^(Y)came up to him and dragged him away, and brought him ^[l]before ^(Z)the ^[m]Council. ¹³ They put forward ^(AA)false witnesses who said, “This man does not stop ^[n]speaking against this ^(AB)holy place and the Law; ¹⁴ for we have heard him say that ^(AC)this Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy this place and change ^(AD)the customs which Moses handed down to us.” ¹⁵ And all who were sitting in the ^[o](AE)Council stared at him, and they saw his face, which was like the face of an angel.