Old/New Testament

Mordecai is Honored

6 During that night the king’s sleep escaped him, and he gave orders to bring the scroll of records and chronicles,^[a] and they were read before the king. ² And it was found written how Mordecai had reported concerning Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s eunuchs from the keepers of the threshold who had conspired to assassinate^[b] King Ahasuerus. ³ And the king asked, “What has been done to bestow honor to Mordecai for this?” And the king’s servants who attended him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” ⁴ And the king asked, “Who is in the courtyard?” Haman had just come to the courtyard of the king’s outer palace to tell the king to hang Mordecai on the gallows that he had prepared for him. ⁵ And the king’s servants said to him, “Look! Haman is standing in the courtyard.” And the king said, “Let him come.” ⁶ And Haman came, and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man whom the king wishes to honor?” And Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king wish to honor more than me?” ⁷ So Haman said to the king, “For a man whom the king wishes to honor, ⁸ let them bring royal clothing^[c] with which the king has clothed himself, and a horse that the king has ridden, and on whose head a royal head-dress has been given. ⁹ And let the clothing and the horse be given to the man^[d] by the officials of the king’s nobles; let them cloth the man whom the king wishes to honor, and let him ride on his horse through the public square of the city, and let them proclaim before him, ‘Thus, it will be done for the man whom the king wishes to honor.’” ¹⁰ Then the king said to Haman, “Quickly, take the clothing and the horse, just as you have said, and do so to Mordecai the Jew who sits at the gate of the king; you must not leave out anything from what you have said.” ¹¹ So Haman took the clothing and the horse, and he clothed Mordecai and let him ride through the public square of the city; and he proclaimed before him, “Thus, it is done to the man whom the king wishes to honor.”

¹² Then Mordecai returned to the gate of the king, and Haman rushed to his house mournful and with his head covered. ¹³ And Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends all that had happened to him. And his advisers and Zeresh his wife said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is from the descendants of the Jews,^[e] you will not prevail against him, but will certainly fall before him.” ¹⁴ As they were still speaking with him the king’s eunuchs arrived and hurried to bring Haman to the banquet that Esther had prepared.

Esther’s Banquet

7 So the king and Haman went to dine^[f] with Queen Esther. ² And the king again said to Esther, on the second day while they were drinking,^[g] “What is your petition, Queen Esther? It will be given to you. What is your request? It will be given to you—even half the kingdom.” ³ Then Queen Esther answered, and she said, “If I have found favor in your eyes,^[h] O king, and if it is good to the king, let my life be given to me at my petition and my people at my request; ⁴ I and my people have been sold to be destroyed and killed, to be annihilated. If we had been sold as male and female slaves I would have kept quiet, because this^[i] is not a need sufficient to trouble the king.”^{[j] 5} And King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who gave himself the right to do this?”^{[k] 6} And Esther said, “The adversary and enemy is this evil Haman!” And Haman was terrified before the king and queen.

Haman is Hanged

⁷ The king rose in his anger from the banquet^[l] and went to the palace garden, and Haman stood to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he realized that the king was determined to make an end to his life.^{[m] 8} And the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall,^[n] where Haman was lying prostrate on the couch that Esther was on, and the king said, “Will he also molest the queen with me in the house?” As the words^[o] went from the king’s mouth they covered Haman’s face. ⁹ And Habrona, one of the eunuchs in the presence of the king, said, “Look, the same gallows that Haman had prepared for Mordecai who spoke good for the sake of the king stands at Haman’s house, fifty cubits high.” And the king said, “Hang him on it.” ¹⁰ And they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai, and the anger of the king was abated.

