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Esther 5
New English Translation

Esther Appeals to the King for Help

5 It so happened that on the third day Esther put on her royal attire and stood in the inner court of the palace,[a] opposite the king’s quarters.[b] The king was sitting on his royal throne in the palace, opposite the entrance.[c] 2 When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she met with his approval.[d] The king extended to Esther the gold scepter that was in his hand, and Esther approached and touched the end of the scepter.

3 The king said to her, “What is on your mind,[e] Queen Esther? What is your request? Even as much as half the kingdom will be given to you.”

4 Esther replied, “If the king is so inclined,[f] let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for the king.” 5 The king replied, “Find Haman quickly so that we can do as Esther requests.”

So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared. 6 While at the banquet of wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your request? It shall be given to you. What is your petition? Ask for as much as half the kingdom,[g] and it shall be done.”

7 Esther responded,[h] “My request and my petition is this: 8 If I have found favor in the king’s sight and if the king is inclined[i] to grant my request and approve my petition, let the king and Haman come tomorrow to the banquet that I will prepare for them. At that time[j] I will do as the king wishes.”[k]

Haman Expresses His Hatred of Mordecai

9 Now Haman went forth that day pleased and very much encouraged.[l] But when Haman saw Mordecai at the king’s gate, and he did not rise or tremble in his presence,[m] Haman was filled with rage toward Mordecai. 10 But Haman restrained himself and went on to his home.

He then sent for his friends to join him,[n] along with his wife Zeresh. 11 Haman then recounted to them his fabulous wealth,[o] his many sons,[p] and how the king had magnified him and exalted him over the king’s other officials and servants. 12 Haman said, “Furthermore, Queen Esther invited[q] only me to accompany the king to the banquet that she prepared. And also tomorrow I am invited[r] along with the king. 13 Yet all this fails to satisfy me so long as I have to see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

14 Haman’s[s] wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a gallows 75 feet[t] high built, and in the morning tell the king that Mordecai should be hanged on it. Then go with the king to the banquet contented.”[u]

It seemed like a good idea to Haman, so he had the gallows built.

Footnotes

  1. Esther 5:1 tn Heb “of the house of the king”; NASB, NRSV “of the king’s palace.”
  2. Esther 5:1 tn Heb “the house of the king”; NASB “the king’s rooms”; NIV, NLT “the king’s hall.” This expression is used twice in this verse. In the first instance, it is apparently the larger palace complex that is in view, whereas in the second instance the expression seems to refer specifically to the quarters from which the king governed.
  3. Esther 5:1 tn Heb “the entrance of the house” (so ASV).
  4. Esther 5:2 tn Heb “she obtained grace in his eyes”; NASB “she obtained favor in his sight”; NIV “he was pleased with her”; NLT “he welcomed her.”
  5. Esther 5:3 tn Heb “What to you?”; NAB, NIV NRSV “What is it, Queen Esther?”
  6. Esther 5:4 tn Heb “If upon the king it is good”; NASB “If it please the king.”
  7. Esther 5:6 sn As much as half the kingdom. Such a statement would no doubt have been understood for the exaggeration that it clearly was. Cf. the similar NT scene recorded in Mark 6:23, where Herod makes a similar promise to the daughter of Herodias. In that case the request was for the head of John the Baptist, which is a lot less than half the kingdom.
  8. Esther 5:7 tn Heb “answered and said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.
  9. Esther 5:8 tn Heb “if upon the king it is good.” Cf. the similar expression in v. 4, which also occurs in 7:3; 8:5; 9:13.
  10. Esther 5:8 tn Heb “and tomorrow” (so NASB); NAB, NRSV “and then.”
  11. Esther 5:8 tn Heb “I will do according to the word of the king,” i.e., answer the question that he has posed. Cf. NCV “Then I will answer your question about what I want.”
  12. Esther 5:9 tn Heb “happy and good of heart”; NASB “glad and pleased of heart”; NIV “happy and in high spirits.”
  13. Esther 5:9 tn Heb “tremble from before him”; NIV “nor showed fear in his presence”; TEV “or show any sign of respect as he passed.”
  14. Esther 5:10 tn Heb “sent and brought.” The expression is probably a hendiadys (a figure of speech in which a single idea is expressed through two words or phrases), in which case the two verbs could be translated simply as “summoned” (so NAB) or “sent for” (NASB).
  15. Esther 5:11 tn Heb “the glory of his riches” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “the splendor of his riches.”
  16. Esther 5:11 sn According to Esth 9:10 Haman had ten sons.
  17. Esther 5:12 tn Heb “caused to come”; KJV “did let no man come in…but myself.”
  18. Esther 5:12 tn Heb “called to her”; KJV “invited unto her”; NAB “I am to be her guest.”
  19. Esther 5:14 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Haman) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  20. Esther 5:14 tn Heb “50 cubits.” Assuming a standard length for the cubit of about 18 inches (45 cm), this would be about 75 feet (22.5 meters), which is a surprisingly tall height for the gallows. Perhaps the number assumes the gallows was built on a large supporting platform or a natural hill for visual effect, in which case the structure itself may have been considerably smaller. Cf. NCV “a seventy-five foot platform”; CEV “a tower built about seventy-five feet high.”
  21. Esther 5:14 tn Or “joyful”; NRSV “in good spirits”; TEV “happy.”
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Ester 5
Ang Pulong Sang Dios

Nagpangabay si Ester sa Hari

5 Sang ikatatlo nga adlaw, nagsuksok si Ester sang iya bayo nga pangrayna kag nagtindog sa sulod nga lagwerta sang palasyo, sa atubangan sang trono sang hari. Nagapungko sadto ang hari sa iya trono nga nagaatubang sa puwertahan. 2 Sang nakita sang hari si Ester, nalipay siya sa iya, kag gin-untay niya ang iya bulawan nga bulobaston kay Ester. Nagpalapit si Ester kag gintandog ang punta sang bulobaston.

