Haman’s Conspiracy Against the Jews

3 After these things King Ahasuerus promoted Haman, the son of Hammedatha the ^(A)Agagite, and ^(B)advanced him and set his seat above all the princes who were with him.

¹³ Then the king answered the people ^[a]roughly, and rejected the advice which the elders had given him; ¹⁴ and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with ^[b]scourges!”

¹⁶ “Now therefore, if you have acted in truth and sincerity in making Abimelech king, and if you have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him ^(D)as^[a] he deserves— ¹⁷ for my ^(E)father fought for you, risked his life, and ^(F)delivered you out of the hand of Midian; ^18 (G)but you have risen up against my father’s house this day, and killed his seventy sons on one stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his ^(H)female servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother— ¹⁹ if then you have acted in truth and sincerity with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then ^(I)rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you. ²⁰ But if not, ^(J)let fire come from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and Beth Millo; and let fire come from the men of Shechem and from Beth Millo and devour Abimelech!”

³ and you ^[a]pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” ⁴ have you not ^[b]shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

⁵ Listen, my beloved brethren: ^(A)Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be ^(B)rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom ^(C)which He promised to those who love Him?