Haman Plots Against the Jews

3 After these things King Ahasuerus ^(A)promoted Haman ^(B)the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, ^(C)and advanced him and set his throne above all the officials who were with him. ² And all the king's servants who were at the king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman, for the king had so commanded concerning him. ^(D)But Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage. ³ Then the king's servants who were ^(E)at the king's gate said to Mordecai, “Why do you transgress ^(F)the king's command?” ⁴ And when they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them, they told Haman, in order to see whether Mordecai's words would stand, for he had told them that he was a Jew. ⁵ And when Haman saw that ^(G)Mordecai did not bow down or pay homage to him, Haman was ^(H)filled with fury. ⁶ But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone. So, as they had made known to him the people of Mordecai, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.

⁶ So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What should be done to the man ^(A)whom the king delights to honour?” And Haman said to himself, “Whom would the king delight to honour more than me?” ⁷ And Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honour, ⁸ let royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, ^(B)and the horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head ^(C)a royal crown^[a] is set. ⁹ And let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king's most noble officials. Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honour, and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city, ^(D)proclaiming before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honour.’” ¹⁰ Then the king said to Haman, “Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who sits ^(E)at the king's gate. Leave out nothing that you have mentioned.”

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.

The Greatness of Mordecai

10 King Ahasuerus imposed tax on the land and on ^(A)the coastlands of the sea. ² And all the acts of his power and might, and the full account of the high honour of Mordecai, ^(B)to which the king advanced him, are they not written in ^(C)the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia? ³ For Mordecai the Jew was ^(D)second in rank to King Ahasuerus, and he was great among the Jews and popular with the multitude of his brothers, for he ^(E)sought the welfare of his people and spoke peace to all his people.