Esther 6-7

New American Standard Bible

The King Plans to Honor Mordecai

6 During that night ^[a]the king ^(A)could not sleep, so he gave an order to bring ^(B)the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read before the king. ² And it was found written what ^(C)Mordecai had reported about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs who were doorkeepers, that they had sought to ^[b]attack King Ahasuerus. ³ Then the king said, “What honor or dignity has been bestowed on Mordecai for this?” And the king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” ⁴ So the king said, “Who is in the courtyard?” Now Haman had just ^(D)entered the outer courtyard of the king’s palace in order to speak to the king about ^(E)hanging Mordecai on the wooden gallows which he had prepared for him. ⁵ So the king’s servants said to him, “Behold, Haman is standing in the courtyard.” And the king said, “Have him come in.” ⁶ Haman then came in and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man ^(F)whom the king desires to honor?” And Haman said ^[c]to himself, “Whom would the king desire to honor more than me?” ⁷ Therefore Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king desires to honor, ⁸ have them bring a royal robe which the king has worn, and ^(G)the horse on which the king has ridden, and on whose head ^(H)a royal turban has been placed; ⁹ then order them to hand the robe and the horse over to one of the king’s noble officials, and have them dress the man whom the king desires to honor, and lead him on horseback through the city square, ^(I)and proclaim before him, ‘So it shall be done for the man whom the king desires to honor.’”

Haman Must Honor Mordecai

¹⁰ Then the king said to Haman, “Quickly, take the robe and the horse just as you have said, and do so for Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king’s gate; do not fail to do anything of all that you have said.” ¹¹ So Haman took the robe and the horse, and dressed Mordecai, and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, “So it shall be done for the man whom the king desires to honor.”

¹² Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate, while Haman hurried home, mourning, ^(J)with his head covered. ¹³ And Haman informed ^(K)Zeresh his wife and all his friends of 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 ^[d]of Jewish origin, you will not prevail over him, but will certainly fall before him.”

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

Esther’s Plea

7 Now the king and Haman came to drink wine with Esther the queen. ² And the king said to Esther on the second day also ^[e]as they drank their wine at the banquet, “^(M)What is your request, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your wish? ^(N)Up to half of the kingdom it shall be done.” ³ Then Queen Esther replied, “^(O)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 ^(P)we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, ^(Q)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 ^[f]asked Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, ^[g]who would presume to do such a thing?” ⁶ And Esther said, “^(R)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 ^(S)in his anger from ^[h]drinking wine and went into ^(T)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 ^[i]place where they had been drinking wine, Haman was falling on ^(U)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, ^(V)the wooden gallows standing at Haman’s house ^[j]fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai ^(W)who spoke good in behalf of the king!” And the king said, “Hang him on it.” ^10 (X)So they hanged Haman on the wooden gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, ^(Y)and the king’s anger subsided.