Esther 7
1 Therfor the kyng and Aaman entriden to the feeste, to drynke with the queen.
And the king came with Haman to drink with Esther the queen.
2 And the kyng seide to hir, yhe, in the secounde dai, aftir that he was hoot of the wiyn, Hester, what is thin axyng, that it be youun to thee, and what wolt thou be doon? Yhe, thouy thou axist the half part of my rewme, thou schalt gete.
And the king said unto Esther also on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even if it be equal to half the kingdom, it shall still be done.
3 To whom sche answeride, A! king, if Y haue founde grace in thin iyen, and if it plesith thee, yyue thou my lijf to me, for which Y preie, and my puple, for which Y biseche.
Then answered Esther the queen and said, If I have found grace in thy eyes, O king! and if it be pleasing unto the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request;
4 For Y and my puple ben youun, that we be defoulid, and stranglid, and that we perische; `and Y wolde, that we weren seeld in to seruauntis and seruauntessis, `and the yuel `were suffrable, and Y `were stille weilynge; but now oure enemy is, whos cruelte turneth `in to the kyng.
For we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain and to be exterminated; and if we had been only sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I would have remained silent; for the adversary regardeth not the damage of the king.
5 And kyng Assuerus answeride, and seide, Who is this, and of what power, that he be hardi to do these thingis?
Then spoke king Achashverosh and said unto Esther the queen, Who is this, and where is he, whose heart hath emboldened him to do so?
6 And Hester seide, Oure worste aduersarie and enemy is this Aaman. Which thing he herde, and was astonyde anoon, and `suffride not to bere the semelaunt of the kyng and of the queen.
And Esther said, An adversary, and inimical man, this wicked Haman. Then became Haman terrified before the king and the queen.
7 Forsothe the kyng roos wrooth, and fro the place of the feeste he entride in to a gardyn biset with trees. And Aaman roos for to preie Hester, the queen, for his lijf; for he vndurstood yuel maad redi of the kyng to hym.
And the king arose in his fury from the banquet of wine, and went into the palace-garden: and Haman remained behind to make request for his life of Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil fully determined.
8 And whanne the kyng turnede ayen fro the gardyn `biset with wode, and hadde entrid in to the place of feeste he foond that Aaman felde doun on the bed, wherynne Hester lai. And the king seide, `Also he wole oppresse the queen, while Y am present, in myn hows. The word was not yit goon out of the kyngis mouth, and anoon thei hiliden his face.
And when the king returned out of the palace-garden into the apartment of the banquet of wine, Haman was fallen upon the couch whereon Esther was: then said the king. Will he even do violence to the queen before me in the house? The word had just come out of the king's mouth, when they covered Haman's face.
9 And Arbona seide, oon of the onest seruauntis and chast, that stoden in the seruyce of the kyng, Lo! the tre hauynge fifti cubitis of heiythe stondith in the hows of Aaman, which tre he hadde maad redi to Mardochee, that spak for the kyng. To whom the kyng seide, Hange ye Aaman in that tre.
Then said Charbonah, one of the chamberlains, before the king, Behold, there is also the gallows, which Haman hath had made for Mordecai, who hath spoken well for the king, standing in the house of Haman, fifty cubits high. And the king said, Hang him thereon.
10 Therfor Aaman was hangid in the iebat, which he hadde maad redi to Mardochee, and the ire of the kyng restide.
So they hanged Haman on the gallows which he had prepared for Mordecai, and the fury of the king was appeased.
