Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options
Close LSB

Esther 4-7
Legacy Standard Bible

Esther Writhes in Anguish

4 Now Mordecai came to know of (A)all that had been done. And [a]he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city and cried out loudly and bitterly. 2 And he went as far as the king’s gate, for no one was to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth. 3 Now in each and every province where the word and law of the king reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, with (B)fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many made their bed in sackcloth and ashes.

4 Then Esther’s young women and her eunuchs came and told her, and the queen writhed in great anguish. And she sent garments to clothe Mordecai and to remove his sackcloth from upon him, but he did not accept them. 5 Then Esther summoned Hathach from the king’s eunuchs, whom [b]the king had appointed to attend her, and commanded him to go to Mordecai to know what this was and why it was. 6 So Hathach went out to Mordecai to the city square in front of the king’s gate. 7 And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and (C)the exact amount of silver that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries to cause the Jews to perish. 8 He also gave him (D)a copy of the written law which had been given in Susa for their destruction, in order to show Esther and to tell her and to command her to go in to the king to implore his favor and to seek him out for her people.

9 Then Hathach came back and told Mordecai’s words to Esther. 10 Then Esther spoke to Hathach and commanded him to reply to Mordecai: 11 “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s provinces know that for any man or woman who (E)comes to the king to the inner court who is not summoned, (F)he has but one law, that he be put to death, unless the king holds out (G)to him the golden scepter so that he may live. And I have not been summoned to come to the king for these thirty days.” 12 So they told Esther’s words to Mordecai.

13 Then Mordecai said for them to respond to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s [c]house can escape any more than all the Jews. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and (H)deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, and you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows whether you have not reached royalty for such a time as this?”

Esther and the Jews Fast

15 Then Esther said for them to respond to Mordecai, 16 “Go, gather all the Jews who are found in Susa, and fast for me; (I)do not eat or drink for (J)three days, night or day. I and my young women also will fast in the same way. And thus I will go in to the king, which is not according to the law; and if I perish, I perish.” 17 So Mordecai went away and did just as Esther had commanded him.

Esther Prepares a Feast

5 Now it happened (K)on the third day, that Esther put on her royal robes and stood (L)in the inner court of the king’s house in front of the king’s [d]rooms, and the king was sitting on his royal throne in the [e]throne room, opposite the entrance to his house. 2 Now it happened that when the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, (M)she advanced in favor in his eyes; and (N)the king extended to Esther the golden scepter which was in his hand. So Esther came near and [f]reached out and touched the top of the scepter. 3 Then the king said to her, “What is troubling you, Queen Esther? And what is [g]your request? (O)Even to half of the kingdom it shall be given to you.” 4 And Esther said, “If it seems good to the king, may the king and Haman come this day to the feast that I have prepared for him.”

5 Then the king said, “(P)Bring Haman quickly that we may do the word of Esther.” So the king and Haman came to the feast which Esther had prepared. 6 Then, [h]as they drank their wine at the feast, (Q)the king said to Esther, “(R)What is [i]your petition? For it shall be given to you. And what is [j]your request? Even to half of the kingdom it shall be done.” 7 So Esther answered and said, “[k]My petition and [l]my request is: 8 (S)if I have found favor in the eyes of the king, and if it seems good to the king to give heed to [m]my petition and to do [n]my request, may the king and Haman come to (T)the feast which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do according to the word of the king.”

Haman Recounts His Glory

9 Then Haman went out that day glad and merry of heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai (U)in the king’s gate and (V)that he did not stand up or [o]tremble before him, Haman was filled with wrath against Mordecai. 10 But Haman controlled himself, went to his house, and sent for and brought his friends and his wife (W)Zeresh. 11 Then Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches and the [p](X)number of his sons and every instance where the king had magnified him and how he had [q](Y)advanced him above the princes and servants of the king. 12 Haman also said, “Even Esther the queen let no one but me come with the king to the feast which she had prepared; and (Z)tomorrow also I am called to come to her with the king. 13 Yet all of this is worth nothing to me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at (AA)the king’s gate.” 14 Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “(AB)Have a [r]gallows [s]fifty cubits high made and in the morning say to the king that Mordecai should be hanged on it; then go gladly with the king to the feast.” And the word was good to Haman, so he had the gallows made.

The Man Whom the King Honors

6 During that night, sleep had (AC)fled from the king, so he said for them to bring (AD)the book of memoranda, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. 2 And it was found written what (AE)Mordecai had told concerning Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs from those who were doorkeepers, that they had sought to send forth their hand against King Ahasuerus. 3 And the king said, “What honor or greatness has been done to Mordecai for this?” Then the king’s young men who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” 4 So the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had (AF)entered the outer court of the king’s house in order to speak to the king about (AG)hanging Mordecai on the gallows which he had set up for him. 5 And the king’s young men said to him, “Behold, Haman is standing in the court.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” 6 So Haman came in, and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man (AH)whom the king delights to honor?” And Haman said in his heart, “Whom would the king delight to honor more than me?” 7 Then Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, 8 let them bring a royal robe which the king clothes himself in, and (AI)the horse on which the king has ridden, and on whose head (AJ)a royal crown has been placed; 9 and let the robe and the horse be given over to the hand of one of the king’s most noble princes, and let them clothe the man whom the king delights to honor and lead him on horseback through the city square (AK)and call out before him, ‘Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.’”

