< Esther 6 >
1 On that night the sleep of the king has fled away, and he commands to bring in the scroll of memorials of the chronicles, and they are read before the king,
But the Lord removed sleep from the king that night: and he told his servant to bring in the books, the registers of daily events, to read to him.
2 and it is found written that Mordecai had declared concerning Bigthana and Teresh, two of the eunuchs of the king, of the keepers of the threshold, who sought to put forth a hand on King Ahasuerus.
And he found the records written concerning Mardochaeus, how he had told the king concerning the two chamberlains of the king, when they were keeping guard, and sought to lay hands on Artaxerxes.
3 And the king says, “What honor and greatness has been done to Mordecai for this?” And the servants of the king, his ministers, say, “Nothing has been done with him.”
And the king said, What honour or favour have we done to Mardochaeus? And the king's servants said, You have not done anything to him.
4 And the king says, “Who [is] in the court?” And Haman has come into the outer court of the house of the king, to say to the king to hang Mordecai on the tree that he had prepared for him.
And while the king was enquiring about the kindness of Mardochaeus, behold, Aman [was] in the court. And the king said, Who [is] in the court? Now Aman was come in to speak to the king, that he should hang Mardochaeus on the gallows, which he had prepared.
5 And the servants of the king say to him, “Behold, Haman is standing in the court”; and the king says, “Let him come in.”
And the king's servants said, Behold, Aman stands in the court. And the king said, Call him.
6 And Haman comes in, and the king says to him, “What should [I] do with the man in whose honor the king has delighted?” And Haman says in his heart, “To whom does the king delight to do honor more than myself?”
And the king said to Aman, What shall I do to the man whom I wish to honour? And Aman said within himself, Whom would the king honour but myself?
7 And Haman says to the king, “The man in whose honor the king has delighted,
and he said to the king, As for the man whom the king wishes to honour,
8 let them bring in royal clothing that the king has put on himself, and a horse on which the king has ridden, and that the royal crown be put on his head,
let the king's servants bring the robe of fine linen which the king puts on, and the horse on which the king rides,
9 and to give the clothing and the horse into the hand of a man of the heads of the king, the chiefs, and they have clothed the man in whose honor the king has delighted, and caused him to ride on the horse in a broad place of the city, and called before him: Thus it is done to the man in whose honor the king has delighted.”
and let him give [it] to one of the king's noble friends, and let him array the man whom the king loves; and let him mount him on the horse, and proclaim through the street of the city, saying, Thus shall it be [done] to every man whom the king honours.
10 And the king says to Haman, “Hurry, take the clothing and the horse, as you have spoken, and do so to Mordecai the Jew, who is sitting in the gate of the king; there does not fall a thing of all that you have spoken.”
Then the king said to Aman, You have well said: so do to Mardochaeus the Jew, who waits in the palace, and let not a word of what you have spoken be neglected.
11 And Haman takes the clothing, and the horse, and clothed Mordecai, and causes him to ride in a broad place of the city, and calls before him, “Thus it is done to the man in whose glory the king has delighted.”
So Aman took the robe and the horse, and arrayed Mardochaeus, and mounted him on the horse, and went through the street of the city, and proclaimed, saying, Thus shall it be to every man whom the king wishes to honour.
12 And Mordecai turns back to the gate of the king, and Haman has been hurried to his house mourning, and with covered head,
And Mardochaeus returned to the palace: but Aman went home mourning, and having his head covered.
13 and Haman recounts to his wife Zeresh, and to all his friends, all that has met him, and his wise men and his wife Zeresh say to him, “If Mordecai [is] of the seed of the Jews, before whom you have begun to fall, you are not able for him, but certainly fall before him.”
And Aman related the events that had befallen him to Zosara his wife, and to [his] friends: and his friends and his wife said to him, If Mardochaeus [be] of the race of the Jews, [and] you have begun to be humbled before him, you will assuredly fall, and you will not be able to withstand him, for the living God [is] with him.
14 They are yet speaking with him, and eunuchs of the king have come, and hurry to bring in Haman to the banquet that Esther has made.
While they were yet speaking, the chamberlains arrived, to hasten Aman to the banquet which Esther had prepared.