Esther Prepares a Banquet

1 ^yOn the third day Esther put on her royal robes and stood in ^zthe inner court of the king’s palace, in front of the king’s quarters, while the king was sitting on his royal throne inside the throne room opposite the entrance to the palace. 2 And when the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, ^ashe won favor in his sight, ^band he held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter. 3 And the king said to her, “What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even ^cto the half of my kingdom.” 4 And Esther said, “If it please the king,¹ let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king.”

1 So the king and Haman went in to feast with Queen Esther. 2 And on the second day, as they were drinking wine after the feast, the king again said to Esther, ^c“What is your wish, Queen Esther? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? ^dEven to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled.” 3 Then Queen Esther answered, ^e“If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be granted me for my wish, and my people for my request. 4 ^fFor we have been sold, I and my people, ^gto be destroyed, to be killed, and to be annihilated. If we had been sold merely as slaves, men and women, I would have been silent, for our affliction is not to be compared with the loss to the king.” 5 Then King Ahasuerus said to Queen Esther, “Who is he, and where is he, who has dared¹ to do this?” 6 And Esther said, ^h“A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” Then Haman was terrified before the king and the queen.

Haman Is Hanged

7 And the king arose in his wrath from the wine-drinking and went into ⁱthe palace garden, but Haman stayed to beg for his life from Queen Esther, for he saw that harm was determined against him by the king. 8 And the king returned from ⁱthe palace garden to the place where they were drinking wine, as Haman was falling on ^jthe couch where Esther was. And the king said, “Will he even assault the queen in my presence, in my own house?” As the word left the mouth of the king, they covered Haman’s face. 9 Then ^kHarbona, one of the eunuchs in attendance on the king, said, “Moreover, ^lthe gallows² that Haman has prepared for Mordecai, ^mwhose word saved the king, is standing at Haman’s house, fifty cubits³ high.” And the king said, “Hang him on that.” 10 ⁿSo they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. ^oThen the wrath of the king abated.