Old/New Testament

Haman Wants to Destroy the Jews

3 After these things King Ahasuerus raised Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, to a more important duty. He was made to rule over all the princes who were with him. ² All the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate bowed down and gave honor to Haman, for the king had said that this should be done. But Mordecai did not bow down or give him honor. ³ Then the king’s servants who were at the king’s gate said to Mordecai, “Why are you not obeying the king?” ⁴ They spoke to him each day, but he would not listen to them. So they told Haman to see if Mordecai’s reason was good enough. For he had told them that he was a Jew. ⁵ When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow down or honor him, he was very angry. ⁶ But he did not want to only hurt Mordecai. They had told him who the people of Mordecai were and Haman wanted to destroy all the Jews. He wanted to destroy all the people of Mordecai in the whole nation of Ahasuerus.

⁷ In the first month, the month of Nisan, in the twelfth year of King Ahasuerus, names were drawn in front of Haman from day to day and from month to month, until the twelfth month, the month of Adar. ⁸ Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people spread out among the people in all the parts of your nation whose laws are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king’s laws. So it is not good for the king to let them stay. ⁹ If it pleases the king, let it be made known that they should be destroyed. And I will pay silver weighing as much as 10,000 men to those who do the king’s work, to be put into the king’s store-houses.” ¹⁰ Then the king took the special ring from his hand that he used for marking his name and gave it to Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, who hated the Jews. ¹¹ And the king said to Haman, “The silver is yours, and the people also. Do with them as you please.” ¹² Then the king’s writers were called on the thirteenth day of the first month. And all that Haman had said was written to the king’s rulers who were over each part of the land, and to the princes of each people. It was written to each part in its own writing, and in the language of each people. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus and marked with the king’s special ring. ¹³ Men were sent with letters to all the king’s lands, to destroy, to kill, and to put an end to all the Jews, both young and old, women and children, in one day. This was the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar. And they could take the things that belonged to the Jews. ¹⁴ The letters were to be made a law in every land to all the people so that they should be ready for this day. ¹⁵ The men went out with the letters in a hurry as the king told them. And the law was made known in the city of Susa where the king lived. While the king and Haman sat down to drink, the city of Susa was troubled.

Mordecai Asks for Esther’s Help

4 When Mordecai learned all that had been done, he tore his clothes. He dressed in cloth made from hair and put on ashes, and went out into the city and cried with loud cries. ² He went as far as the king’s gate, for no one was to go through the king’s gate wearing cloth made from hair. ³ There was much sorrow among the Jews in each and every part of the nation where the king’s law was made known. They went without food and cried with sounds of sorrow. Many lay in cloth made from hair and in ashes.

⁴ Then Esther’s women and men servants came and told her, and the queen was very troubled. She sent clothes for Mordecai to wear, that he might take off his clothes made from hair. But he would not take them. ⁵ Then Esther called Hathach from the king’s servants whom the king had chosen to help her. She told him to go to Mordecai and find out what was wrong and why. ⁶ So Hathach went out to Mordecai at the king’s gate in the open space of the city. ⁷ And Mordecai told him all that had happened to him. He told him just how much money Haman had promised to pay to the king’s store-houses to have the Jews destroyed. ⁸ He also gave him one of the letters of the law that was sent out from Susa to destroy the Jews, that he might show it to Esther and let her know. And he said that she should go in to the king and beg him to show favor to her people.

⁹ Hathach went and told Esther what Mordecai had said. ¹⁰ Then Esther told Hathach to say to Mordecai, ¹¹ “All the king’s servants and the people of the king’s nation know that he has one law for any man or woman who comes to him in his room who has not been called: They will be put to death, unless the king holds out his special golden stick to him so that he may live. And I have not been called to come to the king for these thirty days.” ¹² Then Mordecai was told what Esther had said.

¹³ Mordecai answered, “Do not think that you in the king’s special house will live any more than all the other Jews. ¹⁴ For if you keep quiet at this time, help will come to the Jews from another place. But you and your father’s house will be destroyed. Who knows if you have not become queen for such a time as this?” ¹⁵ Then Esther told them to say to Mordecai, ¹⁶ “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and have them all go without food so they can pray better for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my women servants will go without food in the same way. Then I will go in to the king, which is against the law. And if I die, I die.” ¹⁷ So Mordecai went away and did just as Esther had told him.