Mordecai Is Honored

10 Then the king said to Haman, “Take quickly the robes and the horse as you have said, and do so for Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king’s gate; do not fall short in anything of all that you have spoken.” 11 So Haman took the robe and the horse and clothed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square and called out before him, “Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king delights to honor.”

12 Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman hastened home, mourning, (AL)with his head covered. 13 And Haman recounted (AM)to Zeresh his wife and all his friends 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 of the seed of the Jews, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him.”

14 While they were still speaking with him, the king’s eunuchs reached Haman’s home and hastily (AN)brought Haman to the feast which Esther had prepared.

Esther’s Petition to the King

7 Then the king and Haman came to drink wine with Esther the queen. 2 And the king said to Esther on the second day also [t]as they drank their wine at the feast, “(AO)What is [u]your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be given you. And what is [v]your request? (AP)Even to half of the kingdom it shall be done.” 3 Then Queen Esther answered and said, “(AQ)If I have found favor in your eyes, O king, and if it seems good to the king, let my life be given to me as [w]my petition, and my people as [x]my request; 4 for (AR)we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, (AS)to be killed, and to be caused to perish. Now if we had only been sold as slaves, men and women, I would have remained silent, for the [y]adversity would not be worth the [z]annoyance to the king.” 5 Then King Ahasuerus said—he said to Esther the Queen, “Who is this one, and where is this one, who fills his heart to do thus?” 6 So Esther said, “(AT)An adversary and an enemy is this evil Haman!” Then Haman became terrified before the king and queen.

Haman Is Hanged

7 And the king arose (AU)in his wrath from [aa]drinking wine and went into (AV)the garden of his palace; but Haman stayed to seek for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that calamity had been determined against him by the king. 8 Now the king returned from the garden of his palace into the [ab]place where they were drinking wine. And Haman was falling on (AW)the couch where Esther was. So 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 were before the king, said, “Behold indeed, (AX)the gallows—which Haman made for Mordecai (AY)who spoke good on behalf of the king—are standing at Haman’s house fifty cubits high!” And the king said, “Hang him on it.” 10 (AZ)So they hanged Haman on the [ac]gallows which he had set up for Mordecai, (BA)and the king’s wrath subsided.

Footnotes

  1. Esther 4:1 Lit Mordecai
  2. Esther 4:5 Lit he
  3. Esther 4:13 Or palace
  4. Esther 5:1 Lit house
  5. Esther 5:1 Lit royal house
  6. Esther 5:2 The Heb root for touched, in a variant form, is translated as reached in Esth 2:12, 15; 4:3, 14; 6:14; 8:17; 9:26
  7. Esther 5:3 Or that which you seek
  8. Esther 5:6 Lit at the banquet of wine
  9. Esther 5:6 Or that which you ask for
  10. Esther 5:6 Or that which you seek
  11. Esther 5:7 Or What I ask for
  12. Esther 5:7 Or what I seek
  13. Esther 5:8 Or what I ask for
  14. Esther 5:8 Or what I am seeking
  15. Esther 5:9 Or move for
  16. Esther 5:11 Lit multitude
  17. Esther 5:11 Lit lifted
  18. Esther 5:14 Lit tree, cf. Deut 21:22-23
  19. Esther 5:14 Approx. 75 ft. or 23 m, a cubit was approx. 18 in. or 45 cm
  20. Esther 7:2 Lit at the banquet of wine
  21. Esther 7:2 Or that which you ask for
  22. Esther 7:2 Or that which you seek, cf. Esth 7:7
  23. Esther 7:3 Or that which I ask for
  24. Esther 7:3 Or that which I seek, cf. Esth 7:7
  25. Esther 7:4 Or enemy could not compensate for the loss
  26. Esther 7:4 Or damage
  27. Esther 7:7 Lit the banquet of wine
  28. Esther 7:8 Lit house of the banquet of wine
  29. Esther 7:10 Lit tree, cf. Deut 21:22-23
Listen to Esther 4-7
Close NIV

Esther 4-7
New International Version

Mordecai Persuades Esther to Help

4 When Mordecai learned of all that had been done, he tore his clothes,(A) put on sackcloth and ashes,(B) and went out into the city, wailing(C) loudly and bitterly. 2 But he went only as far as the king’s gate,(D) because no one clothed in sackcloth was allowed to enter it. 3 In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

4 When Esther’s eunuchs and female attendants came and told her about Mordecai, she was in great distress. She sent clothes for him to put on instead of his sackcloth, but he would not accept them. 5 Then Esther summoned Hathak, one of the king’s eunuchs assigned to attend her, and ordered him to find out what was troubling Mordecai and why.

