Esther 5

5 ¹ On the third day, Esther put on her royal robes and stood in the inner court of the king's palace, facing the king's hall. The king was sitting on his royal throne in the hall, facing the entrance of the palace. ² When the king saw Queen Esther standing in the court, she found favor with him, and he held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.

³ Then the king said to her, "What is it, Queen Esther? What is your request? Even if it is half the kingdom, I will give it to you."

⁴ Esther replied, "If it pleases the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet I have prepared for the king."

⁵ "Bring Haman quickly," the king said, "so that we may do as Esther asks." So the king and Haman came to the banquet Esther had prepared.

⁶ As they drank their wine, the king said to Esther, "What is your petition? I will grant it to you. And what is your request? Even if it is half the kingdom, I will do it."

⁷ Esther answered, "My petition and my request is this:" ⁸ "If I have found favor with the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and fulfill my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet I will prepare for them. Then tomorrow I will do as the king has said."

Haman's Rage Turns Against Mordecai

⁹ Haman went out that day joyful and in high spirits. But when he saw Mordecai at the king's gate, and that Mordecai neither rose nor trembled before him, Haman was filled with rage against Mordecai. ¹⁰ Even so, Haman restrained himself and went home. Then he sent for his friends and Zeresh his wife, ¹¹ and Haman recounted to them the splendor of his wealth, his many sons, and all the ways the king had honored him and promoted him above the officials and servants of the king.

¹² "And that's not all," Haman added. "Queen Esther invited no one but me to accompany the king to the banquet she prepared. And she has invited me again tomorrow, along with the king." ¹³ "But all this means nothing to me as long as 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 pole set up, seventy-five feet high, and in the morning ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go joyfully with the king to the banquet." The advice pleased Haman, and he had the pole set up.