⁹ Haman went out that day full of joy, with a happy heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai at the king’s gate, and Mordecai did not stand and tremble before him, Haman was filled with rage against Mordecai. ¹⁰ But Haman restrained himself from any action.

He went to his house and called together his friends and his wife Zeresh. ¹¹ Haman reviewed for them the glory of his wealth, the number of his sons, all the details about how the king had made him great, and how the king had elevated him over all the officials and the king’s administrators. ¹² Haman said, “What’s more, Queen Esther did not invite anyone except me to come with the king to the banquet that she prepared. I have been invited again for her banquet with the king tomorrow. ¹³ But none of this means anything to me whenever I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

¹⁴ Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “Make a gallows^[a] seventy-five feet high. In the morning tell the king that Mordecai should be hanged^[b] on it. Then go happily with the king to the banquet.” In Haman’s opinion this was good advice, so he had the gallows made.

7 So the king and Haman went to the feast with Queen Esther.

² On the second day, when they were again drinking wine, the king said to Esther, “What is your request, Queen Esther? It will be given to you. What are you seeking? Up to half of the kingdom—it’s yours.”

³ Queen Esther responded, “My King, if I have found favor in your eyes, and if it pleases the king, I am asking that my life be spared, and I am seeking the lives of my people, ⁴ because I and my people have been sold to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we were merely being sold to be male and female slaves, I would have remained silent, because that would not have been bad enough to be a reason to bother the king.”

⁵ King Xerxes spoke up. He said to Queen Esther, “Who is this, and where is this person who has the audacity to do this?”

⁶ Esther said, “This hateful enemy is this evil Haman!” Haman was terrified in the presence of the king and the queen.

⁷ The king rose angrily from the place where they were drinking wine^[a] and went to the palace garden. But Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, because he saw the king had evil plans for him.

⁸ Just as the king was returning from the palace garden to the hall where they had been drinking wine, Haman was falling onto the couch on which Esther was lying. The king said, “Will he even assault the queen when I am in the building?” As soon as the words left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.^[b]

⁹ In addition, Harbona, one of the eunuchs present with the king, said, “You know, there is a gallows seventy-five feet high standing by the house of Haman, which he made for Mordecai, the person who spoke up for the benefit of the king.” The king said, “Hang^[c] him on it.”

¹⁰ So they hanged Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided.