Esther 3:1-6
New Living Translation
Haman’s Plot against the Jews
3 Some time later King Xerxes promoted Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite over all the other nobles, making him the most powerful official in the empire. 2 All the king’s officials would bow down before Haman to show him respect whenever he passed by, for so the king had commanded. But Mordecai refused to bow down or show him respect.
3 Then the palace officials at the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s command?” 4 They spoke to him day after day, but still he refused to comply with the order. So they spoke to Haman about this to see if he would tolerate Mordecai’s conduct, since Mordecai had told them he was a Jew.
5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not bow down or show him respect, he was filled with rage. 6 He had learned of Mordecai’s nationality, so he decided it was not enough to lay hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the entire empire of Xerxes.
Read full chapter
Esther 3:1-6
International Standard Version
Haman is Promoted by Ahasuerus
3 Sometime later King Ahasuerus promoted Hammedatha the Agagite’s son Haman, elevating him to a position above[a] all the other officials who were with him. 2 All the king’s ministers[b] who were in the king’s gate would kneel and bow down to Haman, because the king had commanded that Haman[c] be honored in this way. Mordecai, however, would not kneel and would not bow down.
3 The king’s ministers[d] who were in the king’s gate asked Mordecai, “Why are you disobeying the king’s command?” 4 They asked him this day after day, and he would not listen to them, so they told Haman to see whether or not Mordecai would get away with his disobedience,[e] since he also had told them that he was Jewish. 5 When Haman saw that Mordecai would not kneel and bow down to him, he[f] flew into a rage. 6 Because they had told him who the people of Mordecai were, Haman[g] found it unacceptable[h] to kill[i] only Mordecai. So Haman sought to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jewish people, who were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus.
Read full chapterNotas al pie
- Esther 3:1 Lit. setting his seat above
- Esther 3:2 Or servants
- Esther 3:2 Lit. commanded concerning him that he
- Esther 3:3 Or servants
- Esther 3:4 Lit. would stand
- Esther 3:5 Lit. Haman
- Esther 3:6 Lit. he
- Esther 3:6 Lit. contemptible
- Esther 3:6 Lit. sending a hand against
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.