Esther 5

¹ On the third day, Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace, opposite the king's hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the royal hall, facing the entrance.

² When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she won his favor, and he held out to her the golden scepter that was in his hand. Then Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

³ The king said to her, "What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you, even to half of my kingdom."

⁴ Esther said, "If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared for the king."

⁵ Then the king said, "Bring Haman quickly so that we may do as Esther has asked." So the king and Haman came to the feast that Esther had prepared.

⁶ As they were drinking wine after the feast, the king said to Esther, "What is your petition? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled."

⁷ Esther answered, "My petition and my request is this:

⁸ If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the feast that I will prepare for them, and tomorrow I will do as the king has said."

⁹ Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai at the king's gate and that he neither rose nor trembled before him, Haman was filled with rage against Mordecai.

¹⁰ Nevertheless, Haman restrained himself and went home. He sent for his friends and his wife Zeresh.

¹¹ Haman recounted to them the splendor of his riches, the number of his sons, all the promotions with which the king had honored him, and how he had advanced him above the officials and the servants of the king.

¹² Then Haman said, "Even Queen Esther let no one but me come with the king to the feast she prepared. And tomorrow also I am invited by her together with the king.

¹³ Yet all this is worth nothing to me as long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king's gate."

¹⁴ Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, "Let a pole be made, fifty cubits high, and in the morning tell the king to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go joyfully with the king to the feast." This pleased Haman, and he had the pole made.