Old/New Testament

The King Honors Mordecai

6 During that night the king could not sleep. So he had the Book of the Chronicles brought to him, and they were read to the king. ² And it was found written what Mordecai had told him about Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s servants who were door-keepers, who had planned to kill King Ahasuerus. ³ The king said, “What honor or reward has been given to Mordecai for this?” Then the king’s servants who served him said, “Nothing has been done for him.” ⁴ So the king said, “Who is outside?” Now Haman had just come into the garden outside the king’s special house. He wanted to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the tower he had made ready for him. ⁵ The king’s servants said to him, “See, Haman is standing in the garden.” And the king said, “Let him come in.” ⁶ So Haman came in and the king said to him, “What is to be done for the man whom the king wants to honor?” Haman thought to himself, “Whom would the king want to honor more than me?” ⁷ Then Haman said to the king, “For the man whom the king wants to honor, ⁸ let them bring clothing which the king wears, and the horse on which the king rides, and on whose head a crown has been placed. ⁹ Let the clothing and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most honored princes. Let them dress the man whom the king wants to honor and lead him on the horse through the center of the city. Have them make it known before him, ‘This is being done to the man whom the king wants to honor.’”

¹⁰ Then the king said to Haman, “Be quick to take the clothing and the horse as you have said. Do this for Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting at the king’s gate. Do not do any less than all that you have said.” ¹¹ So Haman took the clothing and the horse. He dressed Mordecai and led him on the horse through the center of the city. And he made known before him, “This is being done to the man whom the king wants to honor.” ¹² Then Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman went home in a hurry with his head covered and very sad. ¹³ Haman told Zeresh his wife and all his friends everything that had happened to him. Then his wise men and Zeresh his wife said to him, “If Mordecai, before whom you have begun to fall, is of the Jewish people, you cannot stand against him. For sure you will fall before him.” ¹⁴ While they were still talking with him, the king’s servants came and brought Haman in a hurry to the special supper that Esther had made ready.

Haman Is Put to Death

7 So the king and Haman came to eat with Esther the queen. ² And the king said again to Esther on the second day, as they drank their wine at the special supper, “What do you want to ask of me, Queen Esther? It will be done for you. What do you want? You would be given as much as half the nation.” ³ Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor in your eyes, O king, and if it please the king, I ask that my life and the lives of my people be saved. ⁴ For I and my people have been sold, to be destroyed, to be killed, and to be done away with. If we had only been sold as men and women servants, I would have kept quiet. For our trouble is not to be compared with the trouble it will make for the king.” ⁵ Then King Ahasuerus asked Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who would do such a thing?” ⁶ Esther said, “This sinful Haman hates us very much!” Then Haman was very afraid in front of the king and queen. ⁷ The king got up from drinking the wine very angry, and went into his garden, but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther. He knew that the king planned to punish him. ⁸ When the king returned from his garden to the place where they were drinking wine, Haman was falling on the bed-like seat where Esther was lying. Then the king said, “Will he even trouble the queen while I am in the house?” As the king spoke the words, they covered Haman’s face. ⁹ Then Harbonah, one of the king’s servants helping the king, said, “See, there is a tower made for hanging people at Haman’s house, thirteen times taller than a man. Haman had it made for hanging Mordecai who spoke good and helped the king!” And the king said, “Hang Haman on it.” ¹⁰ So they hanged Haman on the tower that he had made for Mordecai. Then the king’s anger became less.

The Jews Are Allowed to Fight for Their Lives

8 On that day King Ahasuerus gave everything Haman owned, the one who hated the Jews, to Queen Esther. Mordecai came to the king, for Esther had told him what he was to her. ² The king took off the ring he used for marking his name, which he had taken away from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther put Mordecai over everything Haman had owned.

³ Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and cried and begged him to stop the sinful plan of Haman the Agagite, the plan he had made against the Jews. ⁴ The king held out the special golden stick toward Esther. So she got up and stood in front of the king. ⁵ Then she said, “If it pleases the king and if I have his favor, if the king thinks it is right and if I am pleasing in his eyes, let letters be written to keep Haman’s letters from being carried out. The letters Haman, the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, wrote would destroy the Jews in all the king’s nation. ⁶ For how can I stand to see all the trouble that will come to my people? How can I keep on if I see them destroyed?” ⁷ So King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther and to Mordecai the Jew, “See, I have given everything Haman owned to Esther. They have hanged him on the tower because he had wanted to destroy all the Jews. ⁸ Now you write whatever pleases you about the Jews, in the king’s name, and mark it with the king’s special ring. For what is written in the king’s name and marked with the king’s special ring may not be changed.”

⁹ So the king’s writers were called at that time, on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan. All that Mordecai said was written and sent to the Jews, the rulers, the leaders, and the princes of the 127 parts of the nation from India to Ethiopia. The letters were sent to every land in its own writing and to every people in their own language. And they were sent to the Jews in their own writing and language. ¹⁰ He wrote in the name of King Ahasuerus and marked it with the king’s special ring. He sent the letters by men on fast horses used in the king’s work, raised from the king’s best male horse. ¹¹ In the letters the king allowed the Jews who were in every city the right to gather together to fight for their lives. He gave them the right to destroy, kill, and do away with the whole army of any people or nation which might come to fight against them. They were given the right to kill even the children and women, and to take whatever belonged to them. ¹² On one day in all the nation of King Ahasuerus, the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, they were to do this. ¹³ The letter was law in every part of the nation and was sent to all the people, so the Jews would be ready on that day to stand against those who hated them. ¹⁴ The men went out in a hurry on the fast horses that were used for the king’s work, just as the king told them. And the letter was made known in the city of Susa where the king ruled.

¹⁵ Then Mordecai went out from the king wearing king’s clothing of blue and white, with a large gold crown and a long coat of fine linen and purple cloth. The people in the city of Susa were filled with joy and called out in loud voices. ¹⁶ For the Jews it was a time of joy and happiness and honor. ¹⁷ In every part of the nation and in every city where the king’s law had come, there was happiness and joy for the Jews, a special supper and a good day. And many people who had come there from other countries became Jews because they were afraid of the Jews.

Church Leaders Are Chosen

6 In those days the group of followers was getting larger. Greek-speaking Jews in the group complained against the Jews living in the country around Jerusalem. The Greek-speaking Jews said that their women whose husbands had died were not taken care of when the food was given out each day. ² So the twelve missionaries called a meeting of the many followers and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the Word of God to hand out food. ³ Brothers, choose from among you seven men who are respected and who are full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. We will have them take care of this work. ⁴ Then we will use all of our time to pray and to teach the Word of God.”

⁵ These words pleased all of them. They chose Stephen who was a man full of faith and full of the Holy Spirit. They also chose Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicholas of Antioch who had become a Jew. ⁶ These men were taken to the missionaries. After praying, the missionaries laid their hands on them.

⁷ The Word of God spread further. The group of followers became much larger in Jerusalem. Many of the religious leaders believed in the faith of the Christians.

Stephen Is Brought in Front of the Religious Leaders’ Court

⁸ Stephen was a man full of faith and power. He did many great things among the people. ⁹ But some men came from their place of worship who were known as the Free people. They started to argue with Stephen. These men were from the countries of Cyrene and Alexandria and Cilicia and Asia. ¹⁰ Stephen spoke with wisdom and power given by the Holy Spirit. They were not able to say anything against what he said. ¹¹ So they told other men to say, “We have heard him say things against Moses and God.” ¹² In this way they got the people talking against Stephen. The leaders of the people and the teachers of the Law came and took him to the religious leaders’ court. ¹³ The people were told to lie and say, “This man keeps on talking against this place of worship and the Law of Moses. ¹⁴ We have heard him say, ‘Jesus of Nazareth is going to pull down this place. He is going to change what Moses taught us.’”

¹⁵ The men sitting in the religious leaders’ court were looking at Stephen. They all saw that his face looked like the face of an angel.