Study Desk

So Esther was taken to King Ahasuerus in his royal palace in the tenth month, which is the month Tebeth, in the seventh year of his reign.

The king loved Esther more than all the women, and she found favor and kindness with him more than all the virgins, so that he set the royal turban on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti.

Then when the plot was investigated and found to be so, they were both hanged on a wooden gallows; and it was written in the Book of the Chronicles in the king's presence.

All the king's servants who were at the king's gate bowed down and paid homage to Haman; for so the king had commanded regarding him. But Mordecai neither bowed down nor paid homage.

But he considered it beneath his dignity to kill Mordecai alone, for they had told him who the people of Mordecai were; so Haman sought to annihilate all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were found throughout the kingdom of Ahasuerus.

Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, "There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from those of all other people and they do not comply with the king's laws, so it is not in the king's interest to let them remain.

A copy of the edict to be issued as law in every province was published to all the peoples so that they would be ready for this day.

Then Esther's attendants and her eunuchs came and informed her, and the queen was seized by great fear. And she sent garments to clothe Mordecai so that he would remove his sackcloth from him, but he did not accept them.

So Hathach went out to Mordecai in the city square, in front of the king's gate.

He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict which had been issued in Susa for their annihilation, so that he might show Esther and inform her, and to order her to go in to the king to implore his favor and plead with him for her people.

So Hathach came back and reported Mordecai's words to Esther.

"All the king's servants and the people of the king's provinces know that for any man or woman who comes to the king in the inner courtyard, who is not summoned, he has only one law, that he be put to death, unless the king holds out to him the golden scepter so that he may live. And I have not been summoned to come to the king for these thirty days."

So Mordecai went away and did just as Esther had commanded him.

When the king saw Esther the queen standing in the courtyard, she obtained favor in his sight; and the king extended to Esther the golden scepter which was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the top of the scepter.

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

So Esther replied, "My request and my wish is:

Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, "Have a wooden gallows fifty cubits high made, and in the morning ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it; then go joyfully with the king to the banquet." And the advice pleased Haman, so he had the wooden gallows made.

During that night the king could not sleep, so he gave an order to bring the book of records, the chronicles, and they were read before the king.

So the king said, "Who is in the courtyard?" Now Haman had just entered the outer courtyard of the king's palace in order to speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on the wooden gallows which he had prepared for him.

So the king's servants said to him, "Behold, Haman is standing in the courtyard." And the king said, "Have him come in."