Esther 6
New English Translation
The Turning Point: The King Honors Mordecai
6 Throughout that night the king was unable to sleep,[a] so he asked for the book containing the historical records[b] to be brought. As the records[c] were being read in the king’s presence, 2 it was found written that Mordecai had disclosed that Bigthana[d] and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who guarded the entrance, had plotted to assassinate[e] King Ahasuerus.
3 The king asked, “What great honor[f] was bestowed on Mordecai because of this?” The king’s attendants who served him responded, “Not a thing was done for him.”
4 Then the king said, “Who is that in the courtyard?” Now Haman had come to the outer courtyard of the palace to suggest that the king hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had constructed for him. 5 The king’s attendants said to him, “It is Haman who is standing in the courtyard.” The king said, “Let him enter.”
6 So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What should be done for the man whom the king wishes to honor?” Haman thought to himself,[g] “Who is it that the king would want to honor more than me?” 7 So Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king wishes to honor, 8 let them bring royal attire which the king himself has worn and a horse on which the king himself has ridden—one bearing the royal insignia.[h] 9 Then let this clothing and this horse be given to one of the king’s noble officials. Let him[i] then clothe the man whom the king wishes to honor, and let him lead him about through the plaza of the city on the horse, calling[j] before him, ‘So shall it be done to the man whom the king wishes to honor!’”
10 The king then said to Haman, “Go quickly! Take the clothing and the horse, just as you have described, and do as you just indicated to Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Don’t neglect[k] a single thing of all that you have said.”
11 So Haman took the clothing and the horse, and he clothed Mordecai. He led him about on the horse throughout the plaza of the city, calling before him, “So shall it be done to the man whom the king wishes to honor!”
12 Then Mordecai again sat at the king’s gate, while Haman hurried away to his home, mournful and with a veil over his head. 13 Haman then related to his wife Zeresh and to all his friends everything that had happened to him. These wise men,[l] along with his wife Zeresh, said to him, “If indeed this Mordecai before whom you have begun to fall is Jewish,[m] you will not prevail against him. No, you will surely fall before him!”
14 While they were still speaking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived. They quickly brought Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
Footnotes
- Esther 6:1 tn Heb “and the sleep of the king fled.” In place of the rather innocuous comment of the Hebrew text, the LXX reads here, “And the Lord removed the sleep from the king.” The Greek text thus understands the statement in a more overtly theological way than does the Hebrew text, although even in the Hebrew text there may be a hint of God’s providence at work in this matter. After all, this event is crucial to the later reversal of Haman’s plot to destroy the Jewish people, and a sympathetic reader is likely to look beyond the apparent coincidence.
- Esther 6:1 tn Heb “the book of the remembrances of the accounts of the days”; NAB “the chronicle of notable events.”
- Esther 6:1 tn Heb “they”; the referent (the records) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Esther 6:2 tn This individual is referred to as “Bigthan,” a variant spelling of the name, in Esth 2:21.
- Esther 6:2 tn Heb “to send a hand against”; NASB “had sought to lay hands on.”
- Esther 6:3 tn Heb “honor and greatness.” The expression is a hendiadys (see the note on 5:10 for an explanation of this figure).
- Esther 6:6 tn Heb “said in his heart” (so ASV); NASB, NRSV “said to himself.”
- Esther 6:8 tc The final comment (“one on whose head the royal crown has been”) is not included in the LXX.tn Heb “a royal crown on his head.” The reference is to an official decoration or headdress for horses in royal service. See HALOT 506 s.v. כֶּתֶר; DCH 4:477 s.v. כֶּתֶר. Cf. TEV “a royal ornament”; CEV “a fancy headdress.”
- Esther 6:9 tc The present translation reads with the LXX וְהִלְבִּישׁוֹ (vehilbisho, “and he will clothe him”) rather than the reading of the MT וְהִלְבִּישׁוּ (vehilbishu, “and they will clothe”). The reading of the LXX is also followed by NAB, NRSV, TEV, CEV, and NLT. Likewise, the later verbs in this verse (“cause him to ride” and “call”) are better taken as singulars rather than plurals.
