Esther 7

1So the king and Haman came to banquet with Esther the queen.footnote a

2And the king said again unto Esther 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? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom.

3Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favour in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request:

4For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king’s damage.footnote b

5Then the king Ahasuerus answered and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so?footnote c

6And Esther said, The adversary and enemy is this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.footnote dfootnote e

7And the king arising from the banquet of wine in his wrath went into the palace garden: and Haman stood up to make request for his life to Esther the queen; for he saw that there was evil determined against him by the king.

8Then the king returned out of the palace garden into the place of the banquet of wine; and Haman was fallen upon the bed whereon Esther was. Then said the king, Will he force the queen also before me in the house? As the word went out of the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.footnote f

9And Harbonah, one of the chamberlains, said before the king, Behold also, the gallows fifty cubits high, which Haman had made for Mordecai, who had spoken good for the king, standeth in the house of Haman. Then the king said, Hang him thereon.footnote g

10So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified.

Esther Pleads for Her People

1So the king and Haman went to dine with Esther the queen, 2and as they drank their wine on that second day, the king asked once more, “Queen Esther, what is your petition? It will be given to you. What is your request? Even up to half the kingdom, it will be fulfilled.”

3Queen Esther replied, “If I have found favor in your sight, O king, and if it pleases the king, grant me my life as my petition, and the lives of my people as my request. 4For my people and I have been sold out to destruction, death, and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as menservants and maidservants, I would have remained silent, because no such distress would justify burdening the king.”

5Then King Xerxes spoke up and asked Queen Esther, “Who is this, and where is the one who would devisefootnote a such a scheme?”

6Esther replied, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked man—Haman!”
And Haman stood in terror before the king and queen.

The Hanging of Haman

7In his fury, the king arose from drinking his wine and went to the palace garden, while Haman stayed behind to beg Queen Esther for his life, for he realized that the king was planning a terrible fate for him.

8Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, “Would he actually assault the queen while I am in the palace?”
As soon as the words had left the king’s mouth, they covered Haman’s face.

9Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs attending the king, said: “There is a gallows fifty cubits highfootnote b at Haman’s house. He had it built for Mordecai, who gave the report that saved the king.”
“Hang him on it!” declared the king.

10So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the fury of the king subsided.