Esther 5
1 Three days later, Esther [prepared a big banquet/feast. Then she] put on the robes that showed that she was queen, and she went to the inner courtyard of the palace, across from the room where the king was. He was sitting on the throne, facing the entrance [of the room].
Now on the third day, Esther put on her royal clothing and stood in the inner court of the king’s house, next to the king’s house. The king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, next to the entrance of the house.
2 When the king saw Esther standing there in the courtyard, he extended the gold scepter/staff toward her [to signal that he would be glad to talk to her]. So Esther came close and touched the tip of the scepter/staff.
When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the court, she obtained favor in his sight; and the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand. So Esther came near and touched the top of the scepter.
3 Then the king asked her, “Esther, what do you want? Tell me, and I will give you what you want, even if you ask me to give you half of my kingdom!”
Then the king asked her, “What would you like, queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you even to the half of the kingdom.”
4 Esther replied, “[Your majesty, ] if it pleases you, you and Haman come to the banquet that I have prepared for you!”
Esther said, “If it seems good to the king, let the king and Haman come today to the banquet that I have prepared for him.”
5 The king said [to his servants], “Go and tell Haman to come quickly to a banquet that Esther has prepared for the two of us!” So the king and Haman went to the banquet that Esther had prepared for them.
Then the king said, “Bring Haman quickly, so that it may be done as Esther has said.” So the king and Haman came to the banquet that Esther had prepared.
6 While they were drinking wine, the king said to Esther, “Tell me what you [really] want. I will give it to you, even if [you ask for] half of my kingdom.”
The king said to Esther at the banquet of wine, “What is your petition? It shall be granted you. What is your request? Even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.”
7 Esther replied, “[I will tell you] what I want [most of all. Your majesty], if you are pleased with me, and if you are willing to give me what I am requesting, please come [again] tomorrow to another banquet that I will prepare for the two of you. Then I will tell you [what I really want”].
Then Esther answered and said, “My petition and my request is this.
If I have found favor in the sight of the king, and if it pleases the king to grant my petition and to perform my request, let the king and Haman come to the banquet that I will prepare for them, and I will do tomorrow as the king has said.”
9 Haman was feeling very happy as he left the banquet. But then he saw Mordecai sitting at the gate of the palace. Mordecai did not stand up and tremble fearfully in front of Haman, so Haman became extremely angry.
Then Haman went out that day joyful and glad of heart, but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king’s gate, that he didn’t stand up nor move for him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai.
10 However, he did not show that he was angry; he [just] went home. Then he gathered together his wife Zeresh and his friends,
Nevertheless Haman restrained himself, and went home. There, he sent and called for his friends and Zeresh his wife.
11 and he boasted to them about being very rich, and about having many children. He also boasted that the king had greatly honored him, and that the king had (promoted him/given him the second-most important job in the empire), so that [all] the other officials had to respect him.
Haman recounted to them the glory of his riches, the multitude of his children, all the things in which the king had promoted him, and how he had advanced him above the princes and servants of the king.
12 Then Haman added, “And that is not all! Queen Esther invited just two of us, the king and me, to a banquet she prepared for us today. And she is inviting [only] the two of us to another banquet that she will prepare tomorrow!”
Haman also said, “Yes, Esther the queen let no man come in with the king to the banquet that she had prepared but myself; and tomorrow I am also invited by her together with the king.
13 Then Haman said, “But those things (mean nothing to me/do not make me happy) while I keep seeing that Jew, Mordecai, [just] sitting there at the gate of the palace [and ignoring me]!”
Yet all this avails me nothing, so long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”
14 So Haman’s wife Zeresh and all his friends [who were there] suggested, “[Why don’t you quickly] set up (a gallows/posts on which to hang someone). Make it 75 feet tall. Then tomorrow morning ask the king to hang Mordecai on it. After that, you can go to the banquet with the king and be cheerful.” That idea pleased Haman [very much], so he gave [men] orders to set up the gallows/posts.
Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made fifty cubits high, and in the morning speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on it. Then go in merrily with the king to the banquet.” This pleased Haman, so he had the gallows made.