Mordecai is Promoted

8 On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews; and Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her. ² And the king removed his signet ring that he had taken away from Haman, and he gave it to Mordecai. So Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

³ And Esther again spoke before the king, and she fell before his feet and wept, pleading for his grace to avert Haman the Agagite’s evil plan and the plot that he devised against the Jews. ⁴ And the king held out to Esther the scepter of gold, and Esther rose and stood before the king, ⁵ and she said, “If it is good to the king, and if I have found favor before him,^[p] and if the king is pleased with this matter, and I have his approval,^[q] let an edict be written to revoke the letters of the plans of Haman son of Hammedatha the Agagite, which he wrote to destroy the Jews that are in all the provinces of the king. ⁶ For how can I bear^[r] to look on the disaster that will find my people, and how can I bear^[s] to look on the destruction of my family?” ⁷ And King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “Look, I have given Haman’s house to Esther, and they have hanged him on the gallows because he plotted against^[t] the Jews. ⁸ Write as you see fit^[u] concerning the Jews in the name of the king, and seal it with the king’s signet ring; for a decree that is written in the name of the king and sealed with the king’s signet ring cannot be revoked.”

⁹ And the secretaries of the king were summoned^[v] at that time, in the third month, which is in the month of Sivan on the twenty-third day, and an edict was written according to all that Mordecai commanded, to the Jews and to the governors and satraps and officials of the provinces from India to Cush^[w]—one hundred and twenty-seven provinces^[x]—each province according to its own script and to every people in their own language,^[y] and to the Jews in their own script and language. ¹⁰ And he wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus, and he sealed the letters with the king’s signet ring and sent them^[z] by couriers on horses, riding on royal horses bred by^[aa] racing mares.^{[ab] 11} In them the king allowed the Jews who were in every city to assemble and defend their lives,^[ac] to destroy and kill and annihilate any army of any people or province attacking them, including women and children, and to plunder their spoil, ¹² in one day in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus, on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar. ¹³ A copy of the edict^[ad] was to be given as law in each province to inform all the people, so that the Jews would be ready^[ae] on that day to avenge themselves from their enemies. ¹⁴ The mounted couriers on the royal horses went out without delay, urged by the king’s word. The law was given in the citadel of Susa.

¹⁵ Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal clothing^[af] of blue cloth and white linen, and a great crown of gold and a robe of fine white linen and purple, and the city of Susa was shouting and rejoicing. ¹⁶ For the Jews, there was light and gladness, joy and honor. ¹⁷ In every province and city, wherever the king’s edict and his law came, there was gladness and joy for the Jews, a banquet and a holiday,^[ag] and many of the people from the country were posing as Jews because the fear of the Jews had fallen on them.

The First Seven Deacons Appointed

6 Now in these days, as^[a] the disciples were increasing in number,^[b] a complaint arose by the Greek-speaking Jews^[c] against the Hebraic Jews^[d] because^[e] their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.^{[f] 2} So the twelve summoned the community of disciples and^[g] said, “It is not desirable that we neglect the word of God to serve tables. ³ So, brothers, select from among you seven men of good reputation,^[h] full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we will put in charge of this need. ⁴ But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” ⁵ And the statement pleased the whole group, and they chose Stephen (a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit), and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus (a convert from Antioch), ⁶ whom they stood before the apostles. And they prayed and^[i] placed their^[j] hands on them.

⁷ And the word of God kept spreading, and the number of disciples in Jerusalem was increasing greatly, and a large number of priests began obeying^[k] the faith.

Stephen Arrested

⁸ Now Stephen, full of grace and power, was performing great wonders and signs among the people. ⁹ But some of those from the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called),^[l] both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia,^[m] stood up and^[n] disputed with Stephen. ¹⁰ And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. ¹¹ Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speaking blasphemous words against Moses and God!” ¹² And they incited the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came up and^[o] seized him and brought him^[p] to the Sanhedrin.^{[q] 13} And they put forward false witnesses who said, “This man does not stop speaking words against the holy place^[r] and the law! ¹⁴ For we have heard him saying that this Nazarene Jesus will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses handed down to us.” ¹⁵ And as they^[s] looked intently at him, all those who were sitting in the Sanhedrin^[t] saw his face was like the face of an angel.