Haman Impaled

7 So the king and Haman went to Queen Esther’s banquet,^{(A) 2} and as they were drinking wine^(B) on the second day, the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom,^(C) it will be granted.^(D)”

³ Then Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor^(E) with you, Your Majesty, and if it pleases you, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. ⁴ For I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, killed and annihilated.^(F) If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.^[a]”

⁵ King Xerxes asked Queen Esther, “Who is he? Where is he—the man who has dared to do such a thing?”

⁶ Esther said, “An adversary and enemy! This vile Haman!”

Then Haman was terrified before the king and queen. ⁷ The king got up in a rage,^(G) left his wine and went out into the palace garden.^(H) But Haman, realizing that the king had already decided his fate,^(I) stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life.

⁸ Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch^(J) where Esther was reclining.^(K)

The king exclaimed, “Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?”^(L)

As soon as the word left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.^{(M) 9} Then Harbona,^(N) one of the eunuchs attending the king, said, “A pole reaching to a height of fifty cubits^[b](O) stands by Haman’s house. He had it set up for Mordecai, who spoke up to help the king.”

The king said, “Impale him on it!”^{(P) 10} So they impaled^(Q) Haman^(R) on the pole^(S) he had set up for Mordecai.^(T) Then the king’s fury subsided.^(U)

The King’s Edict in Behalf of the Jews

8 That same day King Xerxes gave Queen Esther the estate of Haman,^(V) the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came into the presence of the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. ² The king took off his signet ring,^(W) which he had reclaimed from Haman, and presented it to Mordecai. And Esther appointed him over Haman’s estate.^(X)

³ Esther again pleaded with the king, falling at his feet and weeping. She begged him to put an end to the evil plan of Haman the Agagite,^(Y) which he had devised against the Jews. ⁴ Then the king extended the gold scepter^(Z) to Esther and she arose and stood before him.

⁵ “If it pleases the king,” she said, “and if he regards me with favor^(AA) and thinks it the right thing to do, and if he is pleased with me, let an order be written overruling the dispatches that Haman son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, devised and wrote to destroy the Jews in all the king’s provinces. ⁶ For how can I bear to see disaster fall on my people? How can I bear to see the destruction of my family?”^(AB)

⁷ King Xerxes replied to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Because Haman attacked the Jews, I have given his estate to Esther, and they have impaled^(AC) him on the pole he set up. ⁸ Now write another decree^(AD) in the king’s name in behalf of the Jews as seems best to you, and seal^(AE) it with the king’s signet ring^(AF)—for no document written in the king’s name and sealed with his ring can be revoked.”^(AG)

⁹ At once the royal secretaries were summoned—on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan. They wrote out all Mordecai’s orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush.^[c](AH) These orders were written in the script of each province and the language of each people and also to the Jews in their own script and language.^{(AI) 10} Mordecai wrote in the name of King Xerxes, sealed the dispatches with the king’s signet ring, and sent them by mounted couriers, who rode fast horses especially bred for the king.

¹¹ The king’s edict granted the Jews in every city the right to assemble and protect themselves; to destroy, kill and annihilate the armed men of any nationality or province who might attack them and their women and children,^[d] and to plunder^(AJ) the property of their enemies. ¹² The day appointed for the Jews to do this in all the provinces of King Xerxes was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar.^{(AK) 13} A copy of the text of the edict was to be issued as law in every province and made known to the people of every nationality so that the Jews would be ready on that day^(AL) to avenge themselves on their enemies.

¹⁴ The couriers, riding the royal horses, went out, spurred on by the king’s command, and the edict was issued in the citadel of Susa.^(AM)

The Triumph of the Jews

¹⁵ When Mordecai^(AN) left the king’s presence, he was wearing royal garments of blue and white, a large crown of gold^(AO) and a purple robe of fine linen.^(AP) And the city of Susa held a joyous celebration.^{(AQ) 16} For the Jews it was a time of happiness and joy,^(AR) gladness and honor.^{(AS) 17} In every province and in every city to which the edict of the king came, there was joy^(AT) and gladness among the Jews, with feasting and celebrating. And many people of other nationalities became Jews because fear^(AU) of the Jews had seized them.^(AV)

Paul in Ephesus

19 While Apollos^(A) was at Corinth,^(B) Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.^(C) There he found some disciples ² and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit^(D) when^[a] you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

³ So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

“John’s baptism,” they replied.

⁴ Paul said, “John’s baptism^(E) was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”^{(F) 5} On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.^{(G) 6} When Paul placed his hands on them,^(H) the Holy Spirit came on them,^(I) and they spoke in tongues^[b](J) and prophesied. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all.

⁸ Paul entered the synagogue^(K) and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.^{(L) 9} But some of them^(M) became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way.^(N) So Paul left them. He took the disciples^(O) with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This went on for two years,^(P) so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia^(Q) heard the word of the Lord.^(R)

¹¹ God did extraordinary miracles^(S) through Paul, ¹² so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured^(T) and the evil spirits left them.

¹³ Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits^(U) tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus^(V) whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” ¹⁴ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵ One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” ¹⁶ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

¹⁷ When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus,^(W) they were all seized with fear,^(X) and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. ¹⁸ Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. ¹⁹ A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.^{[c] 20} In this way the word of the Lord^(Y) spread widely and grew in power.^(Z)

Psalm 87

Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. A song.