- Esther 6:9 tn Heb “and let them call” (see the previous note).
- Esther 6:10 tn Heb “do not let fall”; NASB “do not fall short.”
- Esther 6:13 tc Part of the Greek tradition and the Syriac Peshitta understand this word as “friends,” probably reading the Hebrew term רֲכָמָיו (rakhamayv, “his friends”) rather than the reading of the MT חֲכָמָיו (hakhamayv, “his wise men”). Cf. NLT “all his friends”; the two readings appear to be conflated by TEV as “those wise friends of his.”
- Esther 6:13 tn Heb “from the seed of the Jews”; KJV, ASV similar.
以斯帖记 6
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
王赐末底改尊荣
6 那夜王睡不着觉，就吩咐人拿史书念给他听。 2 刚好念到末底改揭发两位守门太监辟探和提列谋害亚哈随鲁王的事， 3 王便问：“末底改既行此事，可曾赐他什么尊荣和爵位吗？”服侍王的臣仆回答说：“没有赐他什么。” 4 王问：“谁在院子里？”那时哈曼刚进到王宫外院，想请求王将末底改吊在他预备的木架上。 5 服侍王的臣仆回答说：“是哈曼站在院子里。”王说：“让他进来。” 6 哈曼进来后，王问他：“王愿意赏识一个人，该怎么做呢？”哈曼心想：“王愿意赏识的人不是我是谁呢？” 7 于是，他就对王说：“王若愿意赏识一个人， 8 可以拿来王穿过的袍子，牵来王骑过的戴冠的御马， 9 交给王最尊贵的一位大臣，给王所愿意赏识的人穿上，让他骑着马在城中的广场上游行，并派人在他前面宣告，‘王愿意赏识谁，就会这样待他。’” 10 王对哈曼说：“快去照你说的，把王袍和御马赐给在宫门供职的犹太人末底改。你所说的一样也不可少。” 11 于是，哈曼将袍子给末底改穿上，让他骑着马在城中的广场上游行，并在他前面宣告：“王愿意赏识谁，就会这样待他。”
12 之后，末底改回到宫门那里，哈曼却悲伤地蒙着头匆匆回家去了。 13 他将自己的遭遇详细告诉妻子细利斯和所有的朋友。他的谋士及其妻子细利斯对他说：“你开始在末底改面前败落。如果他是犹太人，你必胜不过他，终必在他面前败落。”
14 他们正在谈论的时候，王的太监来催哈曼赶快去赴以斯帖预备的宴席。
Esther 6
King James Version
6 On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.
2 And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king's chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.
3 And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king's servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.
4 And the king said, Who is in the court? Now Haman was come into the outward court of the king's house, to speak unto the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him.
5 And the king's servants said unto him, Behold, Haman standeth in the court. And the king said, Let him come in.
6 So Haman came in. And the king said unto him, What shall be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour? Now Haman thought in his heart, To whom would the king delight to do honour more than to myself?
7 And Haman answered the king, For the man whom the king delighteth to honour,
8 Let the royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and the crown royal which is set upon his head:
9 And let this apparel and horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man withal whom the king delighteth to honour, and bring him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honour.
10 Then the king said to Haman, Make haste, and take the apparel and the horse, as thou hast said, and do even so to Mordecai the Jew, that sitteth at the king's gate: let nothing fail of all that thou hast spoken.
11 Then took Haman the apparel and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and brought him on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaimed before him, Thus shall it be done unto the man whom the king delighteth to honour.
12 And Mordecai came again to the king's gate. But Haman hasted to his house mourning, and having his head covered.
13 And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends every thing that had befallen him. Then said his wise men and Zeresh his wife unto him, If Mordecai be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall, thou shalt not prevail against him, but shalt surely fall before him.
14 And while they were yet talking with him, came the king's chamberlains, and hasted to bring Haman unto the banquet that Esther had prepared.
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