Esther Prepares a Banquet

5 ^(A)On the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in ^(B)the inner court of the king's palace, in front of the king's quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace.

^21 (A)The one who conquers, ^(B)I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as ^(C)I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.

⁴ And the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered ^(A)the outer court of the king's palace to speak to the king about having Mordecai hanged on ^(B)the gallows^[a] that he had prepared for him.

^3 (A)Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— ⁴ but let your adorning be ^(B)the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. ⁵ For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands,

¹⁶ “Go, gather all the Jews to be found in Susa, and hold a fast on my behalf, and do not eat or drink for ^(A)three days, night or day. I and my young women will also fast as you do. Then I will go to the king, though it is against the law, ^(B)and if I perish, I perish.”^[a]

¹¹ “All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that if any man or woman goes to the king inside ^(A)the inner court without being called, ^(B)there is but one law—to be put to death, except the one ^(C)to whom the king holds out the golden scepter so that he may live. But as for me, I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”

¹⁵ Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king ^(A)in royal robes of blue and white, with a great golden crown^[a] and ^(B)a robe of fine linen and purple, ^(C)and the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced.

^30 (A)that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and ^(B)sit on thrones judging ^(C)the twelve tribes of Israel.

⁶⁴ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, ^(A)lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.”