6 So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. 7 Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews.(E) 8 He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.

9 Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, 11 “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned(F) the king has but one law:(G) that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter(H) to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”

12 When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent(I) at this time, relief(J) and deliverance(K) for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”(L)

15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast(M) for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”(N)

17 So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.

Esther’s Request to the King

5 On the third day Esther put on her royal robes(O) and stood in the inner court of the palace, in front of the king’s(P) hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance. 2 When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.(Q)

3 Then the king asked, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom,(R) it will be given you.”

4 “If it pleases the king,” replied Esther, “let the king, together with Haman, come today to a banquet I have prepared for him.”

5 “Bring Haman at once,” the king said, “so that we may do what Esther asks.”

So the king and Haman went to the banquet Esther had prepared. 6 As they were drinking wine,(S) the king again asked Esther, “Now what is your petition? It will be given you. And what is your request? Even up to half the kingdom,(T) it will be granted.”(U)

7 Esther replied, “My petition and my request is this: 8 If the king regards me with favor(V) and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet(W) I will prepare for them. Then I will answer the king’s question.”

Haman’s Rage Against Mordecai

9 Haman went out that day happy and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate and observed that he neither rose nor showed fear in his presence, he was filled with rage(X) against Mordecai.(Y) 10 Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home.

Calling together his friends and Zeresh,(Z) his wife, 11 Haman boasted(AA) to them about his vast wealth, his many sons,(AB) and all the ways the king had honored him and how he had elevated him above the other nobles and officials. 12 “And that’s not all,” Haman added. “I’m the only person(AC) Queen Esther invited to accompany the king to the banquet she gave. And she has invited me along with the king tomorrow. 13 But all this gives me no satisfaction as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.(AD)”

14 His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a pole set up, reaching to a height of fifty cubits,[a](AE) and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai impaled(AF) on it. Then go with the king to the banquet and enjoy yourself.” This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the pole set up.

Mordecai Honored

6 That night the king could not sleep;(AG) so he ordered the book of the chronicles,(AH) the record of his reign, to be brought in and read to him. 2 It was found recorded there that Mordecai had exposed Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s officers who guarded the doorway, who had conspired to assassinate King Xerxes.(AI)

3 “What honor and recognition has Mordecai received for this?” the king asked.

“Nothing has been done for him,”(AJ) his attendants answered.

4 The king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just entered the outer court of the palace to speak to the king about impaling Mordecai on the pole he had set up for him.

5 His attendants answered, “Haman is standing in the court.”

“Bring him in,” the king ordered.

6 When Haman entered, the king asked him, “What should be done for the man the king delights to honor?”

Now Haman thought to himself, “Who is there that the king would rather honor than me?” 7 So he answered the king, “For the man the king delights to honor, 8 have them bring a royal robe(AK) the king has worn and a horse(AL) the king has ridden, one with a royal crest placed on its head. 9 Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the king’s most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor, and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him, ‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!(AM)’”

10 “Go at once,” the king commanded Haman. “Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect anything you have recommended.”

11 So Haman got(AN) the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!”

12 Afterward Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman rushed home, with his head covered(AO) in grief, 13 and told Zeresh(AP) his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him.

His advisers and his wife Zeresh said to him, “Since Mordecai, before whom your downfall(AQ) has started, is of Jewish origin, you cannot stand against him—you will surely come to ruin!”(AR) 14 While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried Haman away to the banquet(AS) Esther had prepared.

Haman Impaled

7 So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet,(AT) 2 and as they were drinking wine(AU) on the second day, the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom,(AV) it will be granted.(AW)”

3 Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor(AX) with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. 4 For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated.(AY) If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.[b]”

5 King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?”

6 Esther said, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!”

Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. 7 The king got up in a rage,(AZ) left his wine and went out into the palace garden.(BA) But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate,(BB) stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life.

8 Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch(BC) where Esther was reclining.(BD)

The king exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?”(BE)

As soon as the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.(BF) 9 Then Harbona,(BG) one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “A pole reaching to a height of fifty cubits[c](BH) stands by Haman’s house. He had it set up for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.”

The king said, “Impale him on it!”(BI) 10 So they impaled(BJ) Haman(BK) on the pole(BL) he had set up for Mordecai.(BM) Then the king’s fury subsided.(BN)

Footnotes

  1. Esther 5:14 That is, about 75 feet or about 23 meters
  2. Esther 7:4 Or quiet, but the compensation our adversary offers cannot be compared with the loss the king would suffer
  3. Esther 7:9 That is, about 75 feet or about 23 meters
Next
Esther 3
Esther 8
Next
dropdown
Legacy Standard Bible (LSB)

Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Managed in partnership with Three Sixteen Publishing Inc. LSBible.org For Permission to Quote Information visit https://www.LSBible.org.

New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

July Summer Surge

More on the NIV