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.”

³ Then Queen Esther replied, “^(A)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 ^(B)we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, ^(C)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 ^[a]asked Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, ^[b]who would presume to do such a thing?” ⁶ And Esther said, “^(D)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 ^(A)in his anger from ^[a]drinking wine and went into ^(B)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 ^[b]place where they had been drinking wine, Haman was falling on ^(C)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, ^(A)the wooden gallows standing at Haman’s house ^[a]fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai ^(B)who spoke good in behalf of the king!” And the king said, “Hang him on it.” ^10 (C)So they hanged Haman on the wooden gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, ^(D)and the king’s anger subsided.

¹⁵ Then Mordecai went out from the presence of the king ^(A)in a royal robe of violet and white, with a large crown of gold and ^(B)a garment of fine linen and purple; and ^(C)the city of Susa shouted and rejoiced. ¹⁶ For the Jews there was ^(D)light, joy, jubilation, and honor.