Esther Plans a Banquet

5 Now it came about ^(A)on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood ^(B)in the inner courtyard of the king’s palace in front of the king’s ^[a]rooms, and the king was sitting on his royal throne in the ^[b]throne room, opposite the entrance to the palace. ² When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the courtyard, ^(C)she obtained favor in his sight; and ^(D)the king extended to Esther the golden scepter which was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the top of the scepter. ³ Then the king said to her, “What is troubling you, Queen Esther? And what is your request? ^(E)Up to half of the kingdom it shall be given to you.” ⁴ Esther said, “If it pleases the king, may the king and Haman come this day to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”

⁵ Then the king said, “^(F)Bring Haman quickly so that we may do ^[c]as Esther desires.” So the king and Haman came to the banquet which Esther had prepared. ^6 [d]As they drank their wine at the banquet, ^(G)the king said to Esther, “^(H)What is your request, for it shall be granted to you. And what is your wish? Up to half of the kingdom it shall be done.” ⁷ So Esther replied, “My request and my wish is: ^8 (I)if I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my request and do ^[e]what I wish, may the king and Haman come to ^(J)the banquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do ^[f]as the king says.”

Haman’s Pride

⁹ Then Haman went out that day joyful and pleased of heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai ^(K)at the king’s gate and ^(L)that he did not stand up or tremble before him, Haman was filled with anger against Mordecai. ¹⁰ Haman controlled himself, however, and went to his house. But he ^[g]sent for his friends and his wife ^(M)Zeresh. ¹¹ Then Haman told them of the glory of his riches, and his ^(N)many sons, and every occasion on which the king had honored him and how he had ^[h](O)promoted him above the officials and servants of the king. ¹² Haman also said, “Even Esther the queen let no one except me come with the king to the banquet which she had prepared; and ^(P)tomorrow also I am invited by her with the king. ¹³ Yet all of this ^[i]does not satisfy me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at ^(Q)the king’s gate.” ¹⁴ Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “^(R)Have a wooden gallows ^[j]fifty cubits high made, and in the morning ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it; then go joyfully with the king to the banquet.” And the ^[k]advice pleased Haman, so he had the wooden gallows made.

Keep Fervent in Your Love

4 Therefore, since ^(A)Christ has ^[a]suffered in the flesh, ^(B)arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because ^(C)the one who has ^[b]suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, ^2 (D)so as to live ^(E)the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human lusts, but for the ^(F)will of God. ³ For ^(G)the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, ^[c](H)having pursued a course of indecent behavior, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and wanton idolatries. ⁴ In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them in the same excesses of ^(I)[d]debauchery, and they ^(J)slander you; ⁵ but they will give an account to Him who is ready to judge ^(K)the living and the dead. ⁶ For ^(L)the gospel has for this purpose been ^[e]preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as people, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God.

^7 (M)The end of all things ^[f]is near; therefore, ^(N)be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of ^[g]prayer. ⁸ Above all, ^(O)keep fervent in your love for one another, because ^(P)love covers a multitude of sins. ^9 (Q)Be hospitable to one another without ^(R)complaint. ^10 (S)As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good ^(T)stewards of the ^[h]multifaceted grace of God. ^11 (U)Whoever speaks is to do so as one who is speaking ^(V)actual words of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving ^[i](W)by the strength which God supplies; so that ^(X)in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, ^(Y)to whom belongs the glory and ^[j]dominion forever and ever. Amen.

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.

Share the Sufferings of Christ

^12 (A)Beloved, do not be surprised at the ^(B)fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though something strange were happening to you; ¹³ but to the degree that you ^(C)share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that at the ^(D)revelation of His glory ^(E)you may also rejoice and be overjoyed. ¹⁴ If you are insulted ^[a](F)for the name of Christ, ^(G)you are blessed, ^(H)because the Spirit of glory, and of God, rests upon you. ¹⁵ Make sure that ^(I)none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a ^[b](J)troublesome meddler; ¹⁶ but if anyone suffers as a ^(K)Christian, he is not to be ashamed, but is to ^(L)glorify God in this name. ¹⁷ For it is time for judgment ^(M)to begin ^[c]with ^(N)the household of God; and if it ^(O)begins ^[d]with us first, what will be the outcome for those ^(P)who do not obey the ^(Q)gospel of God? ^18 (R)And if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, ^[e]what will become of the ^(S)godless man and the sinner? ¹⁹ Therefore, those also who suffer according to ^(T)the will of God are to entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing what is right.