Esther Learns of Haman’s Plot

4 When Mordecai learned ^(A)all that had been done, ^[a]he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city and wailed loudly and bitterly. ² He went as far as the king’s gate, for no one was to enter the king’s gate clothed in sackcloth. ³ In each and every province where the command and decree of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with ^(B)fasting, weeping and wailing; and many lay on sackcloth and ashes.

⁴ Then Esther’s maidens and her eunuchs came and told her, and the queen writhed in great anguish. And she sent garments to clothe Mordecai that he might remove his sackcloth from 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 ordered him to go to Mordecai to learn 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 Mordecai told him all that had happened to him, and ^(C)the exact amount of money that Haman had promised to pay to the king’s treasuries for the destruction of the Jews. ⁸ He also gave him ^(D)a copy of the text of the edict which had been issued in Susa for their destruction, that he might show Esther and inform her, and to order her to go in to the king to implore his favor and to plead with him for her people.

⁹ Hathach came back and related Mordecai’s words to Esther. ¹⁰ Then Esther spoke to Hathach and ordered 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 They related Esther’s words to Mordecai.

¹³ Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace 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 attained royalty for such a time as this?”

Esther Plans to Intercede

¹⁵ Then Esther told them to reply to Mordecai, ¹⁶ “Go, assemble 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 maidens 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 Plans a Banquet

5 Now it came about ^(K)on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood ^(L)in the inner court of the king’s palace in front of the king’s ^[c]rooms, and the king was sitting on his royal throne in the ^[d]throne room, opposite the entrance to the palace. ² When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, ^(M)she obtained favor in his sight; and ^(N)the king extended to Esther the golden scepter which was in his hand. So Esther came near 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? ^(O)Even 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, “^(P)Bring Haman quickly that we may do ^[e]as Esther desires.” So the king and Haman came to the banquet which Esther had prepared. ^6 [f]As they drank their wine at the banquet, ^(Q)the king said to Esther, “^(R)What is your petition, for it shall be granted to you. And what is your request? Even to half of the kingdom it shall be done.” ⁷ So Esther replied, “My petition and my request is: ^8 (S)if I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and do ^[g]what I request, may the king and Haman come to ^(T)the banquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do ^[h]as the king says.”

Haman’s Pride

⁹ Then Haman went out that day glad and pleased of heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai ^(U)in the king’s gate and ^(V)that he did not stand up or ^[i]tremble before him, Haman was filled with anger against Mordecai. ¹⁰ Haman controlled himself, however, went to his house and ^[j]sent for his friends and his wife ^(W)Zeresh. ¹¹ Then Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches, and the ^[k](X)number of his sons, and every instance where the king had magnified him and how he had ^[l](Y)promoted 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 banquet which she had prepared; and ^(Z)tomorrow also I am ^[m]invited by her with the king. ¹³ Yet all of this ^[n]does not satisfy 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 ^[o]gallows 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 ^[p]advice pleased Haman, so he had the gallows made.

The King Plans to Honor Mordecai

6 During that night ^[q]the king ^(AC)could not sleep so he gave an order to bring ^(AD)the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. ² It was found written what ^(AE)Mordecai had reported concerning Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who were doorkeepers, that they had sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. ³ The king said, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” Then the king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” ⁴ So the king said, “Who is in the court?” Now Haman had just ^(AF)entered the outer court of the king’s palace in order to speak to the king about ^(AG)hanging Mordecai on the gallows which he had prepared for him. ⁵ The king’s servants 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 desires to honor?” And Haman said ^[r]to himself, “Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?” ⁷ Then Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king desires to honor, ⁸ let them bring a royal robe which the king has worn, 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 handed over to one of the king’s most noble princes and let them array the man whom the king desires to honor and lead him on horseback through the city square, ^(AK)and proclaim before him, ‘Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.’”

Haman Must Honor Mordecai

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 said.” ¹¹ So Haman took the robe and the horse, and arrayed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, “Thus it shall be done to the man whom the king desires to honor.”