Esther’s Special Supper

5 On the third day Esther put on her queen’s clothing and stood in the open space inside the king’s special house in front of his throne room. The king was sitting on his throne in the throne room looking toward the door of his house. ² When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the open space, she found favor in his eyes. The king held his special golden stick in his hand toward Esther. So Esther came near and touched the top of the special stick. ³ Then the king said to her, “What do you want, Queen Esther? What do you ask of me? You would be given even as much as half the nation.” ⁴ Esther said, “If it please the king, may the king and Haman come today to the special supper I have made ready for him.”

⁵ Then the king said, “Be quick to bring Haman, that we may do as Esther wants.” So the king and Haman came to the special supper that Esther had made ready. ⁶ As they drank their wine at the supper, the king said to Esther, “What is it that you want? For it will be given to you. What do you ask of me? You would be given as much as half the nation.” ⁷ So Esther answered and said, “This is what I ask of you. ⁸ If I have found favor in the king’s eyes, and if it please the king to give me what I ask of him, may the king and Haman come to the special supper that I will make ready for them. And tomorrow I will tell you what I want.”

⁹ Then Haman went out that day glad and with joy in his heart. But when he saw Mordecai at the king’s gate, and when he did not stand up or show any fear in front of him, Haman was filled with anger against Mordecai. ¹⁰ But Haman kept himself from doing anything at that time, and went home. There he sent for his friends and his wife Zeresh. ¹¹ Haman told them about the greatness of his riches and the number of his sons. He told them how the king had raised him to a place of honor, and how he had made him more important than the princes and the king’s servants. ¹² Haman said, “Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the special supper that she had made ready. She has asked me to come with the king tomorrow also. ¹³ Yet all of this is not enough to please me every time I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.” ¹⁴ Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “Have a tower made ready for hanging him. Let it be thirteen times taller than a man. And in the morning ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go with joy to the special supper with the king.” These words pleased Haman, so he had the tower built.

²² When the soldiers got there, they did not find them in prison. They went back and told the court. ²³ The soldiers said, “We found the door of the prison locked and the soldiers watching the doors. When we opened the door, we found no one inside.”

²⁴ When the religious leaders and the leader of the house of God heard this, they were much troubled as to what might happen. ²⁵ Then someone came and told them, “The men you put in prison are now standing in the house of God and teaching the people.” ²⁶ The leader of the house of God took his men and got them. They did not hurt the missionaries because they were afraid the people would throw stones at them.

²⁷ They brought the missionaries in and made them stand in front of the court. The head religious leader said, ²⁸ “We told you not to teach about Christ! See! You are spreading this teaching over all Jerusalem. Now you are making it look as if we are guilty of killing this Man.”

The Missionaries Speak the Truth

²⁹ Then Peter and the missionaries said, “We must obey God instead of men! ³⁰ The God of our early fathers raised up Jesus, the One you killed and nailed to a cross. ³¹ God raised this Man to His own right side as a leader and as the One Who saves from the punishment of sin. He makes it possible for the Jews to be sorry for their sins. Then they can turn from them and be forgiven. ³² We have seen these things and are telling about them. The Holy Spirit makes these things known also. God gives His Spirit to those who obey Him.”

Gamaliel Speaks in Court

³³ The religious leaders became angry when they heard this. They planned to kill the missionaries. ³⁴ Gamaliel was a man of the religious leaders’ court. He was a proud religious law-keeper and a teacher of the Law. He was respected by all the people. He stood up and said that the missionaries should be sent outside for a short time.

³⁵ Then Gamaliel said to the court, “Jewish men, be careful what you plan to do with these men. ³⁶ Remember that many years ago a man called Theudas made himself out to be someone great. He had about 400 followers. He was killed. His followers were divided and nothing came of his teaching. ³⁷ After him, Judas of the country of Galilee gathered many followers. It was the time for every person to have his name written in the books of the nation. This Judas was killed also. All his followers were divided and went away. ³⁸ I say to you now, stay away from these men and leave them alone. If this teaching and work is from men, it will come to nothing. ³⁹ If it is from God, you will not be able to stop it. You may even find yourselves fighting against God.”

⁴⁰ The court agreed with Gamaliel. So they called the missionaries in and beat them. They told them they must not speak in the name of Jesus. Then they were sent away.

⁴¹ So the missionaries went away from the court happy that they could suffer shame because of His Name. ⁴² Every day in the house of God and in the homes, they kept teaching and preaching about Jesus Christ.