Esther’s Banquet

5 Now it happened ^(A)on the third day that Esther put on her royal robes and stood in ^(B)the inner court of the king’s palace, across from the king’s house, while the king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, facing the entrance of the ^[a]house. ² So it was, when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, that ^(C)she found favor in his sight, and ^(D)the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther went near and touched the top of the scepter.

³ And the king said to her, “What do you wish, Queen Esther? What is your request? ^(E)It shall be given to you—up to half the kingdom!”

⁴ So Esther answered, “If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”

⁵ Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, that he may do as Esther has said.” So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

⁶ At the banquet of wine ^(F)the king said to Esther, ^(G)“What is your petition? It shall be granted you. What is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!”

⁷ Then Esther answered and said, “My petition and request is this: ⁸ If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and ^[b]fulfill my request, then let the king and Haman come to the ^(H)banquet which I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said.”

Haman’s Plot Against Mordecai

⁹ So Haman went out that day ^(I)joyful and with a glad heart; but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, and ^(J)that he did not stand or tremble before him, he was filled with indignation against Mordecai. ¹⁰ Nevertheless Haman ^(K)restrained himself and went home, and he sent and called for his friends and his wife Zeresh. ¹¹ Then Haman told them of his great riches, ^(L)the multitude of his children, everything in which the king had promoted him, and how he had ^(M)advanced him above the officials and servants of the king.

¹² Moreover Haman said, “Besides, Queen Esther invited no one but me to come in with the king to the banquet that she prepared; and tomorrow I am again invited by her, along with the king. ¹³ Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

¹⁴ Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Let a ^(N)gallows^[c] be made, ^[d]fifty cubits high, and in the morning ^(O)suggest to the king that Mordecai be hanged on it; then go merrily with the king to the banquet.”

And the thing pleased Haman; so he had ^(P)the gallows made.

Haman Hanged Instead of Mordecai

7 So the king and Haman went to dine with Queen Esther. ² And on the second day, ^(A)at the banquet of wine, the king again said to Esther, “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request, up to half the kingdom? It shall be done!”

³ Then Queen Esther answered and said, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request. ⁴ For we have been ^(B)sold, my people and I, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. Had we been sold as ^(C)male and female slaves, I would have held my tongue, although the enemy could never compensate for the king’s loss.”

⁵ So King Ahasuerus answered and said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who would dare presume in his heart to do such a thing?”

⁶ And Esther said, “The adversary and ^(D)enemy is this wicked Haman!”

So Haman was terrified before the king and queen.

⁷ Then the king arose in his wrath from the banquet of wine and went into the palace garden; but Haman stood before Queen Esther, pleading for his life, for he saw that evil was determined against him by the king. ⁸ When the king returned from the palace garden to the place of the banquet of wine, Haman had fallen across ^(E)the couch where Esther was. Then the king said, “Will he also assault the queen while I am in the house?”

As the word left the king’s mouth, they ^(F)covered Haman’s face. ⁹ Now ^(G)Harbonah, one of the eunuchs, said to the king, “Look! ^(H)The ^[a]gallows, fifty cubits high, which Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke ^(I)good on the king’s behalf, is standing at the house of Haman.”

Then the king said, “Hang him on it!”

¹⁰ So ^(J)they ^(K)hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s wrath subsided.