¹² Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman hurried home, mourning, ^(AL)with his head covered. ¹³ 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 ^[s]of Jewish origin, you will not overcome him, but will surely fall before him.”

¹⁴ While they were still talking with him, the king’s eunuchs arrived and hastily ^(AN)brought Haman to the banquet which Esther had prepared.

Message to Ephesus

2 “To the angel of the church in ^(A)Ephesus write:

The One who holds ^(B)the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks ^[a](C)among the seven golden lampstands, says this:

² ‘^(D)I know your deeds and your toil and ^[b]perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you ^(E)put to the test those who call themselves ^(F)apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; ³ and you have ^[c]perseverance and have endured ^(G)for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary. ⁴ But I have this against you, that you have ^(H)left your first love. ⁵ Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and ^(I)repent and ^(J)do the ^[d]deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your ^(K)lampstand out of its place—unless you repent. ⁶ Yet this you do have, that you hate the deeds of the ^(L)Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ^7 (M)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(N)To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of ^(O)the tree of life which is in the ^(P)Paradise of God.’

Message to Smyrna

⁸ “And to the angel of the church in ^(Q)Smyrna write:

^(R)The first and the last, who ^[e](S)was dead, and has come to life, says this:

⁹ ‘I know your ^(T)tribulation and your ^(U)poverty (but you are ^(V)rich), and the blasphemy by those who ^(W)say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of ^(X)Satan. ¹⁰ Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you will be ^(Y)tested, and you will have tribulation ^(Z)for ten days. ^[f]Be ^(AA)faithful until death, and I will give you ^(AB)the crown of life. ^11 (AC)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(AD)He who overcomes will not be hurt by the ^(AE)second death.’

Message to Pergamum

¹² “And to the angel of the church in ^(AF)Pergamum write:

The One who has ^(AG)the sharp two-edged sword says this:

¹³ ‘I know where you dwell, where ^(AH)Satan’s throne is; and you hold fast My name, and did not deny ^(AI)My faith even in the days of Antipas, My ^(AJ)witness, My ^(AK)faithful one, who was killed among you, ^(AL)where Satan dwells. ¹⁴ But ^(AM)I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the ^(AN)teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, ^(AO)to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality. ¹⁵ So you also have some who in the same way hold the teaching of the ^(AP)Nicolaitans. ¹⁶ Therefore ^(AQ)repent; or else ^(AR)I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with ^(AS)the sword of My mouth. ^17 (AT)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. ^(AU)To him who overcomes, to him I will give some of the hidden ^(AV)manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a ^(AW)new name written on the stone ^(AX)which no one knows but he who receives it.’

Message to Thyatira

¹⁸ “And to the angel of the church in ^(AY)Thyatira write:

^(AZ)The Son of God, ^(BA)who has ^[g]eyes like a flame of fire, and His feet are like burnished bronze, says this:

¹⁹ ‘^(BB)I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and ^[h]perseverance, and that your ^[i]deeds of late are greater than ^[j]at first. ²⁰ But ^(BC)I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman ^(BD)Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they ^(BE)commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. ^21 (BF)I gave her time to repent, and she ^(BG)does not want to repent of her immorality. ²² Behold, I will throw her ^[k]on a bed of sickness, and those who ^(BH)commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of ^[l]her deeds. ²³ And I will kill her children with ^[m]pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who ^(BI)searches the ^[n]minds and hearts; and ^(BJ)I will give to each one of you according to your deeds. ²⁴ But I say to you, the rest who are in ^(BK)Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not known the ^(BL)deep things of Satan, as they call them—I ^(BM)place no other burden on you. ²⁵ Nevertheless ^(BN)what you have, hold fast ^(BO)until I come. ^26 (BP)He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds ^(BQ)until the end, ^(BR)to him I will give authority over the ^[o]nations; ²⁷ and he shall ^[p](BS)rule them with a rod of iron, ^(BT)as the vessels of the potter are broken to pieces, as I also have received authority from My Father; ²⁸ and I will give him ^(BU)the morning star. ^29 (BV)He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’