3 Nagpamangkot ang hari sa iya, “Ano ang kinahanglan mo, Mahal nga Rayna? Isiling lang kay ihatag ko sa imo bisan ang katunga pa sang akon ginharian.” 4 Nagsabat si Ester, “Kon gusto mo, Mahal nga Hari, magkadto kamo karon ni Haman sa panihapon nga ginpreparar ko para sa inyo.” 5 Nagsiling ang hari sa iya mga suluguon, “Tawga gilayon si Haman agod masunod namon ang gusto ni Ester.”

Gani nagkadto ang hari kag si Haman sa panihapon nga ginpreparar ni Ester. 6 Kag samtang nagaininom sila sang bino, nagpamangkot ang hari kay Ester, “Ano gid bala ang kinahanglan mo? Isiling lang kay ihatag ko sa imo bisan ang katunga pa sang akon ginharian.” 7 Nagsabat si Ester, “Amo ini ang akon pangabay: 8 Kon matuod nga maayo ka sa akon kag nalipay ka sa paghatag sang akon pangayuon, ginaimbitar ko kamo liwat ni Haman sa panihapon buwas nga ipreparar ko sa inyo. Kag dayon isiling ko ang akon pangabay sa imo.”

Nagplano si Haman nga Patyon si Mordecai

9 Sang sina nga adlaw, malipayon si Haman nga nagguwa sa palasyo. Pero naakig gid siya sang makita niya si Mordecai sa puwertahan sang palasyo nga wala man lang nagtindog ukon nagpakita sang pagtahod sa iya. 10 Pero ginpunggan lang niya ang iya kaugalingon kag nagpauli.

Pag-abot niya sa ila, ginpatawag niya ang iya asawa nga si Zeresh kag ang iya mga abyan. 11 Ginpahambog niya sa ila ang iya madamo nga manggad kag kabataan, kag ang tanan nga pagpadungog sa iya sang hari kag ang paghatag sa iya sang mataas nga posisyon nga labaw sa tanan nga opisyal kag sa iban pa nga mga alagad sang hari. 12 Nagsiling pa siya, “Indi lang ina, kundi ako lang ang gin-imbitar ni Rayna Ester nga makaupod sa hari sa panihapon nga ginpreparar niya. Kag sa liwat gin-imbitar naman niya ako nga magpanyapon buwas kaupod sang hari. 13 Pero ini tanan indi gid makalipay sa akon kon makita ko pa gihapon inang Judio nga si Mordecai nga nagapungko sa may puwertahan sang palasyo.”

14 Nagsiling sa iya ang iya asawa kag mga abyan, “Ngaa indi ka magpahimo sang bilitayan nga mga 75 ka tapak ang kataason. Kag buwas sa aga pangabaya ang hari nga ipabitay si Mordecai, agod malipayon ka nga mag-upod sa hari sa panihapon.” Nagustuhan ato ni Haman, gani nagpahimo siya sang bilitayan.

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Esther 5
Easy-to-Read Version

Esther Speaks to the King

5 On the third day, Esther put on her special robes. Then she stood in the inside area of the king’s palace, in front of the king’s hall. The king was sitting on his throne in the hall, facing the place where people enter the throne room. 2 When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was very pleased. He held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther went in to the room and went near the king. Then she touched the end of the king’s gold scepter.

3 Then the king asked, “What is bothering you Queen Esther? What do you want to ask me? I will give you anything you ask for, even half my kingdom.”

4 Esther said, “I have prepared a party for you and Haman. Will you and Haman please come to the party today?”

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

So the king and Haman went to the party Esther had prepared for them. 6 While they were drinking wine, the king asked her again, “Now Esther, what do you want to ask for? Ask for anything, I will give it to you. So what is it you want? I will give you anything you want, up to half my kingdom.”

7 Esther answered, “This is what I want to ask for: 8 If the king is pleased with me and thinks it good to give me what I ask for, let the king and Haman come tomorrow. I will prepare another party for them. Then I will tell what I really want.”

Haman’s Anger at Mordecai

9 Haman left the king’s palace that day very happy and in a good mood. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate, he became very angry. Haman was very mad at him because Mordecai didn’t show any respect when Haman walked by. Mordecai was not afraid of Haman, and this made Haman mad. 10 But Haman controlled his anger and went home. Then Haman called together his friends and his wife, Zeresh. 11 Haman started bragging about how rich he was. He was bragging to his friends about his many sons, and about all the ways the king had honored him. And he was bragging about how the king had promoted him higher than all the other leaders. 12 “And that’s not all,” Haman added. “I’m the only one Queen Esther invited to be with the king at the party she gave. And the Queen also has invited me to be with the king again tomorrow. 13 But all this means nothing to me. I cannot be happy as long as I see that Jew Mordecai sitting at the king’s gate.”

14 Then Haman’s wife Zeresh and all his friends had a suggestion. They said, “Tell someone to build a post to hang him on. Make it 75 feet[a] tall. In the morning ask the king to hang Mordecai on it. Then go to the party with the king and you can be happy.”

Haman liked this suggestion, so he ordered someone to build the hanging post.

Footnotes

  1. Esther 5:14 75 feet Literally, “50 cubits” (22 m).
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Esther 4
Esther 6
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New English Translation (NET)

NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.

Ang Pulong Sang Dios (HLGN)

Hiligaynon Bible (Ang Pulong Sang Dios) Copyright © 1996, 2006 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)

Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International